About the Artist
Paula Riff (1952-2021) was a Los Angeles based artist known for creating one of a kind camera-less photographic works on paper that embrace bold colors, form and design. Her constructions combine the historical processes of cyanotype and gum bichromate allowing her to create a physical and intimate relationship with the materials that she used to push the boundaries of the medium while considering themes of abstraction and the natural world.
Paula graduated from UC Berkeley with a degree in Japanese language and worked as an interpreter in Tokyo, Japan for several years. Returning to Los Angeles, she switched careers after interning at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art in the photo department. Her work was selected as a Critical Mass Top 50 Award in 2019, the Top 50 Critical Mass Award of 2018 and was a 2018 finalist for the Julia Margaret Cameron Award for Women in the Alternative Process Category. Paula also received the Museum Purchase Award at the Medium Photo Festival in 2019. Her work has appeared in numerous museums, galleries, publications and exhibitions throughout the U.S. and internationally and is also held in private collections.