We invite you to a very special exhibit- a retrospective of the work of William L Jolly, Professor Emeritus at the Department of Chemistry and a pioneering artist in the Solarization movement and author of Solarization Demystified. In lieu of Reception for the show we encourage visitors to come during the East Bay Open Studio Saturdays or at your convenience during Gallery Hours M-Saturday 10-6 pm.
William Lee Jolly taught himself to take photographs and develop film using his father's Retina I after discovering the limitations of his Kodak Brownie camera. Later, during summer vacations from chemistry studies at the University of Illinois he worked in photographic papers-connected departments for the Kodak Film Company.
In the '70's, Bill invented along with chemistry professor and photographer Clarence Rainwater, an effective developer for producing the Sabatier Effect and formed SOLAROL Company to market the product which was later taken on by Brandess Bros. Co.
After he retired in from the Department of Chemistry in 1991, Jolly worked exclusively on photographic chemistry, mainly on the elucidation of the Sabatier effect and related phenomena. He invented innovative print techniques such as chromoskedasic solarization and silver mirror printing. His photographic work was among the first whole, illustrated books to be published on a web site in Solarization Demystified, written with the help of his second wife, Jane. His photographs have appeared in both the photographic literature and in various galleries. Special Thanks to Jane Vavra Jolly for curating the exhibition and sharing William Jolly’s work. June 10, 2017