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Vanessa Marsh, Western Landscape 1, Archival Pigment Ink Print (from scanned Cyanotype), 15x20 in, Editon of 10, $1600

We are thrilled to present Western Landscapes by the incredibly talented Vanessa Marsh!

About this work, Marsh writes, "The images depict the infrastructure and amusements of modern culture set against otherwise remote locations. The darkness of the sky and the prevalence of stars allude to ancient skies before light pollution changed our everyday experience of the universe. The images act as a meditation on our connection to the story of humanity, as well as our place in the vast geologic history of the earth and the cosmos."

In this conversation, we discuss curiosity, making photographs without a camera, printing processes, and more.

Anne Kelly: What role does curiosity play in creating your artwork?

Vanessa Marsh: I think it plays a significant role; the best new pathways come from experimenting and trying new combinations of factors. Each new series is born from a curiosity to learn a new process.

AK: Please describe your process as simply as possible.

VM: I work in various photographic processes using opaque stencils and cut paper to make multiple exposures on light-sensitive paper. The result is the illusion of a layered and dimensional landscape.

Vanessa Marsh, Western Landscape 11, Archival Pigment Ink Print (from scanned Cyanotype), 15x20 in, Editon of 10, $1600

AK: You started creating camera-less photographs in 2011. What motivated you to make this transition?

VM: In graduate school and the years afterward, I was working with scale models that I would set up in front of my camera against real skies to capture semi-realistic-looking landscapes. Around that time, I was teaching a beginning photography workshop and used some of the scale models and some torn paper to demo how to create photograms. From the moment I saw the results of that demonstration, silhouetted figures set against a hazy landscape, I was hooked on making photograms of these imagined places. I no longer use scale models, but the basic ideas of layering silhouettes and graduated exposures began that evening.

Vanessa Marsh, Western Landscape 4, Archival Pigment Ink Print (from scanned Cyanotype), 15x20 in, Editon of 10, $1600

AK: Over the years, you have experimented with photograms using different printing techniques. Are you drawn to the process or the resulting color plate?

VM: I think both; the technical side of learning a new process excites me, and I love the challenge of translating my core materials into different photographic forms. As I get to know a new process, the color and mood, the benefits and limitations, inform the subject matter, which shifts a bit with each new project.

AK: Do you feel that the color plates result in a different psychological experience for the viewer?

VM: Yes, I think the various print processes evoke different experiences for the viewer. For example, my series, The Sun Beneath the Sky, is very bright and airy and could be seen as quite calming. On the other hand, some of the images set in the nighttime can have a somewhat uncanny feeling.

Vanessa Marsh, Western Landscape 7, Archival Pigment Ink Print (from scanned Cyanotype), 15x20 in, Editon of 10, $1600

AK: You recently moved from the Bay Area to Oregon. How have the changing seasons in Oregon impacted how you work?

VM: Well, on a practical level, I had to re-think making Lumen prints with sunlight year-round as I had been able to do when I lived in California. This obstacle led me to investigate other ways of making that could be done in my studio during winter months. The seasons also inform how I collect reference images, as the flora shifts way more dramatically with the seasons here in Oregon than in California. Also, my subject matter is moving away from things like palm trees and towards ferns and blackberries. The images have always been amalgamations of various Western landscapes. However, the landscape I am presently living in comes to the forefront.

VIEW THE COMPLETE WESTERN LANDSCAPES SERIES HERE

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PRINT COSTS ARE CURRENT UP TO THE TIME OF POSTING AND ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE.

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PHOTO-EYE GALLERY
300 Rufina Circle, Unit A3, Santa Fe, NM 87507

For more information, and to reserve one of these unique works, please contact
Gallery Director Anne Kelly
You may also call us at (505) 988-5152 x202

#00141 Verbena hastata, 2018, Unique photogram, Rives BFK, gouache, gum arabic, kitakata, ink, 23k gold leaf, 29x23 in. framed, $1250

We are thrilled to introduce DM Witman and her project Index, a series of gum bichromate photograms, to the Photographers Showcase. To provide some insight into Witman and her work, we are pleased to introduce this new work along with an interview with the artist. In this interview, artist DM Witman and Gallery Director Anne Kelly delve into the connection between art and science, Witman's creative process, grants — and more.

Anne Kelly: Does wonder play a role in the making of your work

DM Witman: Wonder does play a part in my creative practice, in both the active and passive sense. I am someone who has a deep sense of curiosity and am constantly asking questions to help me understand the world around me. For me, the natural world abounds in wonder.

Generally, when I work, due to the nature of the materials and processes, the outcomes are not guaranteed. There is always a sense of “waiting to see what happens”. Now, that does not mean that the work is all due to magic, but there is a great deal of experimentation and being open to the results.

