Cowhouse Studios 2021

Over the summer of 2021, I completed an art program that took place on a farm near Wexford, Ireland. Through this experience I learned how to shoot film and develop in a dark room, and the program culminated in a personal project for which I made a large mixed media piece.

(Click on images to see full slides)

Physical Prints

This collection of photos are my favorites of those printed in the dark room. Most were taken on the farm or in a nearby town called Enniscorthy.

These were all shot on 35 mm B&W film and printed on 5x7''

The Pond:

This was a shoot I did with a friend of mine in the pond that was on the farm. It was loosely inspired by Ophelia's death in Hamlet, but I focused my attention on texture and light with the absence of color. I developed 6 images out of the two rolls I shot, bringing the perspective closer to their body and the water.

Shot on 35 mm B&W film and printed on 7.5x11

Scanned Negatives:

These are negatives I did not develop in the dark room while in Ireland, but scanned them after the program.

35mm B&W film

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Final Personal Project

Mixed Media; recycled fabrics, stained/painted canvas, embroidery, beads, paint. Mounted on loose canvas (43x65'').

This piece was inspired by a day trip I took to the Irish seaside. Walking along the rocky shore, I was reminded of my connection to the ocean and California. I used a mix of recycled materials to portray the intertidal zone filled with crustaceans, plants, and fossils. I used a small sewing machine to attach larger pieces of fabric, then used embroidery thread to hand sew the larger canvas pieces along with the smaller hanging textures made from lace scarves and mop heads that I found at a shop in town. Most everything found on this tapestry was found in second hand stores, and repurposed.

I included an embroidered image of a Saint Christopher necklace. My family and I wear them when we travel, under the advisory of my mother, because St. Christopher is meant to protect one from water and travel. My grandfather, a sailor, surfer, swimmer and man of the sea, wore one everyday. This addition to the composition completed the piece as it personalized it to my family, values, and memories.