Ashley Duval

Artist Statement

My work celebrates the quiet beauty of the natural world using historic photographic processes. These processes produce images that are inherently unique, mirroring the variability found in nature. Much like two flowers of the same species, no two prints are ever the same.

Inspired by plant and place, my background as a botanist informs how I see and engage with the landscape. My eye is trained to notice seasonal change and subtle variation within the environment. I am interested in depicting not only the broader landscape, but also the smaller parts that make up the whole. I am compelled to photograph small moments, details that might otherwise be overlooked, where time and light are as present as the subject itself.

Working with film and alternative photographic processes requires me to slow down and pay closer attention. Through this work, I hope to create images that function as acts of presence—inviting the viewer into a shared moment of attention, reverence, and connection to place.