AK: You have degrees in both art and science. Do you feel that art and science have connective tissue?

DW: Art and science are deeply connected. Prior to the 20th century there was not as big as a distinction among interests — individuals attended the same salons to learn about new concepts, and new inventions, such as in painting, psychology, or about the human body. That has since changed and disciplinary boundaries abound. What was common then, is still common today — a sense of curiosity. Both art and science can be characterized by exploration, experimentation and discovery.

#00106-2 Dryopteris spp. 2018, Unique photogram, Rives BFK, gouache, gum arabic, kitakata, ink, 23k gold leaf, 29x23 in. framed, $1250

AK: Index is a series of photograms. Can you please explain to our readers what a photogram is - and dive a bit into the chemical process and materials you have chosen to work with to create this series?

DM: A photogram is made when an object, or objects, are placed on the surface of light-sensitive materials, such as a piece of paper, or a piece of glass. Photograms can be made with many photographic processes, such as silver gelatin paper, cyanotypes, and as I have done with this series, with gum-bichromate.

With Index, I have coated large sheets of fine printmaking paper with a slurry of watercolor pigment and gum arabic mixed together with a light sensitizer. I repeated this step until the desired color and density is achieved for each sheet. Once, dried, the individual plants I collected were placed on top of the sensitized paper within a very large contact printing which would be set in the sun to expose the sensitized paper with the shape and details of the plants. Most days, I could make one to two pieces.

AK: Art often starts with a question. What question are you asking in this series?

DW: This work was born from my deeply personal experience with loss and grief. It was my attempt to grapple with a discovery about myself, that I had been experiencing grief due to ecological changes and loss, for many many months, unable to “make work. I was stuck. Collecting plants from the inter-tidal marsh along the river which I called home and have a deep connection and reverence with, was a bit of a reckoning that this place would change. And that many of the species would not tolerate the changes ahead — consistently higher water lines and higher tides, a greater salt content from Penobscot Bay, which is a few miles away. The reckoning was as much about a concern for the various plant species as it was an acknowledgment of how my actions, and those of humanity have induced these changes, for which for me, was a terrible amount of guilt. Perhaps the ultimate question for me involved an attempt to understand and process these feelings. I came to understand that I could move forward in the world, and in my life and my work, if I could make meaningful action(s). What could I do? Part of those actions meant holding space for these plants, which are often overlooked regarding conversations about the climate predicament.

#00105 Pontederia cordata. 2018, Unique photogram, Rives BFK, gouache, gum arabic, kitakata, ink, 23k gold leaf, 29x23 in. framed, $1250

AK: In your series Index, you are collecting and identifying plants that are not formally on the "endangered" list, but may be in the future. Do you see this work as a "call to action?"

DM: I certainly can see that. But for me at the time of making these objects, it was a way to both collect data and an act of memorializing the plants which are part of the way that I understand and connect to the natural world. The process allowed me to move forward to process what I was experiencing. And ultimately, a way for me to understand that I can continue in life by making meaningful actions to help the human and non-human species, no matter how small that action might seem in the scheme of it all.

AK: Do you feel that this series is in conversation with Anna Atkins' British Algee series?

DW: Anna Atkins has certainly been an influence on me as an artist. Her sensibilities and interest in botanical science, the naming of things, and sharing that with others. I’m sure she was interested in contributing to science and sharing this with others, which is I believe an intersection of the two bodies of work. However, I can only wonder if she considered that species might disappear due to human influence and impact back in the late 19th century. The works from Index are heavy, and there is a dimension to them, which is purposeful. They are objects, memorials, and of data — a baseline of a particular moment in the history of that place, along that river, at that time. And I find them beautiful.

#00105 Pontederia cordata. 2018, Unique photogram, Rives BFK, gouache, gum arabic, kitakata, ink, 23k gold leaf, 29x23 in. framed, $1250

AK: You describe yourself as a transdisciplinary artist working with photographic media, video, and installation. Do you feel your practice in each medium/media bleeds into each other — in the sense that perhaps you are working on a still photograph and it gives you an idea for a video?

DW: Absolutely. My work is driven first by concept. However, the process of making is also very important to me. I try to be open to how these explorations and expressions might manifest. These three realms of working can intertwine to create experiences for others, that are at times unexpected, and that I welcome.

AK: You have received a few grants. Do you have advice for other creatives as to how to go about getting a grant?

DW: Grants — yes! Write, apply, apply, refine by writing more, and apply again. While grants are competitive, I believe there is some element of timing. Attempt to understand what granting agencies are looking for — for example, does your particular idea or project align with the granting organization’s mission? Are they interested in funding work that has yet to begin, or projects which are deeply underway, or projects that are completed? The more you write, the better solidified and succinct your ideas become on the page. And know that for every successful grant I have received, there might be ten, twenty, or more rejections. The key is to not give up.

