When I began blogging just over 2 years ago one of my goals was to give more insights into a common question - How do I create my unique chromogenic photograms?

Over the past 2 years I have shared several posts which explain and illustrate my process as best I can in writing and photographs. See them below.

I work in darkness, and therefore feel more than see what I am working with. This allows me to create several pieces exactly the same but which yield different results.

Read more here.

• staggered wine glasses = different sizes & sharpness + different color filters combined = a variety of colors on negative photographic paper (red = green, blue = orange, orange = violet)
  
• bent photo paper = distortion of shapes & sizes + color filters = opposite colors on negative photographic paper (red = cyan, orange = violet)
• crystal wine glasses refract more light + different color filters create a variety of color patterns

Read more here.

I create my artworks in darkness on photographic paper. Once the photographic paper is exposed and processed it is complete. I cannot adjust anything afterward or go back over an area as a painter would on canvas. So I work with many pieces of photo paper before completing a final artwork. 

Read more here.

One day when working on a piece I made a mistake in the creating of it, and I realized it was not going to turn out as I desired. So mid-process I decided to just re-expose it to light and see what happened.

Read more here.

I was profiled for a lifestyle TV show in which I  was filmed creating a piece of Artwork by Natasha Bacca.

Read more here.

Thank you for viewing!  

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

Much love to you all!

Butterflies have been used symbolically in art in many cultures throughout history.  According to Wikipedia artistic depictions of butterflies were used in Egyptian hieroglyphs over 3500 years ago, and “in the ancient Mesoamerican city of Teotihuacan, the brilliantly colored image of the butterfly was carved into many temples, buildings, jewelry, and emblazoned on incense burners.” Butterfly images have been found among the Zapotec and Mayan civilizations as well.

The symbolism of butterflies varies among cultures and times, but many ideas revolve around change and transformation, such as:
·      Powerful transformation, metamorphosis in your life, personality
·      Moving through different life cycles
·      Renewal, rebirth
·      Lightness of being, playfulness
·      Elevation from earthly matters, tuning into emotional or spiritual
·      The world of the soul, the psyche

In my new butterfly series I explore concepts of change and metamorphosis, using butterflies as symbols of miraculous expansion and growth. I celebrate transformation in these images.

While I did not specifically set out to create a new series exploring change and metamorphosis, it may come as no surprise that this series developed throughout my pregnancy. Several days after learning I was pregnant I found the below butterfly on the sidewalk while walking down the street in Telluride, Colorado. I carefully took it with me while I traveled for several more weeks before getting it safely home intact and in my darkroom to create art with it. I loved the results immediately! Soon after my husband bought me the below set of insects and butterflies to continue my new explorations. I love working with these beautiful creatures! The symbolism they express around ideas of change, transformation, and moving through different life cycles are mirrors of my own life, and the symbolism they express around ideas of lightness of being, playfulness, and tuning into spiritual are illustrated in my artworks.

What do butterflies symbolize to you?
What ideas of growth and transformation can you relate to in your life?

Shop my butterfly series here.

Thank you for viewing!  

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

Much love to you all!

I am very honored to have my artwork featured on the cover of Cascade Arts & Entertainment Magazine, Oregon's only Arts Magazine.
Also included in this publication is a great article outlining my journey to obtaining a US patent for my artistic process. See the feature here. The article is on pages 18-19.

Thank you for viewing!  

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

Much love to you all!

Solarization is a technique in photography in which the image on a photographic print is fully or partially reversed in tone. With black and white prints, dark areas appear light or / and light areas appear dark. With color prints, light and dark areas can be reserved and colors can be fully or partially altered.

The process is achieved by re-exposing a print mid-way through the development process.
   ~ Typically, a print is exposed then developed.
   ~ With solarization, a print is exposed, partially developed, re-exposed, then fully developed.
The silver halide that was originally exposed has been developed enough to no longer be as effected by more light, whereas the silver halide that was not yet exposed can now be exposed.

This effect is well-known in black and white photography and can be controlled fairly well working only with with gray tones. This effect is much less common in color photography for a variety of reasons, including most prints not being hand processed and the results being much less predictable.

I was familiar with the process of solarization and thought I might explore it someday. One day when working on a piece I made a mistake in the creating of it, and I realized it was not going to turn out as I desired. So mid-process I decided to just re-expose it to light and see what happened.

