artist statement

I create art because the practice clarifies how I see and make sense of the world, and because it provides a vehicle for sharing that vision. The process is full of curiosity, humor, and unadulterated glee.

 

For me, inspiration comes most often from the natural world—wing structures, gnarled tree roots, shadows. I’m drawn to subjects that show the networks of life, and to those that suggest human forms and characteristics.

 

I fell in love with photography in the darkroom, and the parameters from that tradition still inform how I shoot, edit, and print.

 

I enjoy using the camera as a tool to isolate a subject and lift it from the contextual distractions that often prevent us from seeing it in the first place. To capture something for later examination and further understanding is a way of honoring its essential nature.

 

When artists work thematically to create a cohesive series, the final products become physical manifestations of our thought processes, our passions, and the sometimes-peculiar way we see the world. Juxtaposing a specific image with others speaking the same visual language creates a family. Like all families, there is richness in both the commonalities and the variations on the theme.

 

It is gratifying when my work  offers moments of clarification in an otherwise complex world, and either shows viewers something they have never seen before, or a new way of looking at something familiar.