DM Witman is a transdisciplinary artist working at the intersection of environmental disruption and the human relationship to place in the Age of the Anthropocene.Her creative practice is deeply rooted within the effects of the climate predicament to humans and more-than-human species on this planet, employing photographic materials, video, and installation. Interviews and publications include The Guardian, BBC Culture, WIRED, Boston Globe, and Art New England. She actively exhibits her work and has been recognized with grants from the Maine Arts Commission, The Kindling Fund (a regrantor for the Warhol Foundation), The John Anson Kittredge Fund, and the Puffin Foundation. Her work has been collected by institutions such as the Museum of Fine Arts Houston and is placed within many private collections. She splits her time between the Borderlands of South Texas and Midcoast Maine.

DM Witman @Brenton Hamilton

VIEW MORE IMAGES FROM DM WITMAN'S SERIES INDEX

Beth Moon, Tsikakakantasa Reflection, 2018/2022, Platinum print, 18x27", Edition of 15, $3800

Beth Moon is inspired by the natural world, like many photographers. However, Moon treats all of her explorations as a portraiture project. She isn’t simply documenting -- the goal is to connect with her subject and to share that experience with the viewer. Knowing this, I wasn’t surprised to learn that Moon was returning to Africa in 2018 to re-visit a former subject, this time, a specific Baobab tree, that was in the process of toppling over. It was Moon mission's to share the story of the Tsitakakoike Tree and other Baobabs that she encountered on the journey.

In 2021, Moon’s “Baobab” project was released, including a collection of platinum prints and a book by the same title as well as an online exhibition at photo-eye. The book includes text from Moon’s personal journal which assists in telling her story and calls attention to the impact of drought on Baobab trees that have historically had a life span of 2500 years.

In honor of this new project, I caught up with Beth to discuss her affinity for trees, her 2018 pilgrimage, and more...

Enjoy!

— Anne Kelly, photo-eye Gallery Director

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Anne Kelly, Gallery Director at photo-eye (Credit: Dave Hyams) & Beth Moon

Anne Kelly, Gallery Director (AK): Your mission to photograph the oldest trees in the world began about 20 years ago. What is the origin story of this exploration, and did you anticipate that it would end up spanning over decades?

Beth Moon (BM): The first ancient tree that I visited was in 1999. I drove about an hour outside of London to a churchyard in Surrey to see this extraordinary yew tree whose presence could be felt throughout the cemetery. But I didn’t return with a photograph. I was so overwhelmed; all I could do was sit in front of the tree and stare in complete amazement.

In time I was able to harness my excitement into taking photographs, but I had no idea that I would continue to do this work 23 years later. Of course, I have been interested in exploring other work though out that time, but I always seem to be pulled back into the realm of trees. Either someone tells me about an amazing tree, or I will read an article. It appears there is no escape!

AK: And why would you want to escape!? Your tree exploration has taken you to many places, including Africa, a few times. The most recent trip was a “pilgrimage to visit a tree” that you had photographed in the past, that was in the process of tumbling. On receiving the information, I get the impression that you made the decision to return as soon as possible and that you made the decision very quickly. It wasn't a matter of if, but when. Is that pretty accurate, and can you expand on that?

BM:I had taken various trips to Botswana, South Africa, and Namibia as the oldest trees are mostly found in the southern hemisphere, and traveled to Madagascar three times.

Yes, when I was told the tree was dying, I knew it would be a matter of a few weeks at most before the entire tree would come down, so I had to act fast. This meant traveling during the rain and cyclone season and that came with its own set of obstacles!

Beth Moon, Zebu cart, NFS

AK: Like most things that are worth doing, nothing about your voyage was easy – from five days of travel to the storm that you arrived in. The original plan to travel to the Tsitakakoike Tree by car had to be rethought – and you ended up traveling by cart, pulled by large African cattle -- yet, another testament to your dedication. Do you think the modified method of travel change the project?

BM: What at first was seen as a deterrent, actually turned into a positive. Large pools of water were too deep to drive through, but amazing African zebu can traverse the water without difficulty. By taking alternative routes into the forest, we discovered trees of important stature that local villagers had not seen before.

AK: This makes a lot of sense – much like opting to travel on a two-lane highway, as opposed to a superhighway or airplane! What was the most exciting or surprising encounter that you had based on this method of travel?

BM: I’d like to use an excerpt from the book for this.

I have asked the chief for permission to stay overnight in the forest…An unfamiliar sound jolts me from sleep. I sit up in complete darkness and remember my headlamp is still on my forehead. Fear is the length of time it takes my eyes to adjust. A flash of light illuminates a couple of dozen pairs of eyes before me. A surprised herd of zebu, looking for a place to settle down for the night, stares back at me.
The rhythmic sound of snoring zebu nearby lulls me back to sleep.

