The Garden Variety

I have always been on a quest to better understand my place in the world and how to best communitcate my thoughts and feelings to the greater world. Nature has been the constant methaphor for growth and understanding of self and world. In turn she has helped me to express myself through my work, using nature as a way to start this conversation with the viewer.

Sarah Bourne Rafferty earned a degree in Studio Art with a concentration in Photography and Book Arts at Warren Wilson College, outside of Asheville, NC. Her love and appreciation of Alternative Process Photography was born during that time. Sarah taught at Westtown School before completing an MFA in Book Arts and Printmaking at The University of the Arts in Philadelphia. During her time in the city, Sarah started to play with the cyanotype process and develop perspectives that would later become integral to the design of her own small business. A few years later Atwater Designs was born. Sarah taught darkroom and digital photography for many years at The Agnes Irwin School before taking Atwater Designs full time in 2020. Sarah lives in West Chester, PA in an 1800’s home with her husband John, dog Tallie, and cat Tigger. Her studio is on the property and where she hosts workshops and creative retreats in the sunny months of the year.