DEEP ROOTED GUIDANCE 2025 (early flier publish in 2024)
In November of 2024, P. Miro Gutierrez launched and managed a grant-supported Tucson artist residency, offering selected artists a full year of participation at no cost!
Spring 2025 First Meet Up
*(Spring) February-April 2025:
DRG 2025 Meet & Greet: Slowbody Beer Co.
Workshops Feb & April: Participation encouraged, take notes
Cultivating Creativity w Linda Cato ie virtual 1hr
WPHS Wet Plate Day w Mark Sawyer & Gene LaFord 10am-4pm
The art of Storytelling w Laura Porfirio 1hr
Wet Plate Day w P. Miro Gutierrez 11am-1:30pm
Wet Plate Day w Gene, Mark & Miro 10am-1:30pm
Participants Homework:
Join WHPS, attend meetings on Monday mornings
Attend Community events ie shows etc
Gallery tour (Etherton, CCP & Decode)
Studio visit (Mark Sawyer)
Studio visit (P. Miro Gutierrez)
*Mentor meetings: discuss Journal entries, brainstorm concepts
Savaya’s Coffee Market on Swan 2959 N Swan Rd @ 10am (optional)
February 2nd 2025 @ Slow Body Brewery
The DRG mentors and mentees meet!
February 16th 2025
This is called prepping for the shot! Ivy positions the subject (Sir) and makes sure that the camera is positioned correctly and that it’s clear before the shot.
Ivy capturing Sir’s image with Mark’s guidance.
Colleague portraits!!!
First images captured by Sir & Ivy!
For our 2nd round of wet-plate workshop meet-up, Stephanie and Jess are being instructed by Mark Sawyer prior to taking an image.
WHPS’s Monday Coffee Social, critique hour. The images received such great feedback*
March 2nd 2025, at the WPHS (Western Photographic Historic Society) Wet Plate Day, DRG (Deep Rooted Guidance) participants mingle with new WPHS members! Mark Sawyer’s home becomes a hub for new and existing photographers gathering for socials and wet plate workshops.
This image of Stephanie was taken by Jess and here it bathes in water where it helps to remove the remnants of chemistry.
Here’s Mark Sawyer’s portrait of Jess!
Images of the DRG participants! Here Ivy Ikay’s image was taken by Jess Sanchez*
March 30th, 2025 Prepping the camera and chemistry* Hosting the participants of DRG at Miro’s home studio in Tuxon, AZ
Using up ALL the space needed to get the shot, inside the pool*
Miro’s darkroom 1’s & 2’s to Lance*
Sir captures Lance
Lance captures Jes*
Stephanie prepping the shot with Jes’s help!
Stephanie’s pov
developed end shot!
on the drying rack!
April 27th 2025, Workshop!
Stephanie practicing her still life!
Stephanie’s still life
Gene teaching 101 Wet Plate to Aysia & Isabel
Ivy’s portrait of Jess with a skull
Jess’s portrait of Ivy with jaw bone
Isabel’s first tin!!!
Aysia’s first tin!
Stephanie’s shot!
Summer 2025 Studio Time
*(Summer) May-August 2025:
Workshops: Mandatory participation, take notes
Exploring Grant, Residency & Gallery Applications (find & apply) 2 hrs (Geneva Gluck & Amber Doe)
Wet Plate 4 hrs (Mark Sawyer and Gene LaFord)
Rachel Castillo’s studio hosts DRG from (May-October)
Participants are expected to:
Attend Community events ie shows etc
1 Gallery Tour (pick up application)
1 Studio visit
Document with photos and journaling during this process, it will be important material later.
*Mentor meetings: discuss,
journal entries,
Solidify concept and plan out execution.
Select 4 images/story series that you would like to showcase.
Participants Homework:
Join WHPS, attend meetings on Monday mornings
Savaya’s Coffee Market on Swan 2959 N Swan Rd @ 10am (optional)
Prep Day with Rachel Castillo & Mark Sawyer
Trouble shooting with Mark & Gene
Gene’s Still Life set- up
Mark’s Portrait set up
Test shot of me
Ivy, Gene and Isabel prepping the still life table!
