>> I AM A MOM WHO STAYS AT HOME AND I FOUND A WAY TO STAY AT HOME AND WHEN IN COLLEGE WE HAD DARK ROOMS AND FILMS AND PROCESSING, AND THAT IS JUST NOT AVAILABLE ANYMORE, AND SO I FOUND MY WAY INTO EXPERIMENTAL PHOTOGRAPHY, ALTERNATIVE PROCESSES.

SO USING A LOT OF LIKE INSTANT FILMS, VINTAGE CAMERAS, AND UV-SENSITIVE PAPERS AND MANIPULATION TECHNIQUES AND THINGS LIKE THAT.

I HAVE ALWAYS FELT A DEEP CONNECTION TO NATURE, AND EVEN AS A KID, I FELT MANY, MANY HOURS OUTDOORS PLAYING.

IT HAS ALWAYS BEEN A WAY FOR ME TO CALM DOWN, RECONNECT AND KIND OF DE-STRESS.

AND DOING THE LUMEN PRINTS WITH NATURE IS KIND OF MY WAY OF HONORING THAT RELATIONSHIP.

I FEEL LIKE THE PRINTS, THEMSELVES, THEY ARE LIKE EXPOSING THE ENERGY AND THE SPIRIT OF NATURE.

A LOT OF THAT WORK RELIES ON THE WEATHER AND THE PLANT MATERIALS.

AND SO, IF IT IS HOT, IF IT IS COLD, IF IT IS HUMID, HOW MANY HOURS OF SUNLIGHT, THE TEMPERATURE, IF THE PLANTS ARE FRESH OR DRIED, AND ALL OF THOSE THINGS CREATE DIFFERENT EFFECTS ON THE PRINTS.

AND SO, I THINK OF THIS AS COLLABORATORS TOGETHER, AND SO I KIND OF ASSEMBLE EVERYTHING AND THEN NATURE DOES THE REST.

I TRY TO COMPOSE DEPENDING UPON KIND OF WHAT I AM FEELING FROM THE PLANTS OR WHAT TYPE OF CONCEPT I AM TRYING TO PUT TOGETHER.

I'LL PUT THE PLANTS TOGETHER ON TOP OF THE PAPER, AND SOMETIMES I'D ADD SOMETIMES WATER OR VINEGAR OR SOMETHING, BECAUSE I WILL GET DIFFERENT EFFECTS, AND THEN I WILL PUT A PLEXIGLASS OVER THE TOP AND PLANT THEM TOGETHER AND PLACE THEM OUTSIDE.

THEN DEPENDING UPON THE WEATHER IF IT IS A HOT SUNNY DAY, IT CAN TAKE ABOUT AN HOUR, BUT IF IT IS WINTER OR COLD, IT IS THE EXTREME, I WILL TAKE ABOUT TWO TO THREE DAYS I LEAVE IT OUTSIDE.

THEN I BRING THEM IN, BACK INTO MY DIMMED BASEMENT, AND THEN I TAKE IT ALL APART.

I HAVE TO BE CAREFUL NOT THE TEAR THE PAPER.

YOU CAN SEE HERE THAT I CREATED THIS CIRCULAR KIND OF SHADOW.

ON THIS PAPER, THE LILIES LOOK ALMOST LIKE GHOST PEDALS.

THAT IS KIND OF LIKE A FINAL SUPPORT TO NATURE.

I ACTUALLY DON'T USE CHEMICALS TO PROCESS THE PRINTS LIKE YOU WOULD IN TRADITIONAL DARK ROOM PRACTICE.

I SCAN THEM ON MY SCANNER AND THEN THE FINAL LOOK BECOMES MY FINAL.

SOMETIMES IF THERE IS A PIECE OF DIRT OR MULCH OR A BUG OR MAYBE THERE WAS A BUG ON THE LEAF THAT I DIDN'T NOTICE, AND CREATES A EMPTY SPOT, THEN I'LL FIX IT, BUT AT THIS POINT, AND SOMETIMES THE PLANT MATERIALS DRY AND ALMOST ADHERE, AND I CAN'T GET THEM OFF WITHOUT TEARING THE PAPER.

THIS IS WHERE I FIX THOSE LITTLE, I DON'T WANT TO CALL THEM IMPERFECTIONS, BUT IF I WANT TO DO ANY COLOR ADJUSTING, AND IF I WANT THE COLORS AGAIN MORE OR LESS SATURATED.

