SANDRA TASCA is a photographer, book designer, and painter.

When she was ten years old Sandra’s father — perhaps sensing the artistic spirit in his young daughter — intentionally directed her attention to sunlight’s power to illuminate the world and everything in it. Literally from that day, Sandra became fascinated with the way light travels across a surface. She began to see the world in terms of darks, lights, and all the values in between.

Sandra’s childhood home was filled with the artworks created by her grandfather, Fausto Tasca. A talented photographer, sculptor, as well as accomplished painter, Fausto had studied at the prestigious Academy of Fine Art of Venice, Italy. His commissioned work hung in banks and churches in Southern California; his portrait of Galileo has been displayed for many years in the lobby of the Griffith Park Observatory. From these many examples, Sandra recognized the richness of her family’s artistic legacy, and a desire to follow in her grandfather’s footsteps was born.

Sandra’s love of light and shadow turned her attention to photography. Her first images were made using her father’s twin lens reflex and black and white roll film. She quickly developed a keen eye for capturing the important details in everyday situations. Her first efforts in photography were rewarded when, at 16, she received a Gold Key Award from the Kodak Corporation. Her high school photography portfolio earned a Second Place Scholarship from the schools of the City of Los Angeles for Excellence in Photography.

The decision to become a professional photographer was, in part, an outgrowth of Sandra’s early successes in photography. She also recognized that her innate curiosity about the world could find some satisfaction by capturing slices of the world photographically.

Sandra prepared for a career in commercial photography by earning a BFA and MFA from Art Center College of Design, Pasadena. She worked as a free-lance photographer for over 23 years. Sandra’s photography clients included IBM, Toronto Dominion Bank, and Union Carbide. After her son was born, she was fortunate to secure a consulting position within a research group at Xerox Corporation. During her nine year tenure with Xerox, she honed skills in digital color printing and learned volumes from her colleagues about networked color printing.

After her son left home, Sandra returned to school. She participated in an intensive course in book design at the Rhode Island School of Design. She followed this path in an attenpt to join her love of literature with the visual arts skills she had honed while working professionally. She concurrently enrolled at the Dominican School of Philosophy & Theology (Graduate Theological Union, Berkeley), where she earned a Masters Degree (MTS). Her capstone (thesis) project was a book, an illuminated version of St. Bonaventure’s Journey of the Soul into God. Her later book projects, called Illuminated Manuscripts, use the writings of mystical thinkers as text, and are illuminated with her original photography.

During the the time of Covid, Sandra turned her intellectual curiosity and creative drive to painting. Although over the years, she had toyed with painting as an avenue of creative expression, the lockdowns gifted her with the time to explore painting with energy and focus. She participated in several online painting and design courses, including the Creative Visionary Program, Cold Wax Academy, and Melinda Cootsona’s figurative painting course.

EXHIBITIONS AND AWARDS:

2023. Group Exhibition. “Sonnet 116” One Mixed Media Painting.
Marin Museum of Contemporary Art, Novato, California.

2023. Group Exhibition. Two Mixed Media Paintings.
Hewlett Library, Graduate Theological Union, Berkeley, California.

2019. Solo Exhibition. Love’s Evangelist, 13 broadsheets.
Blackfriar’s Gallery, Dominican School of Philosophy and Theology, Berkeley, California.

2015. Bade library, Berkeley, California. Solo exhibit. 9 photographs.

2014. Solo Exhibition, Las Camelias Restaurant, San Rafael, California.
10 landscape paintings.

1987. Group Exhibition. Toronto Art Directors’ Club.
Honorable Mention, Photography for Union Carbide MIG Mix Gold Brochure.

1986. Group Exhibition. “Future Masters” Barnsdall Gallery, Los Angeles, California.
25 computer-aided photographs.

1985. Group Exhibition. Society of Art Center Alumni International Exhibition.
Art Center Gallery, Pasadena, California.
Honorable Mention for black and white photograph, “Still Life.”

1985. Group Exhibition. Society of Art Center Alumni International Exhibition.
Art Center Gallery, Pasadena, California.
Honorable Mention for black and white photographs, “Old Town Pasadena.”

1985. Solo Exhibition. Casablanca, a Cuban Restaurant in Old Town Pasadena, California.
A portfolio of 15 black and white photographs.

1971. Kodak Corporation International Competition.
Gold Key Award for black and white photograph, “No Exit.”

1971. Group Exhibition. Los Angeles School District Awards for excellence in the fine arts.
Second Place award for photography. County-wide portfolio competition.

EDUCATION:

2023. Justin T. Worrell. Tonalism Workshop.
2021. Melinda Cootsona. Abstracting the Figure, Painting Course.
2020. Nicholas Wilton. Creative Visionary Program. Introduction to Painting.
2015. RISD. Book Design with Douglass Scott.
2014. MTS. Dominican School of Philosophy & Theology, Berkeley, California.
1986. MFA. Art Center College of Design, Pasadena, California.
1979. BFA. Art Center College of Design, Pasadena, California.
1975. BA. Queen’s University, Kingston, Ontario Canada.