I moved to the Pioneer Valley in the 1980s, from Paris, France. Like many residents, I never left the valley, and adopted it as my home. I currently live in Northampton, Massachusetts, and recently retired from teaching at Smith College. I am an avid photographer, spending every opportunity to capture the beauty of our ever-changing New England skies. I am also a painter and I incorporate my photographs in my digital paintings and explorations. My two recent solo shows of photographs at the Amherst town hall, and at the Hitchcock Center for the Environment featured Pioneer Valley landscapes, skyscapes, and large-format photographs of the Holyoke range. My paintings were incorporated in a recent installation created by Maria Guarino, Body Tricks, at the Anchor House of Artists in February 2020.
My current exhibit at Woodstar Café, “Northampton Fog,” is a collection of photos taken in and around Northampton where the leitmotiv is fog. In one photography, two kayakers emerge from the fog on an absolutely still Connecticut river. In another photograph the red marquee of the Academy of Music glows in an otherwise dark night. And in another photograph, the Northampton city lights glow under an engulfing night fog.
My approach to photography is influenced by my scientific background. I edit my photos painstakingly, using by various algorithms, including my own, and have them printed professionally on one of the most vibrant surfaces currently available: HD dye sublimation on recycled aluminum. In this process, a mirror photo is printed in professional labs on paper with an inkjet printer loaded with special dye. Then, under high heat, the dye is fused with a special coating previously applied to the aluminum sheet. This results in a highly durable photograph with vibrant colors, that resists scratching and UV light.