Finding the special in the ordinary comes naturally to photographer, Kim Kauffman. She has found her own unique way to translate her dual passions of photography and gardening into stunning imagery that simply begs to be noticed. We are thrilled to introduce Kim's striking artistic vision to Tustin!
Kim continues the tradition of botanical discovery that blossomed in the 1600 and 1700's with artistic documentation of horticultural treasures found by European travelers. Her photographic series,
Florilegium, pays homage to those explorers and travelers with its name, meaning "a gathering of flowers." These images evolved along with her growth as a curious artist and an avid gardener. Kim is drawn to her garden for the lessons nature affords if one simply slows down and looks. Flowers, leaves, seed pods and other objects collected from the environment provide her with the building blocks of her cameraless and filmless photographs.
How can a photograph be both cameraless and filmless, you might wonder? Kim has developed a special technique that utilizes both a flatbed scanner and digital process that she's been working with since the late 1990's. You might be surprised to consider that cameraless photographic techniques have been around since the birth of photography! Kim has taken inspiration from techniques of the 1830's and 40's developed by William Henry Fox Talbot and Anna Atkins. Anna is considered by some to be the world's first female photographer.
Images from the
Florilegium series are composed of multiple layers that present a specimen straight from Kim's imagination. New environments emerge from these layers over time, much like a garden that is continually renewing itself. Each building block of the final image is carefully considered for its texture, color and pattern, and assembled into a photo collage that invites us to appraise with the eyes of a gardener and wonder with the eyes of an explorer.
Come in and discover these beautiful photographs for yourself, or preview on our
website!
#CameralessPhotography #FilmlessPhotography #AnnaAtkins #WilliamHenryFoxTalbot #Botanical
