Desert Lumen Series
Desert Lumen Series is a developing body of work that is heavily inspired from my surroundings and my personal mood. This series started in late 2020 with my first plant representations created throughout the Eastern Sierras along the highway 395. Recently, images were crafted in Eagle Mountain Lake at my father’s lake house near a very small community I grew up in as a small child. A handful of my favorite prints, in this show, were handcrafted in Santa Fe, New Mexico were my husband, and I spent our anniversary. The final pieces tell stories of my experiences, wanderings, and connections to my environment during my travels. They are a means to be more playful and much less serious about my journey through the process.
The process is simple, messy, exciting, with an unknown outcome, and most importantly, freeing. Most of my work is filled with months of planning and conceptualizing, Lumens are quite the opposite for me. They are lively, whimsical, and imaginative beyond the initial set up. I utilize expired darkroom paper and I have my favorites of course based on brand, tone, and grade. A plethora of household chemicals such as vinegar, lemon juice, water, sanitizer, and or oils are sprayed, misted, or poured over the paper. Spices including but not limited to are cumin, turmeric, cinnamon, or salt, that are then sprinkled across the paper. Plants are gathered from sides of roads and known gardens, with permission of course, and are then arranged with care. Lastly all the ingredients are then placed between glass and Masonite board or into contact print frame, magic occurs with time and the sun for exposure. What you see framed are the scanned originals with minimal enhancements made in order to show the true beauty of what’s created with a mixture of fun, imagination, and patience.
Brandy Sebastian
© The Photographer's Eye: A Creative Collective
