Carol Panaro-Smith and James Hajicek

This is a collection of photogenic drawings. Elegant, luminescent and magical describe the unique one of kind prints by two renowned valley artist and educators.


Carol & James have spent over 50 years collectively being dedicated to and fostering in others an appreciation of the antiquarian photographic printing processes of the 19th century. This is evidenced in their own creative work as well as in their careers as educators. Over the last several years, Carol and James have been working collaboratively using the process known as photogenic drawing – one of photography’s earliest and most beautiful. It is also one of the most simple and direct processes that defines the very core of photography without recourse to the normally thought of equipment and materials.

Plants that they have dug from the earth or collected from the sea are exposed in contact with hand-coated light sensitive paper. This organic material withers under the intense heat and light of the Arizona sun as it completes its final act of participation in the creation of its own image.

James Hajicek is a professor in the School of Art at Arizona State University. His area of specialization is late 19th century photographic printing processes. His work has been exhibited internationally over the last thirty years and can be found in many significant public collections including the International Museum of Photography at the George Eastman House, Rochester, New York, the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, and the Bibliotheque Nationale, Paris, France. He has received several National Endowment for the Arts Fellowships for his own photography and his work with obscure photographic printing processes.

Carol Panaro-Smith received her MFA at Arizona State University. Her work in mixed media has been exhibited extensively for over two decades. Carol’s area of specialization is alternative photographic processes, mixed media and book arts. She teaches workshops nationally and at Alchemy Studio Workshops in which she is founder and director.