when did you get started in alt & why?

I took an Experimental Darkroom class with Christina Z. Anderson at Montana State University in 2015. I was immediately entranced with alt and the premise that you could create with abandon— it’s visceral. I still use digital, but nothing compares to alt. Every new process I learned became a favorite, every “mistake” print I made became a mark of learning.

what’s your darkroom setup & how does it work?

If you’ve perused the diy darkroom, you’re probably familiar with my darkroom shed (if not, my darkroom is in an 8’x12’ wood shed). It’s pretty basic— one outlet, no running water, and it locks from the inside because the wood doors have a tendency to pop open. It’s a pretty fly by the seat of your pants setup, but it works.

The catch is that I’m up in Montana, 90 miles from Canada, which means I have to work around cold winter months. For the cold season I move just about everything inside and set the darkroom up on 2 Costco tables. Since I prep & process prints in a bathroom, I usually just make cyanotypes for a few months. The nice part of the winter setup is that I have direct access to running water, which beats toting gallon jugs out from the house.

I do have a UV lightbox now, but for my first year in the shed darkroom I did sun exposures (cyanotype, gum salt). Your workspace doesn’t have to be top of the line to be functional!

what do you know about x/y/z process?

I’ll happily answer whatever questions you have about alt to the best of my ability! Feel free to drop me a line. If you’re really deep diving into alt, I will always recommend Chris Anderson’s books as a steadfast resource.

do you teach workshops?

I’ve taught workshops in salt & cyanotype and have assisted with cyanotype & gum workshops, but I currently don’t teach. I’d love to sort out small, pop-up workshops in northwest Montana, so if you have a space that might work, let me know!

have you done any process videos?

I haven’t—I’ve considered setting up a whole alt process youtube series, but it sounds like more than I want to take on. I sometimes share process work on my instagram stories, but I also just like to enjoy the process of creating without having to worry about lighting & camera angles.

do you do commissions?

It depends! The short answer is no—I’ve given myself enough projects to keep myself busy, and sometimes working within the boundaries of a commission can limit an artist. But sometimes someone gives me a commission idea and I’m thrilled to run with it.

so, what’s montana woman magazine?

I took over (realistically, I founded) Montana Woman Magazine in October 2019 at the wildly experienced age of 24. I knew nothing about business and had never worked for a magazine, so I dove in head-first. Now, five years on and 33 issues later, I’m passing the baton to the next editor of the magazine.

Montana Woman is the only statewide women’s magazine in Montana, and one of a few print publications left in the state. In my five years at the helm, it’s become a vibrant community of damn incredible women.

there’s fiber art?

I believe that art is meant to be interdisciplinary. Just because you paint with oils doesn’t mean you should only paint with oils. I intend to learn as many processes, practices, and mediums as I can.

I’ve been doing fiber arts since 2019 and making my own patterns since 2020. Honing that skill made me a better illustrator and designer; likewise, I was able to know what color threads I wanted to work with because of my background in design. Art is like a good soup, in that it needs more than broth and some onions to really sing.

what’s your spotify account doing on here?

My background noise of choice is either an oddly specific playlist, a niche podcast, or an audiobook. This is just another way to get to know who I am (and understand why my website has as many pages as it does).

so, 1995 or 2005?

I fully acknowledge the merits of the 1995 adaptation of Pride & Prejudice, but Matthew Macfadyen and Keira Knightley are A+ together (also, the cinematography and the score and the overcoat in the fog). 1995 is closer to the book, but 2005 is near and dear to my heart and that is the hill I will die on.

(also, if you dug through my website enough to find the source of this question, thank you. I appreciate you and your attention to detail)