Issue link: http://janet.uberflip.com/i/1534146
alizes with mys3cal realism. This philo- sophical view that seeks to balance the spiritual and material aspects of exis- tence as she creates unique photo- graphic works of art. "I like that unconven3onal twist… I always try to deal with something mys3cal or a li4le bit off beat, and to show the beauty of nature and its ability to heal." Recently, she has started experiment- ing with layering, a 19th Century tech- nique employing ambient light effects to give dimension and depth to the photo- graph. Through this she creates a portal to the viewer's imagina3on, a trip McIlvain hopes will be tranquil and encouraging. Having just returned from adop3ng a puppy, McIlvain sits in her dining room, only a floor away from her impromptu studio, and discusses shamanic reiki. She became a master teacher herself, and dotes on the prac3ce's link between the physical and spiritual world, and how she mirrors that connec3on in her photo- graphs. "I use natural light if I can," she said. "The photographs that you see of the branches, the woodlands, is where I live, and enjoy taking photographs of the trees when they don't have leaves. I like the graphics." She also uses techniques to combine several images: "I've got a lot of photo- graphs that I can blend [together] digi- tally, and to me, it made [them] more interes3ng," she said. "It gave them that kind of mys3cal quality, and that's what I was going for, and with my background, I'm integra3ng it all." McIlvain, while she had always taken photos, it wasn't un3l her son encour- aged her to sell her work that she be- came commi4ed to pursuing her professional photography career. She bought a printer, began watching YouTube videos about shoo3ng and edit- ing, and created social media accounts on Instagram and Facebook to boost her work, and planted other networking roots. Her transi3on to art photography and crea3ng these photographic works of art offer an ethereal perspec3ve. 58 HOOK