This semester, as I approach graduation and becoming a “real person”, there are several hoops that I must jump through to receive my diploma.  I have to write a capstone for my Natural Science major and I have to participate in a collaborative art show with the rest of my Art major peers.  My fellow artist friends and I have been working up to this show throughout the summer and through the school year.  My focus for the show: black and white, large format photography, that is scanned digitally and then printed on a large scale on handmade paper.

I enjoy working with large format photography because of the endless possibilities it gives me when shooting.  I can change the focus to just a small part of a branch, but at the same time have part of a tree somewhere else in the shot completely clear as well.  This is something that I am really interested in and is the link between most of my photographs.  I can also capture a huge amount of detail with the larger film, which leads to richer and more visually captivating prints.  Mix that with the handmade paper and I am able to create lovely and unique images.  The entire process from shooting, to developing, to finally printing, is a relaxing and enjoyable experience for me.  The only drawback: it takes a boatload of time to do.  To create one single print, I can spend upwards of 20 hours in production time.  That may seem slightly insane to most people, but to me, it means that I get to spend 20 hours doing something that I absolutely love.

Our show opens in April and I encourage anyone and everyone to attend it at the SJU art gallery.  Till then, stay tuned for more updates on my work!