Chromoskedasic sabattier, or chromo for short, is a chemical method of working with silver gelatin prints to create color, silver, and solarization effects. This results in one-of-a-kind prints that can merge elements of painting with photography. This workshop will cover how to prepare a print in the darkroom, various approaches to applying chromo chemistry in normal room lighting, and how to finish and wash the prints. We will focus on using the chemistry with images from film or digital negatives, but we will also address working with photograms and making cameraless chemical paintings. 

Bridget Conn is a photographic artist who explores the potential of photography as a chemical and physical medium through cameraless experimental processes. Dealing with themes of societal struggles, awe and wonder, challenges in communication, digitized vs. physical encounters, and the importance of making and admitting mistakes, Conn investigates the boundaries of photography with prints, wall installations, and sculptural works. She received her BFA from Tulane University and MFA from the University of Georgia. She currently resides in Nashville, Indiana, USA.

Conn’s awards include Analog Sparks 2026, shortlists for the 2023 and 2024 Denis Roussel Fellowship, Klompching Gallery’s FRESH 2022 exhibition finalist, and rfotofolio’s 2021 Denis Roussel Awards. She has exhibited at Gallery 1/1 in Seattle, the Center for Fine Art Photography in Fort Collins, CO, the Griffin Museum of Photography in Winchester, MA, Candela Books + Gallery in Richmond, VA, The Halide Project in Philadelphia PA, the Chiang Mai Photography Festival in Thailand, and the Institute of Photographic Studies of Catalonia in Spain. Her work has been featured in Lenscratch, Analog Forever Magazine, The Hand Magazine, Exposure Magazine, Aeonian Magazine, Focal Plane Journal, and in Christina Z. Anderson’s 2022 book “The Experimental Darkroom”.

Conn is the founder and former director of The Asheville Darkroom in Asheville, North Carolina. An enthusiastic educator, she teaches through Penumbra Foundation in NYC and Ágora School of Experimentation online. She has offered workshops through Penland School of Crafts in NC, the Experimental Photo Festival in Spain, conferences for the Society for Photographic Education, and numerous colleges, universities, and photography organizations across the US. She is currently establishing The Experimental Photo Kitchen, a darkroom teaching facility on her property in southern Indiana.

This workshop was made possible by a generous grant from the Phillip and Edith Leonian Foundation.