Colleen Rauscher
Based in Calgary, Colleen Rauscher is a multidisciplinary artist whose practice spans mixed media, photography, handmade papermaking, altered books, and education. Over the years, she has showcased her work in exhibitions across Canada and internationally, blending traditional craft with contemporary conceptual approaches. She earned her BFA from Concordia University in Montreal and continues to explore the boundaries of visual storytelling through diverse materials and techniques.
Colleen has been actively involved in several artistic communities, including a five-year membership with the International Association of Hand Papermakers and Paper Artists (IAPMA), and previous affiliation with Friends of Dard Hunter. She is currently a member of the Canadian Bookbinders and Book Artists Guild (CBBAG). Her international involvement includes attending the 2005 IAPMA conference in Banff and participating in a 2008 paper arts tour through Paris and southern France.
For a decade, she operated her own handmade paper and stationery business while also leading workshops in various creative disciplines—ranging from ceramics and drawing to paper arts and bookbinding—offered to children, adults, and individuals with disabilities. Her contributions to photography were formally recognized in 2020 when she was named Emerging Photographer of the Year, selected by Joanne Marion of the Esplanade Arts and Heritage Centre.
Artist Statement
My creative process is rooted in an exploration of structure, rhythm, and the role of spontaneity. I aim to present the familiar from unfamiliar angles—inviting viewers to reconsider the ordinary by revealing hidden patterns and unexpected juxtapositions. Using both intuition and experimentation, I allow form and meaning to emerge organically from the interplay of line, light, and shadow.
My photographic work blurs the line between memory and moment. I shoot double exposures directly onto film, often capturing the same location from multiple viewpoints or orientations. These layered images act as visual metaphors for memory itself—fragmented, elusive, and fluid. Much like how we reconstruct the past through shifting recollections, my compositions evoke a dreamlike ambiguity that resists a straightforward narrative.
By working inside the camera rather than through post-production, I physically embed memory into the image, letting light and chance guide the creation of each frame. The results often hover between the abstract and the representational, suggesting isolation, mystery, and dislocation. Rather than offering clear answers, I aim to create images that invite quiet reflection and challenge the viewer’s assumptions about space, time, and perception.
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