Artist statement
As a visual artist, I’m moved with a deep respect and reverence for nature and for the creative power, life, harmony, and beauty it so abundantly reflects. In my photographs, nature is often juxtaposed with the manmade. I aim to discover eloquence in the simple, the ordinary, the everyday—to elevate the mundane—to take notice of the gems that are everywhere, but often overlooked. I love to surprise myself and others with unexpected findings.
With an eye towards abstraction, I’m drawn to the spare, but essential. I also delight in the complexities of layers, textures and finer details. Ephemeral appearances of sunlight and shadow are featured strongly in my photographs. I enjoy playing with illusion or trompe l'oeil in closely cropped views, obscuring the object and creating something new, leaving minimal clues for the viewer to discover.
My background is in drawing, painting, printmaking, and graphic design. Many of my photographs are actually “found” drawings, paintings, or prints. Boldness, simplicity, and tight compositions reflect the graphic designer in me. Everything I’ve done in the past pokes its way through in this new medium. Ultimately, these different visual approaches coalesce, all part of who I am as a maker.
My photography process is about discovery, selection, and cropping, all happening in the moment, on the spot. Currently, I shoot with an iphone, always handy in my pocket. Photo shoots generally happen spontaneously—on daily walks, or wherever I find myself. Typically, I’m embedded in a place of natural beauty when I’m inspired to take photos, but it can also happen in an office park, a construction site, or a parking lot. I shoot many photos, later mining them to discover the best. I don’t manipulate my photos, and rarely do any post-production work, preferring the challenge of capturing the final image in the moment.
At its core, my photography is a state of mind--of wonder, of freshness, openness, expectation, discovery. It’s letting something happen, rather than making it happen. Each photo catches a spontaneous moment of focus and flow when time stood still and a deeper resonance was felt. While made in response to something outwardly seen, the photographs reflect something unseen, something inside the one behind the lens who finds reverence and joy in the everyday and is eager to share the gems in her pocket.