Benabbio

In fall of 2018 I travelled to Benabbio, a medieval village nestled in the hills of Tuscany, to study the arts of bookmaking and hand coloring techniques in photography. Benabbio is quaint, somewhat remote, and follows a slower rhythm than I am accustomed to here in the United States. Much of what was eaten during my time here came from local sources - honey, hazelnut spread, and the most beautiful, bountiful, produce - the latter being the subject of this body of work. “Benabbio” is an exploration of the skills I have pursued, and an homage to the place in which I learned them. “Benabbio” is a series of ten hand colored photographs that are encased in a handmade trifold portfolio book. The book cover features an additional hand colored photograph in its recess. The photographs exhibit a blend of techniques from both present and past. They were captured digitally, desaturated in editing software, and printed. From there they were processed by hand using hand coloring techniques developed in the 19th Century. An application of oil paint was uniquely mixed and applied to each photograph, to give a global tone to the image. On top of this underpainting, colored pencils were used to bring the photographs back to color. "Benabbio" is an edition of four, with one reserved as an artist’s copy.