Ivy’s still life*
Isabel’s portrait of Lance
so beautiful*
Jes testing out the makeshift darkroom*
Giving their work a gander*
Isabel’s still life
Isabel’s portrait of Lance w olive branch
Ivy’s portrait of Lance w evil eye
Ivy’s still life
Jes’s portrait of Miro w olive branch
Jes’s still life
Lance’s portrait of Isabel
June 22, 2025 Participants worked on double exposures and still life
Jes, Sir and Ivy prepping their stage before a shot.
Jes’s portrait of Sir
Isabel prepping her shot w Sir in a mask
The Shot
Ivy’s portrait of Sir w the mask on
Sir’s portrait of Isabel
Sir’s portrait of Ivy
July 13th, 2025, Amber & Geneva teach an artist development workshop: Grants & Residencies*
August 2025, Jes & Ivy take the mobile set up on a shoot in the desert!
The view of the AZ desert!
Jes setting up a shot!
AZ Desert shot!
Fall 2025 Shooting on your own!
*(Fall) Sept-November 2025: Mandatory participation, take notes
2 Workshops:
Artist Statement, website building + Website maintenance: apply artist statement to website, transcribe journal entries to website 3 hrs Long (Gabrielle Smoyer)
Different Day: Studio Day 2 hrs long (Mark Sawyer, Gene LaFord and Miro Gutierrez)
With Mentors:
Attend Community events ie shows etc
1 Gallery Tour (pick up application)
1 Studio visit
Journal entries, mentor meeting, Follow-up on Concept & guide thru execution
Participants Homework:
Create group presentation
Join WHPS, attend meetings on Monday mornings
Savaya’s Coffee Market on Swan 2959 N Swan Rd @ 10am (optional)
September 2025: BEHOLD! Jes’s Homemade mobile set up*
September 2025, new location, still the AZ desert!
Jes finding a sweet spot*
September 2025, ivy setting up!
October 12th 2025
ALL HANDS ON DECK!
Winter 2025/2026 Community Collaboration!
*(Winter) Dec-February 2026
Testimonial from the collaboration with Tucson’s Femme Photo Club, including feedback from the 13 participants. Full transparency, a questionnaire was shared after the workshop to hear feedback for future events:
“Femme Photo Club of Tucson and Deep Rooted Guidance (a local year-long residency) collaborated to create an exceptional two day wet plate workshop. Participants worked hands on with Project Coordinator @muchomiro and two DRG graduates, @jesn_sanchez and @ivy.ilkay, who guided them through the fundamentals of wet plate photography.
The workshop aimed to inspire appreciation and engagement with this timeless, captivating medium. This collab has been incredibly exciting and I’m already crossing my fingers there will be another one!! ✨”
Testimonials:
“This was so great! I already wanna do more”
“I had so much fun learning and creating during this workshop with you all!”
“Mirooooo! Muchas gracias por compartir con nosotreees.”
“It was awesome! And super appreciate you hosting!”
“A literal dream of a day. I haven't stopped thinking about it! Thank you so much ❤️”
“this was so special to me. I’ll hold this experience in my heart forever 💙”
“my favorite day ❤️ thank you for sharing your skills & your home!!”
“Had the most amazing time!! Thank you so much ❤️”
“the best experience thank you⭐️⭐️”
“Such a special workshop to be a part of, and so many incredible people and artists to work alongside learning this incredibly cool medium! Cant say enough good things about it, truly a one of a kind experience ❤️ thank you for opening your home to us and teaching us!”
“The way that the instructors were honest about the experience being unpredictable was nice, I think especially for those new to film it showed the process. The way they explained things was clear, they remained open to questions, and they celebrated the wins with us!!!”
“Loved the explanation of the process step by step and that I didn’t feel forced to do anything out of my comfort size IMMEDIATELY (like pouring my own plate) I was able to ease into the process after watching it done several times. They let us be creative and play. I didn’t ever feel like they seemed annoyed when our group wanted to move the camera around or wanted to change our shots completely. They were just as much invested in the process as us.”
“The most positive part was being around all the great people (and animals)! And learning the process too. I thought the workshop was great, organized, and informative. No notes on improvement. Hope there could be a part 2, maybe more advanced, with strobes or building off this? Thank you for hosting and facilitating this. I had a great time!”
“The most meaningful part for me was the community connection and seeing everybody support one another and help visions come to life.”
“Loved that this was done in small groups. I felt like I got to know new people.”