Solarization requires careful choices in of the amount of light used in both initial exposure and in second exposure, as well as the precise moment in the development process when re-exposure happens. These factors in combination with color choices yield very different outcomes. This all needs to happen very quickly as well, making solarization difficult to yield consistent results with.

Since my first accident-piece-turned-solarized-piece I have occasionally set out to solarize intentionally. However, I usually just use this technique when I "accidentally" do something unintended in the creation process. Because I know the piece won't turn out as I originally desired I take the opportunity to play with the solarization technique to see what else I can make of the piece.

Thank you for viewing!  

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

Much love to you all!

Recently I have been creating more artworks in my galactic series (found under my abstract work).
Images in this series explore space. The unknown and unexplored realms of the physical world are imagined as one might experience them. This series falls into the genre of Space Art, also known as Astronomical Art, which is modern artistic expression that strives to show the wonders of the Universe. 

Like other genres, Space Art has many facets and encompasses realism, impressionism, hardware art, sculpture, abstract imagery, even zoological art. Though artists have been making art with astronomical elements for a long time, the genre of Space Art itself is still in its infancy, having begun only when humanity gained the ability to look off our world and artistically depicted what we see out there. Whatever the stylistic path, the artist is generally attempting to communicate ideas somehow related to space, often including an appreciation of the infinite variety and vastness which surrounds us. ~ Excerpt from Wikipedia found here.

Like many artists, I am expressing ideas surrounding "an appreciation of the infinite variety and vastness which surrounds us." Additionally, I am drawn to the mystery of it all ~ a truth that one can know only by revelation and cannot fully understand. Swirling lines and patterns represent energy ~ the dynamic quality of positive spiritual force ~ the fundamental being of nature that is transferred between parts of the system. Circles represent form ~ a mode of existence, action, or manifestation of a substance.

See more of this series here.

Purchase prints from this series here.

Thank you for viewing!  

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

Much love to you all!

I release my artwork in quarterly batches, and about half way through each quarter I like to give fans a glimpse at what I'm working on.  Last quarter was dominated by my wine series, but this quarter I am back to nature with more multi-panel pieces as well as new specimens.

With my artwork I illustrate the notion of exceptional nature as a mirror of exceptional human nature, using nature as a catalyst to explore concepts of life and health. I commonly use multiple-panels as views illustrating a mysterious reality alluding to the interconnectedness of all life on our planet and providing a metaphor for our common, evolutionary ancestry.

Below are some new multi-paneled pieces I've created this quarter.

I often deepen the illustration of exceptional nature by combining disparate elements. For example, the image below on the left illustrates a previous image in which I did so by placing carnations on aspen branches. The image below on the right is from a new set I have been working on in which I combine the petals from hydrangea flowers with aspen branches. Some pieces from this new set remind me of blossoms in spring while others remind me of snowfall in winter.  

I usually use aspen trees (below right) in my artwork, but recently I've been exploring juniper trees (below left). I asked Facebook fans which tree they preferred and why, and the responses were interesting. Some people prefer one over the other based on how it looks, while others prefer one over the other based on a sound or mood. I don't have a preference for one over the other, but I use each one specifically to evoke different emotions, sensations, and ambiences. I find this happens naturally with the shape and texture of each tree, as well as through my intention with different tones, colors, and other elements.

Which do you prefer? Why?
Please comment below or join the conversation on Facebook here.

Thank you for viewing!  

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

Much love to you all!

♥ Natasha

Last month the Director of Marketing for the Telluride Wine Festival contacted me asking if I would be interested in creating the artwork for this year's poster. I later spoke with the festival's Executive Director who gave me the direction of multicolor / rainbow and aspen or mountain background, along with some previous pieces of mine she liked best. From there I created the following piece:

Artwork by Natasha Bacca
Telluride Wine Festival 2014
24" x 20"
unique chromogenic photogram

If you would like to purchase a print of this piece do so here.

I first painted orange light around the wine glasses, which resulted in purple.
I then painted blue light around the aspen branch, which resulted in yellow and red.
Last, I painted red light around the middle and the wine bottle, which resulted in green.

The original piece will be shown next month at the festival's Toast and Taste events, and there will be a silent auction for purchase of the original piece.

I will be signing posters, which are 18" x 24" on high grade paper. Posters will be sold at the festival. If you cannot attend the festival but would like to buy a poster, let me know and I can get one for you.

I will also be exhibiting a selection of artwork from my wine series at Arroyo, an art gallery and wine bar in Telluride, throughout the month of June.

Thank you for viewing!  

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

Much love to you all!

