Sarah L. Barsness was born and raised in the American West. Since childhood, she has been a creative artist, exploring a variety of visual art mediums as well as theater, film and writing. She has traveled throughout Europe and North America, writing, sketching and making photographs. Most recently she spent several weeks in a remote region of Mexico, recording her impressions of of a group of PurÈpecha Indians. She is a graduate of the Photographic Center Northwest and the Evergreen State College. She currently teaches photography and printmaking in various programs, including the Photographic Center Northwest, The Northwest School and Coyote Junior High, and the Sev Shoon Arts Center.

Last fall, while cleaning out my mother’s garage, I was appalled to discover boxes of family photos, dating back to the early century. As an adult and an experienced photographer, I traveled the world collecting images. But nothing could be more compelling to me than the images made of and by my own family. As a member of my family, I had a deeper understanding of the memories and myths behind those images, and could see the inherent poetry.

I needed something other than the darkroom to explore these images. I used a combination of computer manipulation, hand drawing and photo intaglio printing

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