Artist Statement
My photography is minimalist in style and often finds an abstract or graphic expression. It's based on my fascination for abstraction and serendipity in our visual world. Rather than method, technique or invention, I rely on my eye to capture my subject as I see it in the moment; just as it is. Things that work well in the abstract are repeating shapes and the random, yet strange and beautiful presentation of unexpected elements when the light or angle of view is just right. With my lens, I extract things, people and scenes from their ordinary context. What I love most about working with abstraction is the ambiguity it creates; the challenge it poses to our sensibilities and our need to make sense of the world. My eye also naturally leans toward graphic subjects where color or a strong graphic structure dominates. I want to communicate a sense of balance and stark simplicity in the photographs I create. What drives me more than anything is my desire to uncover the dualities present in visual phenomena, to get at the history and emotion that lies beneath all things, all people. I love working with photographs because they make people see in ways that moments connected in time can't. Life moves so fast around us that it's hard to stop and take something in. I'm drawn to the ability of photography to pull moments and objects out of time and space, making them available to us; slowing things down to a single frame that we can gaze into.
Bio
At 20 years old, I took a quarter off from school, bought a Nikon and traveled around Europe. By the time I got back, there were two things I had figured out about myself. First, I was most alive when taking pictures. Time seemed to melt away when my eye took over. Second, all I seemed to want to do was travel. There was a spark that ignited when I was exploring new ground. Photography and travel belonged together for me and I couldn't imagine one without the other. Returning to school, I changed my major and graduated with a degree in International Studies form the University of Washington. I wanted to go to a place where I could practice French and see first-hand the issues of Third World development I had learned about in school. I joined an international exchange network and went to North Africa where I worked for 3 months at the national transportation company in Tunisia. My experiences in Tunisia and later in Paris had to sustain me back in the U.S., where I worked at a wide assortment of jobs to support my photography/travel habit. I attended photography workshops and worked in my darkroom. I eventually married, had children and moved back to the Pacific Northwest, to a small farm with lavender, an aging orchard and 2 acres of wetlands/stream habitat for salmon and other wildlife.
Clients
Zebra Partners, LLC- Seattle
Sapphire Energy- San Diego
Exhibitions
3/10-3/12 Art Addiction Gallery Juried Int'l Online Art Exhibition featuring 12 images from my Urban Abstract Collection including "Water Locked", an award winning photograph.
6/09-9/09 Manhattan Arts International Juried Online Gallery "Celebrate Her Story" Exhibition.
1/09-12/09 Upstream People Gallery "11th Annual All Media Juried Online Int'l Art Exhibition" & "Color: Bold/Subtle Online Int'l Juried Art Exhibit". Two of eight photos selected for these shows were given special juror's recognition for originality of concept and technical artistic achievement.
7/24/09-7/27/09 Kitsap Arts and Crafts Annual Festival Juried Best in Photography Award.
9/24/08-10/8/08 The Attic "Mint Green" The Fuschia Tree's International Art Exhibition, New Delhi.
7/19/08-08/19/08 Hida Northwest Traders Studio Open House Exhibit featuring photos from Mexico.
4/2/95-2/28/96 Michigan Friends of Photography Traveling Art Exhibition Juried by Joel Sternfeld.
10/11/92-11/1/92 Photo Galerie Bild of Aarau, Switzerland "Tableaux Botaniques" featuring a collection of solarized seashells and hand colored flowers.