En plein air (Luminism), Spring 1, 2024
Archival pigment print
100 x 150 cm
Eeva Karhu uses the photographic process of layering one image upon another to visualize the passage of time. In the manner of the repeated subject studies of Impressionist painters, she takes a photo every day at the same point of her path, compiling these photographs from one month or season to create a unique image. Karhu continues this process throughout the year, creating her own visual calendar of changes in nature. Going beyond what is seen, she imbues her works with a vivid sense of movement, energy, and emotion.
In her series En plein air (Luminism) (2024), she captures a whole season in a single image, using a collage technique which, rather than hiding any of the layers, allows her to choose the parts that will enhance the final image. She paints with light, creating a visual appearance similar to brush strokes. As one gets closer, it resembles less of a painting and more of a photograph, as one can see all the minute photographic details. This series extends her exploration of light, landscape, and atmosphere, drawing from the tradition of plein air painting and the fleeting impressions of the natural world. In these works, the interplay of transparency, soft luminosity, and delicate layers shapes each composition. The fusion of digital collage and watercolor-like fluidity creates ethereal spaces where light itself becomes a subject.