♥ Natasha

In February, news reporter Mackenzie Wilson contacted me saying she was interested in profiling me for the lifestyle TV show she works on in Bend, OR. I was flattered - and nervous!  Mackenzie and videographer, Matt, came to my studio in March to video me creating a piece of Artwork by Natasha Bacca, and last week the video aired on local television. For those that missed it, see it below.

I love the amazement at someone working in a darkroom! :)

I very much appreciate this video, and I think Mackenzie did a great job at verbally explaining my process! To further show my process, one of my goals in 2014 is to vlog about it. In doing so, I plan to document an entire piece created from start to finish as well as explain the science behind my process. 

What questions do you have about my process?
What would you like to see in my vlog?
Please comment below.

The image shown after the dead bird scene was not created with the dead bird.
These pieces, however, were:

 Artwork by Natasha Bacca
unique chromogenic photogram
20" x 72" (3 20" x 24" panels)
Purchase a print here.
Or contact me to purchase directly from me at a discounted price.

 Artwork by Natasha Bacca
unique chromogenic photogram
20" x 24"
Purchase a print here.
Or contact me to purchase directly from me at a discounted price.

 Artwork by Natasha Bacca
unique chromogenic photogram
20" x 24"
Purchase a print here.
Or contact me to purchase directly from me at a discounted price.

Thank you for viewing!  

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

Much love to you all!

♥ Natasha

I have recently been working on my wine series.

In January I asked Facebook fans which series they would like to see more of in 2014.  The wine series was popular, but not the most popular.  Birds and skyscapes received the most votes, and I planned to begin working on them.  And I will! :)

But I felt called to work on the wine series.  And like many creatives, I go with the calling.  And like universal support responding in kind, as soon as I began working on the wine series opportunities (gifts) for it came my way.

The first gift was an email from the senior editor of Wine Enthusiast Magazine saying, “We have a page every month called, Our Crush, and we want to make your wine photos April’s.”
     ~Stay tuned for details, which I will share first on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

The second gift, just one week later, was a sweet voice mail from my friend Leanne.  She was at Naked Winery talking to the manager about my artwork.  The manager looked up my website and loved my wine series.  I had considered contacting Naked Winery several times before but for some reason never did.  I am so grateful for the selfless kindness of Leanne (who I had never talked to about Naked Winery) for generously sharing my artwork with others.
     ~My wine series will be featured at Naked Winery during the month of March, with an opening reception during First Friday Art Walk on March 7th from 5:00 PM – 9:00 PM.  Join the event on Facebook and invite your friends!

The third gift was from my friend Lindsay.  She was the first participant in The Wine Project, and a while back she had suggested I use her crystal wine glasses in my artwork.  Three days after gift number two, I took her up on her kind offer. 
     ~See results below.

Some new works in the wine series + a glimpse into how I created them:

Thank you for viewing!  

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

Much love to you all!

♥ Natasha

THE CREATIVE PROCESS… It's beautiful. It's surprising. It's interesting. It's fun. It's CHALLENGING!  

I recently began a new series. I just happened… I didn't plan it. I constantly explore new ideas, but this one caught me… I was SO EXCITED when I first realized I had a new series beginning! Though I'm always experimenting for one, it felt like forever since I had a new series and I was beyond thrilled to see where this one was heading! The excitement was quickly replaced by frustration and a myriad of other emotions. I spent SO much time… with such little result. I remind myself to enjoy the process (journey) and not worry about the outcome (destination), as I often remind my students. With any new technique comes a learning curve. Hours, days, weeks in the darkroom… sometimes with a great piece as a result, and sometimes with nothing to show for my efforts.

And later I see what I have created after stepping away from it… I feel less attached. I can now look at these images without the expectation of what I intended. Yet I still do not know what to make of them. Are they “good”? What does that even mean, and does it matter? Are they worth continuing to explore? If so, where should I go with them? Or where will I let them take me?

Yes, the creative process is beautiful, surprising, interesting, fun, and CHALLENGING! :)

Which images do you like best?
The warm colors? The cool colors?
More clouds? Less clouds?
More realistic color schemes? Bright, whimsical color schemes?
Any other ideas or suggestions for the direction of this series?

Comment below or on Facebook and you will be entered to win an 11" x 14" print of the Skyscape of your choice! Comment below AND on Facebook and you will be entered twice! Enter twice per day! The winner will be drawn on December 9th.

Thank you for viewing!  

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

Much love to you all!

♥ Natasha