What you see in this body of work is a totally new direction for me.  I've been photographing exclusively in digital media for about 5 years now. The instantaneous nature of digital work is appealing and satisfying. That said, having learned photography in a conventional darkroom, I yearned to somehow get my hands "back on the prints” and experience that feeling of surprise and wonder that only comes from watching an image develop in a tray and the experience of how each print might be different based on temperature, developer mix etc. So I recently began experimenting with a new process to provide me a proxy for the darkroom experience: Hand washing of my digital prints. To create a unique image, I soak and wring the paper in warm water until it softens. I then dry and iron the print, which due to the unique paper/ink combination and the conditions under which it was washed produce a one of a kind image that has almost zero probability of duplication. (Note: The images shown here are photos of actual prints, none of which will be identical after washing.  So please know that each and every print will vary in effect.)

Trish Tunney has been voraciously making pictures since she acquired her first camera in 1979. Her photography is about shadows and contrast so she seeks the directional light of early day or evening where colors are at their most exaggerated. Drawn to bits of urban decay, Trish endeavors to reveal the beauty overlooked by the casual viewer. Her "found object" aesthetic prevents her from manipulating the scene either before or after the capture. Trish enjoys success as a fine art and commercial photographer. You may see her work in San Francisco Bay Area galleries and she has private collectors worldwide.

Drawing and painting portraits has always been at the core of my artwork. In my portraits I strive to express the passion and personality of my subjects and capture an inner aspect of who they are. My portraits evolve like improvisational dance. I sculpt in color and form, continuously transforming and remolding my image, like working with wet malleable clay. I am influenced and inspired by great Impressionist and Fauvist painters such as Monet and Matisse.

Equally obsessed with the built environment and the human figure, my figurative paintings are based on sketches and photographic studies and heavily influenced by architecture.

Working simultaneously on large canvases and experimenting on small boards, allows me to investigate a topic for months.  

In the end a body of work encompasses many pieces, while exploring a single subject or place.

It is not movement or narrative that interests me. Rather than illustrating a momentary idea I want to emphasize the essence of a time and place one can fit into.

Originally from Germany with a background in architecture and art, Katja Leibenath has been painting in San Francisco since 2006.

Her work is part of several private collections nationwide and has been exhibited in New York, Los Angeles, Miami, and Atlanta, in addition to San Francisco.