There is a graceful elegance all around us, sometimes hidden and tucked away, or right near us. There is an abundance of beauty to be awakened to you, if you desire. - Krista Kuskye

The decaying buildings offer us glimpses into the ghosts of the past. A dark grandeur that exists

in something that once was. On the other hand, landscapes show God’s beauty in the purest

form. The black and white photographs invite the viewer to pay special attention to traditional

elements such as detail, tonal range, light quality, use of depth of field and print quality. I

appreciate the traditional film and darkroom process because it allows me to achieve the fullest

amount of control over the work. One print can be so involved, it feels like a dance with the print,

moving the light around so that it touches the paper in such a precise way.

When I took my first darkroom class, I found a place of solace, a perfect something to grab my

attention and allow me to feel at home. This was a space away from all the turmoil in my home

life. The darkroom became a meditative space for me to wash away all of the hurt and pain;

rather transmute it through art. With a film camera in my hands, anything felt possible. This

became my focus, how to show the way I viewed the world through a camera- essentially a box

with a lens and some film inside. I continued photography classes into my college career and

made the decision to major in it. After graduating, I had mainly been focused on fine art

photography until I decided to expand myself and split my attention towards one of my biggest

challenges… portraits. I took on portrait sessions and struggled. I worked with other portrait

photographers doing weddings and sport portraits. That became my training for the new set of

photography skills that I would need for the next part of my journey. Part way into the journey, I

understood why there was a strong pull towards portraits. I love making connections and

discovering more about people, where they have come from and their future plans. That human

connection can be so divine and joyous.

Anxiety has come to be woven into my life within the last few years. It can be absolutely

crippling. Wanting to dig down to the bottom of it, I had a constant pull to re-discover the school

where I started when I was a 2 year old. My roots. It felt like it needed to be a part of the healing

process along this journey. Finding the equipment that I once played on at a very innocent age

felt liberating and soul satisfying. After all these years, there the playground equipment sits,

awaiting to be reclaimed.

These photographs are reminiscent of different seasons in my life. During my childhood, mental

abuse was a part of most of my days and some days it was physical abuse or caught in

between it. I have seen a plethora of ugly situations and have felt some dark raw emotions, but

somehow notice the glimpses of beauty that emanate out of the most unforeseen places. There

is a transition that happens when the photographs are created.

These photographs can be just as relevant to you. How do you resonate? It is your story now....

January Artist Krista Kuskye