I’ve often referred to Lumen Printing as a “Passive Artmaking” process. I call it this not to minimize the creative efforts of those who use this unique photographic process, but because the potential reward generally outweighs the effort, expenditure of time, and risk in an order of magnitude rarely seen in the art realm. The creative ruts that we often fall into as artists force us to see the task of art-making as insurmountable and Sisyphean. Any creative process that attempts to ease the transit through these ruts while offering a way out of that struggle is worth its weight in gold.

Lumen Printing has been that lighthouse for me, often helping me find the way through tumultuous waters. While this set of images found roots prior to the Pandemic, the need for creating with minimal risk served as a path towards normalcy during these past three years. Cut off from familiar contact due to COVID while also struggling with the long, brutal winters in Alaska’s Interior, each spring allows a return to Lumen Printing as well as an opportunity to reconnect with nature and people, both physically and creatively.