About The Artist
Rachel Wolf is a professional photographer who specializes in camera-less photography, alternative/antique processes, and creates immersive environments through light-based installations. Born and raised in Alaska, Wolf’s work is deeply influenced by the profound presence and absence of light in her surroundings. Her direct experience of the aurora borealis instilled in her a deep appreciation for the transcendent and embodied qualities of light, which has since become her muse and the focus of her artistic practice.
Wolf’s artistry goes beyond the confines of a camera; she is a master of camera-less photography, immersing herself in the essence of the photographic process itself. This unique approach, which she fondly calls liminagraphy–a traversing of the threshold where light and alchemy transform into tangible matter. Operating within the boundaries of her darkroom, Wolf engages in an unmediated exploration by exposing photographic materials–paper and film–to an array of objects, light sources, and chemical agents. This liberates Wolf from the constraints of traditional photography, forging a profound and immersive connection with the materials and photographic process.
Beyond her role as an artist, Wolf is also an inspiring professor and speaker. Through her teachings, she imparts her passion for light and photography to others, nurturing a new generation of artists. Wolf firmly believes in the power of art as a collaborative endeavor that builds communities, and this belief led her to co-found FO(u)RT Collective—a multi-disciplinary arts collective that curates exhibitions and events, fostering artistic camaraderie.
As a member of The Guild at LightBox Photographic Gallery, Wolf also curates photographic exhibitions and facilitates workshops in analogue photography processes, sharing her expertise with fellow enthusiasts. Her artistic prowess has gained recognition worldwide, with exhibitions in Germany, Hungary, Canada, New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Cincinnati, Seattle, and her current home base, Portland, OR.
Wolf’s compelling images have found homes in both public and private collections. Wolf earned her BA from Hampshire College and her MFA from Pacific Northwest College of Art, and can be found playing in her darkroom in Portland, OR.
Articles & Interviews
ILLUMINATED LOVE
ORACLE CARDS
The images of the Illuminated Love Oracle are a collection of Rachel Wolf’s camera-less photography and light-based installations. The creation of this deck was a cyclical process as Rachel’s pieces would inform the conception of a card and other times the image would be crafted to encapsulate the truest essence of a card.
These images draw on a core principle of alchemy. The art of alchemy is the transmutation of matter, a process wherein something is changed from one state to another in order to achieve a higher or more valuable form. Rachel’s work is informed by this alchemical idea of transformation, which she achieves through color and chemical action. She explores how light is expressed through the use of different elements. This leads to a symphonic play with color, as displayed by the images in the deck.
