Artwork by Natasha Bacca was featured in this month’s issue of F-Stop Magazine - 
a photography magazine featuring contemporary photography from around the world. 

THANK YOU for all your support!

If you have questions or comments I would love to hear them.

Much love to you all!

♥ Natasha

While this blog is dedicated to sharing information about my visual art, I am taking this opportunity to blog about another art form I love - performing art.  

I began taking belly dance classes in 2005 with Sahara, and in 2007 Sahara invited me to join her dance troupe, Sahara's Dream.  This journey has been absolutely fantastic, and it has helped me grow in numerous ways.  While there are many similarities in the two art forms I enjoy (primarily the creative process), there is one huge difference in performing art - the present moment.  While performers may spend months preparing for a performance, when on stage, the present moment is all one can give.  The present moment may reflect the numerous hours of preparation, but it also reflects many other things.  The intense pressure of performing can reflect your health in the moment, how well you slept the night before, costuming issues (including malfunctions), numerous aspects of the venue and / or audience, and many more things.  How well you perform in that moment on stage is not necessarily how well you can perform otherwise.

Contrarily, in my visual art, I have the opportunity to prepare everything before ever sharing it with anyone.  Many artworks are created, but only the best are shared.  I frame and hang or otherwise prepare artworks before showing or exhibiting them.  This allows for much more control than performing art.  As someone who identifies primarily as a visual artist, I struggle with many of the performance aspects of dance, and I think performance art is by far more difficult at the finish line than visual art.

In my 5 1/2 years in Sahara's Dream, I have had the pleasure of dancing with amazing and lovely women in a variety of venues.  Saqra's Showcase Festival is one of the annual events you can find Sahara's Dream performing at, and this year we take the stage this Saturday around 5:30 PM.  If you are interested please come see us.  {You can contact me for more details.} 

Both visual and performance art are absolutely beautiful parts of my life, and I do not think the value of each can be compared.


Are you an artist?  What aspects of your art are most valuable?  Most difficult?  
I would love to hear your thoughts on the subject whether you create art of any type or not.


Thank you for viewing!  

Much love to you all!

♥ Natasha

Last year I met with Julia Dolan, Curator of Photography at Portland Art Museum, and she suggested I attend Portfolio Reviews.  With many reviews specific to photographic work around the country, and I am fortunate to be in Portland where one of the most renowned Portfolio Reviews takes place. Photolucida, an arts non-profit whose mission is to provide platforms that expand, inspire, educate and connect the regional, national and international photography community, hosts the Portfolio Reviews I will attend this week.

I have spent many weeks preparing, and in just a couple days I will be busy amidst the bustle of the review events and interviews.  I have the honor of meeting with:

Ann Pallesen, Gallery Director of Photo Center NW in Seattle.

David Bram, editor, founder, and curator of Fraction Magazine.

Mary Virginia Swanson, marketing consultant.

Blue Mitchell & Libby Rowe, the Founding Editor of Diffusion: Unconventional Photography, and Curator of Plates to Pixels Gallery.

A photography historian, curator, and educator; editor of Exposure, the journal of the Society for Photographic Education.

Gordon Stettinius, founder of Candela Books.

Jan Potts & Elizabeth Corden, co-owners of Corden|Potts Gallery in San Francisco.

Chantel Paul, the Assistant Curator at the Museum of Photographic Arts.

JJ Estrada Toledo, the Director and Co-Founder of La Fototeca, a Contemporary Photography Center based in Guatemala City.

Roy Flukinger, Senior Research Curator of Photography of the Harry Ransom Humanities Research Center at The University of Texas at Austin.

Aline Smithson, founder and writer of the blogzine, Lenscratch.

Kirsten Rian, an independent curator and picture editor.

Hamidah Glasgow, the Executive Director/Curator at The Center for Fine Art Photography.

Conor Risch, Senior Editor of Photo District News.

Peter Johnson, the Founder/Director of Indiegroup, an award-winning partner marketing and integrated marketing agency.

Gail Gibson, owner and operator of the G. Gibson Gallery in Seattle.

Anna Goldwater Alexander, photo Director at Dwell magazine.

Ann M. Jastrab, the Gallery Director at RayKo Photo Center in San Francisco. 

Crimson Dream Trees
2011
unique chromogenic photogram
20" x 24"

See more from this series here.

Thank you for viewing!  

Have you been to a Portfolio Review?  If so, I would love to hear about your experience!

If you have any other questions or comments I would love to hear them too.

Much love to you all!

♥ Natasha

I am always experimenting...  It is a deep-rooted desire and a wonderful journey...  I have been exploring photography for 15 years, and I began exploring "light painting" after I completed my photo-based art degree 7 years ago.  I am always seeking new ways to explore light and its effects, to push the bounds of my medium...

Recently, I took a marker in the darkroom and drew directly on photo paper before exposing it to light. The marker washed away in the photo chemicals, but the lines remained.

These are the results:

{Click on images to enlarge & view in slideshow format.}

Get 30% off any 'darkroom doodle' print by commenting "SOLD."
{free shipping in the US}

5" x 7" photo print = $20 -30% = $14
8" x 10" photo print = $30 -30% = $21
11" x 14" photo print = $40 -30% = $28
16" x 20" photo print = $50 -30% = $35
20" x 24" photo print = $60 -30% = $42

Thank you for viewing!  

If you have questions or comments I would love to hear them.

Much love to you all!

♥ Natasha

See part 1 in which I outline the 10 steps to curating an art exhibition, and part 2 where I left off on step 7.

7. Write Essay & Publish Catalog – CHECK!

The catalog was fun to put together, and it is now available via Blurb.  Peruse and purchase it here.

8. Site Installation – CHECK!

The show was installed Wednesday.  The gallery is open Wednesdays through Saturdays from 12:00 PM - 6:00 PM (though you can frequently get in and view exhibitions other days and times.)  The show runs through April 30th, so you have plenty of time to see it.

9. Grand Opening – TONIGHT!

The opening reception is TONIGHT at 6:00 PM.  Please join me along with 10 other wonderful artists.  Foods will be viewed, discussed and served.  

Food Not Bombs will be donating homemade vegan food for the opening reception.

Gigantic Brewing will be donating beer for the opening reception.

In addition to this exhibition, there are 2 other galleries on site hosting opening receptions as well as a theater event this evening.

Thank you for viewing!  

If you have questions or comments I would love to hear them.

I hope to see you tonight! :)

Much love to you all!

♥ Natasha