I TRY TO STAY AS TRUE TO THE ORIGINAL.

THERE ARE SOME INSTANCES WHERE I HAVE COMPLETELY CHANGED THE COLORING.

FOR EXAMPLE, THE ONES THAT I HAVE LEFT OUT IN THE SNOW, AND THOSE TEND TO HAVE A BLUE TINT, BECAUSE I WANT TO HONOR THE FACT THAT IT WAS WINTER WHEN I MADE THEM.

I HEARD ABOUT ART SPOT FROM A FRIEND OF MINE AND THE FOCUS WAS TO BRING ATTENTION TO THE FACT THAT WHILE ART CHANGE AND GLOBAL WARMING ARE BIG TOPICS FOR PEOPLE, AND YOU DON'T KNOW WHERE TO BEGIN, AND YOU FEEL LIKE THAT IS TOO BIG OF A TOPIC TO TACKLE, MY IDEA IS TO DO SOMETHING AS SIMPLE AS A POLLINATOR GARDEN IN YOUR YARD EVEN IF YOU HAVE A FEW SQUARE FEET OF SPACE, AND MY DISPLAY IS CALLED THE POLLINATORS, AND IT IS NAMED THAT BECAUSE I HAVE USED NATIVE OHIO PLANTS AND THEN ALSO OTHER PLANTS THAT ARE KNOWN TO ATTRACT THE BEES, THE BUTTERFLIES, THE MOTHS AND USE THOSE TO MAKE MY PRINTS ALONG WITH A CIRCULAR SHAPE WHICH IS TO REPRESENT BIRTH, SUN, CYCLES OF NATURE.

I MOST OFTEN WILL GO TO ONE OF THE CITY PARKS, BUT I LIKE TO FIND THE AREAS OF THE PARK THAT ARE MORE WILD AND LESS TAKEN CARE OF AND MANICURED, BECAUSE I WANT TO GET A MORE LIKE AUTHENTIC NATURE EXPERIENCE.

AND I ALSO HAVE BEEN KNOWN TO PULL OVER TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD AND WALK UNDER A BRIDGE TO LOOK AT A STREAM OR A CREEK AND SEE WHAT'S UNDER THERE AND WHAT PLANTS ARE UNDER THERE.

I DO A LOT EXPERIMENTING.

I USE AN APP ON MY PHONE WHEN I AM OUT FORAGING FOR PLANTS TO HELP ME TO IDENTIFY THE PLANTS AND ESPECIALLY IF I AM LOOKING FOR NATIVE PLANTS OR INVASIVE PLANT, BECAUSE I WANT TO KNOW WHAT I AM COLLECTING.

ALSO, IF I AM USING THEM FOR A PRINT, I ALWAYS WRITE WHAT PLANT S I HAVE USED SO I CAN KEEP IT FOR MY OWN INFORMATION.

THAT IS A FIG BUTTERCUP.

IT IS BECAUSE I CARE FOR THE PLANT THAT WANTS BE SUSTAINABLE, AND THAT LED TO ME WANTING TO BE OUTDOORS AND LED TO ME HAVING THE RIGHT PLANTS IN MY YARD WHICH LED ME TO SEEKING OUT WHAT ARE THOSE PLANTS, AND THEN THINGS ARE ENDANGERED AS WELL AS BEES, AND THEN I WANTED TO KNOW HOW TO GET THE MESSAGE OUT THROUGH MY ART.

ALSO, I DO HAVE TO CONSIDER WHERE I AM SOURCING MY MATERIALS.

THAT IS WHY VI CONSCIOUSLY MADE THE CHOICE TO HAVE A LOT OF PLANTS IN MY YARD, BECAUSE IT IS AT MY DISPOSAL TO DO ON MY OWN, AND WHEN I AM FORAGING OUT IN THE WILD, I TRY TO MINIMIZE MY IMPACT, SO IF IT IS A PIECE OF BARK ON THE GROUND, AND YES, I WILL TAKE IT, AND YES, I DID TRIM SOME FLOWERS TODAY, BUT IN MY MIND, THE MESSAGE I AM TRYING TO GET OUT AND IMPACT THAT I AM HOPING TO MAKE IS GOING TO BE WORTH THE RISK THAT I MIGHT BE TAKING.