NatureScan began as a dream – a real dream! Barbara Guidotti dreamt one night that she put real seashells on her scanner. She tried it the next day and was so excited with the results that she’s been scanning bits of nature ever since. By learning to use the composition of the materials, the backgrounds (i.e. paper, scarves, real bark) and the light of the scanner, Barbara’s scan art has achieved some surprising results. "Every scan is an adventure!" she says.

Barbara is a recently retired teacher who is also a songwriter and author. Nature has been a dominant theme of many of her creations. Her book of children’s songs is subtitled "Nature Songs for Children" and her "wallaboo" children’s stories are set in an imaginary world of nature. Twelve of her wallaboo stories have been recently published in two books (six stories in each) entitled The Wallaboo Stories and Wallaboo Land. (Click on the titles for more information.)

Barbara lives in Maine. Her husband Charles, who passed away in 2005, was a geologist and a wonderful gardener, and many of the materials for her scans come from the plants just around her house. A lifelong collector of seashells, rocks, driftwood, etc., she also uses many of these "treasures" in her scans. Her three grown children are scattered around the country (Gretchen in California, Amy in Florida and Vincent in Massachusetts). You will notice many objects in her scans that have not come from Maine. She often takes an empty suitcase on her trips just for bringing back new treasures!

NatureScan prints, notecards and other products can now be found in the following galleries or retail stores:

  The Store/Ampersand

Orono, Maine

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