Curator's Pick - Diana H. Bloomfield

On view in Analog are a collection of exquisite photographs from Diana H. Bloomfield's series The Old Garden. Photography collectors know that great photographs require much more than simply clicking a button, and these photographs are no exception. This series of work evolved from Diana's mission to make one artwork every day for one year. She explains, "all [the images are] from my backyard. I started on March 3, 2018, on day #29, and fittingly printed in the antique processes of tricolor gum dichromate and cyanotype." Now that she's in the groove, she says "I can't seem to stop." Diana works in 19th century hand-applied printing processes, which often involve days of painting layers of light-sensitive chemicals and exposing the negatives one layer at a time: cyan, yellow, and magenta. "These antique printing techniques offer me creative freedom and infinite possibilities. They mesh well with my images, which are often narrative and always interpretive. The repeated layerings and deliberate, or unintended, misregistration of the gum dichromate process, in particular, remove all the hard and clearly defined edges, resulting in softness and ambiguity-- much the way we see and remember."

A native North Carolinian, Diana lives and works in Raleigh where she received her MA in English Literature and Creative Writing from North Carolina State University. She teaches workshops throughout the country, and in her beautiful backyard studio. Her photographs have been featured in the Pinhole Journal; The World Journal of Post-Factory Photography; Chinese Photography; Shadow & Light (including front cover image); SxSE (South x Southeast); Diffusion; Dodho Photography Magazine, and Silvershotz (including front cover image). Her images have been included in The Sun Magazine (including front cover image) ; The HAND Magazine; and the North Carolina Literary Review. Diana is also a contributing writer for Don't Take Pictures.

Sources: http://www.dhbloomfield.com/

Elizabeth Harry, Curator, Analog

Image: (Left)

Diana H. Bloomfield

Siberian Iris Buds from The Old Garden series, 2018

tri-color gum bichromate over cyanotype

limited edition 1/10

24 x 20 in.

BL000003  $1050

Image: (Right)

Diana H. Bloomfield

Bearded Iris from The Old Garden series, 2018

tri-color gum bichromate over cyanotype

limited edition 2/10

24 x 20 in.

BL000004  $1100