Italy Study Abroad

(2019)

Florence, Italy, is well-known as the birthplace of the Italian Renaissance; a defining turning point in art history. Once home to famous artists like Michelangelo, Da Vinci, Boticelli, and many more—the land inspires any artist who walks its historic cobblestone streets. Luckily, I had the option to study abroad in Florence for a whole month, where my artistic style expanded tremendously. 

Tagging along with two professors and 15 other students from my University, CU Denver, we conducted our studies at the Santa Reparata International School of Art. We utilized 4’x5’ black and white film–shooting with view cameras and pinhole cameras. Then, focusing on historical photographic methods created in the 19th century, we used our negatives to make direct prints through the cyanotype, salted paper, and albumen processes.

I began to photograph landscape scenes, architectural masterpieces, or anything that pleased my eye. As I shot more and more, this modernist view wasn’t fulfilling my artistic intentions on a higher level. The work didn’t mean much to me.

Then, I began to photograph my friends alone in lonesome spaces–emulating a sense of darkness and gloom. I wanted to emit the lonely feelings some subjects were experiencing, even in such an inspiring city like Florence. 

Unbeknownst at the time, these concepts would later inform the foundational aspects of 31 Days Denver. 

The images consist of 4’x5’ black and white digital scans (lightly enhanced in photoshop), cyanotypes on fabric, salted paper prints, and albumen prints.