KELLY STARR | ABOUT 

Our inventory fluctuates – please contact the gallery for current works.

ARTIST STATEMENT: Standing Ground

Several years ago I noticed that many oak trees in our community, and especially in the coastal range, were dead or dying. Sudden Oak Death, a problem that has been described as the most aggressive forest disease in the world, has invaded our hillsides. I began photographing these remarkable trees to remind us of their importance in our dramatic California landscape. These photographs are printed in platinum palladium, an “alternative printing process” that is made by painting platinum palladium emulsion onto fine art paper and exposing it to ultraviolet light while in contact with a negative. This handmade and complex technique produces one of kind images with warm black color and a velvety finish.
“Silver Flowers”

I am inspired by white flowers in particular and used natural light to photograph this time-honored subject. Simple yet complex and unpretentious yet elegant, flowers are the perfection of grace. For this series, I used the rich detail and timeless quality of the silver gelatin print to immortalize their beauty.

A native Californian, I live in Portola Valley, California with my husband Jon, our Portuguese Water Dog, Walter and our cat, Henry. I work full-time as a Fine Art Photographer. I use a Hasselblad medium format camera, my focus is black and white film photography.