2010 was a wonderful and challenging year for me, full of opportunity. Below are images from my first solo show at the University of Dayton. Some of the work is now displayed in The Color of Energy Gallery and Color 2 Gallery in the Oregon Arts District. Thanks for your support! I hope to update more in the new year!
Artist’s Statement
West is a series that has been very challenging for me. It is much different from any of my previous work. Typically, my photographs are narrative, figurative, and based upon the examination of the lives of those around me, including myself. I utilize digital media as a tool to explain how I feel after experiencing and processing a situation. At times, however, the digital realm overwhelms me. I do not enjoy experiencing new things through a lens or on an LCD screen. I regret lugging large cameras on vacations, and sometimes even feel guilty for not wanting to get it out of its case.
In this series, I chose to reverse everything I am comfortable working with, from the subject matter to the type of camera. I have never enjoyed photographing landscapes digitally. I feel as though the image, while aesthetically pleasing, never seems to transmit all of what I experience in these unfamiliar places. In West, I wanted to use film and a toy camera in order to work blindly, relying on the unexpected to explore new surroundings and landscapes. The unreliability of the toy camera forces me to spend time with a place and attempt to fully perceive it, resulting in images that not only capture what I see but relay how I interpret these foreign places.