Beth Moon, Zebu panorama study, NFS

AK: Would you opt for this method of travel again, in the future, even if not necessary?

BM: By surrendering I was able to come to grips with so many things out of my control, and ultimately able to trust spontaneous outcomes. Being forced to slow down and appreciate the view along the way is not only a good metaphor, but a good lesson!

AK: You described seeing the Tsitakakoike Tree in partial collapse as a mix of “astonishment and horror”. I can only imagine what that must have felt like. Was photographing the tree a cathartic experience?

BM: Standing in front of the destruction of this tree, was a life-changing experience in a way that I cannot describe in words. Largely, the project was just about bearing witness.

Upon returning home, I had a mixture of anxiety and grief that consumed me. Directing my energy into the book felt cathartic. Writing the text, organizing information, and sharing images of the trees allowed me to reveal the plight of the trees to others.

Beth Moon, Tsitakakoike, Andombiry Forest, 2018/2022, Archival pigment print, 40x80", Edition of 5, $12000

AK: I love how the text in the book reads like a journal – and how the text is interspersed between the images. Can you talk about that, and the design of the book as a whole?

BM: On trips like this, I usually write in a journal as a way of keeping track of day-today details. Professor Patrut and his team have been radiocarbon dating the oldest trees for the last decade and through this study, they learned just how fast the ancient baobabs were declining. I thought there was great value in this scientific research, but the information felt dry and clinical. Weaving a story of my personal experience around the data was the reason to make the book, so the journal entries became the backbone.

Beth Moon with Baobab tree, NFS

I usually prefer to see images without the clutter of text, but it felt more compelling to intermingle the images around the story, similar to a travel book. I hoped to bring the reader on the journey in this way. Enlarging certain phrases took the place of captions.

To differentiate between the platinum portraits, I hand-colored the travel photos and did not mask the edges, which were also platinum prints. Many of the tree portraits were panoramic and single frames were at a 2:3 ratio. There is always a fine balance between using the highest quality materials while staying within a reasonable retail price. Price also dictates book size, so I was pleased when my editor accepted my 10” x 15” book suggestion that would make the most of this format.

AK: I hear you, pairing text with images can be a challenge, but I think it was the right call in this case – it adds to the experience of viewing the book. The text that you wrote is anything but dry.

Regarding your printing process, it would be great if you could touch on that. I have an affinity for the printing process, however, it is labor-intensive and costly. For you, what keeps your black and white work rooted in this process?

BM: I guess I remain true to my original thought when I first started this series, “a platinum print can last for centuries, drawing on the common theme of time and continuance, pairing photographic subject and process.”

However, I am also making prints with pigment inks of the panoramic images on a large scale to emulate the sheer size of the trees and landscape.

AK: What is next for you?

BM: I never like to talk about new projects because sometimes they don’t gain enough momentum to be fully actualized, but more often the reason is that I usually sit on projects for years before they are finished. Often, I like to look at work months later, hopefully with new insight and inspiration

For example, I was going to the coast for a couple of years photographing ravens, not really thinking this would amount to a series of work, but one day I happen to remember the Norse god Odin, that had two ravens. Odin’s Cove! That element spoke, not only of the birds but the beautiful coast where they lived and it formed a structure to bind all the elements together. I continued to photograph the birds with a larger focus.

AK: And lastly, sweet or salty? What is your favorite dish from all the places you’ve traveled?

BM: I should probably point out that most of the places I go are not known for their culinary expertise. However, having fresh fish from the Arabian Sea cooked on an open fire in the Frankincense Forest does stand out in my memory. My guide was also able to make flat bread baked on a hot stone, drizzled with honey and strong Mokha coffee. All of this with two pots!

Beth Moon, BAOBAB III, Ankoabe Forest, 2018/2022, Platinum print, 24x36", Edition of 5, $7000

Beth Moon, Branches, 2018/2022, Platinum print, 18x27", Edition of 15, $3800

Beth Moon, BAOBABS VI, Andombiry Forest, 2018/2022, Platinum print, 18x36", Edition of 5, $7000

BAOBAB by Beth Moon.

photo-eye Gallery is proud to represent Beth Moon.

For more information, and to purchase prints by Beth Moon, please contact Gallery Director Anne Kelly or Gallery Assistant Delaney Hoffman, or you may also call us at 505-988-5152 x202

>> View the online exhibition of BAOBAB <<

>> Signed copies of BAOBAB in the photo-eye Bookstore <<

>> Read more about Beth's practice of photographing trees! <<

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>> View the online exhibition of BAOBAB <<

>> Signed copies of BAOBAB in the photo-eye Bookstore <<

>> Read more about Beth's practice of photographing trees! <<