Patricia Scialo

PITCHER PLANT

With an ongoing interest of working with raw materials, my photographic imagery consists of a mixed media approach that uses applied light sensitive emulsions on hand-made paper.

Starting with fibers from plant material, a pulp is created for paper-making. Each sheet is hand formed and design elements from natural materials are added. The texture of the paper along with the tones from natural flax, cotton and banana leaf are strong components of the final photographic print. I continue to re-work the surface by applying encaustic, oil, pastel and graphite.

Through the lens of the camera my subjects become abstract forms using light as the main element of design. For this project I plan to experiment with the interaction of material and subject, intertwined, interwoven, from pulp to print, image to fiber.

With this series titled “Nature Studies,” hidden worlds are discovered. Through a macro lens I bring the viewer closer to reveal nature as a designer. With illustrated lines, textures, patterns, contrast, and shadows, the photographic image creates unseen dimensions. “Nature Studies” are sketches using these design elements and show a profound sensitivity to light, especially how light enhances, sculpting the subject.

Markings, Israel
These abstract forms illustrate carvings found in the Old City of Jerusalem.
 
Markings, Israel consists of a series of photographs capturing columns showing residue from a fire, creating strong contrast for the black and white imagery I composed.
My eye was intrigued by the symbols carved into the stone showing generations of travelers leaving their mark. The work is film based, printed on hand-sensitized paper for chemical processing. The final print has layers of encaustic wax applied, adding texture and depth.

The sculptural forms in the series “Statuary” were found in the cemetery located in Stiges, Catalonia, Spain. A mysterious, inspiring experience with many levels of depth. Each print shows layers of mixed media, using alternative printing processes that include oils, encaustic, gold and silver leaf.

My continued concentration with alternative photographic processes has taken on a mixed-media approach.  When altering the surface of a photographic print I use materials such as oil, graphite, encaustic and found-materials for embedding.

These techniques allow me to build layers, adding depth to the photographic imagery.

Hand work is vital to the print-making process.

Cyanotype

The sun's light casts shadows that create added dimensions within the Prussian blue of a cyanotype sun print.

New work includes the figure on mural size fabric, botanical on handmade paper and drawings with light.

These images show unidentified portraits that have been discarded, and re-discovered. Preserved as faded remnants, I used early glass negative plates, circa late 1800's, to create mixed media photographic assemblages.

Rediscovered through the lens of my camera, I set up a studio still life, using the glass plate and found objects.   I then processed my film and made a darkroom print manipulating the light source, using filters, onto photographic paper. The print surface is then again altered using applied photographic oils, encaustic wax, and copper leaf.

I think of these images as untold stories, with new stories to tell as we look closer, deeper, into the lives of the past, preserved within a light sensitive material.

ITALY

Attracted to early Italian fresco paintings in Florence, marble statuary, mosaic tiles and Greek temples of Sicily the images I created represent a contemporary view of historic artifacts.
The combination of printing on linen fabric, handmade paper with embedded flower petals,  a shrine made of wood with shards of reflective mirror for display, represent the craft of my image making.

PARIS

The setting of Pere Lachaise cemetery in Paris, France felt haunting but tranquil, serene and mysterious.  My eye is easily drawn to aged, deteriorated structures, in this setting the shrines and monuments were weathered and in disrepair which made the photographic experience that much more inviting.
Several images are hand tinted with encaustic adding another element of mystery to the statuary. 

Embody Embracing the figure in soft hues of gray and natural light, I compose with the intention to create abstractions questioning the viewer with what lies beneath.

Spring House Within the location of a historic medicinal spring house, in Chester Springs, PA, I photographed my daughters for three consecutive years using natural light furnished by skylights and reflective pools.

With brush-marked borders and tones of grey, each print conveys a dreamy timeless quality intertwining the figure with location.

Through the ground glass of the view cameras canvas,  the still life series "Assemblages" are carefully arranged objects.
Constructing sculptural arrangements, using several light sources and long time exposures a new range of depth of field is created.