"Untitled #1-6" 2006 from the series “Of Blood and Water: Sewn and Painted Photographic Collages Exploring the Joys and Challenges of Parenting” Six individual panels of mixed media sewn onto black canvas K. B. Basseches © 2006 All Rights Reserved
	"O" 2005 from the national traveling exhibition "...and the levee broke: meditations on the power of water" to benefit Katrina's youngest victims curated by K. B. Basseches K. B. Basseches © 2005 All Rights Reserved

More pictures coming soon!

I grew up in Washington, DC. A lifetime of living in a city at the center of US politics has influenced me to infuse my artwork with an awareness of how public events shape the lives of private citizens. Recent fine art series have focused on parenting as a public/private act, Hurricane Katrina fallout and a response to the tragedy of 9/11.

I think of my fine art images as "post photographic abstractions." Many are photographs that do not actually require a camera. They are darkroom-generated with the addition of collaged or sewn fabric and found paper. While I intend the works to convey meaning and emotion, I also consider formal quailities. Some images are designed with a focus on balance; others on dynamism and still others present sinuous curves linking the parts of the composition together.

The current body of work is a departure of sorts. Earlier objects contained recognizable subject matter and I aimed to demonstrate the technical acumen required of a museum and event photographer. More recent works are rendered as highly abstracted objects with rough edges and uneven borders. And, while parts of the image have representational qualities, the overall intent is to transcend imitations of the known visual world and overt or predictable emotions.

In the last few years, a concurrent impulse has lead me to create documentary photography that captures the process and experience of artisans in Oaxaca, Mexico. Working mostly in private with long-time friend Cynthia Weill, my documentary photography now appears in a children's book entitled "ABeCedarios: Mexican Folk Art ABCs In English and Spanish" (Cinco Punto Press, 2007).

Whether the artworks I make are fine art or documentary, I hope to make visual statements that employ, but go beyond my personal experience to comment and reflect on contemporary society.