Victoria's work is stunning, rich and luscious to look at.
She was also a participant of PhotoNola, and I was thrilled to see such incredible work, not just Victoria, but all of the participants.
Victoria's work is textural, full of depth, structure and emotion. Her works pulls me in, holds my interest and takes me on a journey in each image. The split toning is the perfect compliment to add depth and showcase the texture of branches, bark, water and the environment she has chosen to frame for us.
from her artist statement -
With the threat of environmental sabotage looming, I want the work to convey the sense of urgency; to make people realize that we need to protect and appreciate nature and the depth of the gifts it offers. I want to provide a point of departure from which the exploration into the beauty and mystery of our natural world can begin, and the necessity of balance understood. The marriage of environmental concern with an obsession for observation has made this a project that will always have significance in my life, and has given me a voice to address something of great importance to all of us.
The process -
The images are printed on black and white silver gelatin paper, then toned archivally with Hypo Alum. I use this to achieve a split tone effect, dividing my values into warm and cool.
From there I use diluted photographic oil paint, which I add in a series of very light layers, shifting from warm to cool to give more dimension. I do this over a period of days to give each layer time to dry. Then I can slightly shift the values with each application, and as a result the light will refract differently, again adding more depth.
After it dries, I seal it with a protective finish. Because none of the steps in the process can be duplicated exactly, each print is unique.
