Artist Statement
Two main themes drive my work:
- Portraying the richness, complexity, diversity, and beauty of plant-life in and of itself.
- Exploring the aesthetics of floral and its endless potential as a media of abstract expressionism
Flowers are often experienced as relatively uniform commodities - grown in mono-cultures and re-assembled within common floral arrangements. Within the visual arts (a) they are portrayed within a narrow category of styles; (b) reduced to metaphors for human experience, e.g. birth, senescence, eroticism; and (c) the species considered worthy of attention is limited and driven by fashion cycles.
We live in an era of environmental crisis. I believe part of overcoming this environmental crisis is a transformation in the way we experience and value plant-life – towards a perspective that has a reverence for plant-life in and of itself.
My work varies from immersive micro landscapes observed in the wild to focused studies of botany and aesthetics in my studio. The common thread is a desire to create experiences supporting people in stepping beyond fixed relationships with flora to confront the overlooked richness, complexity, intensity, and energy of plant-life.
Life is short, art is long, nature is vast.
Descriptions of Works
Microscrapes are taken primarily taken in nature. They create an immersive experience by encompassing a full field of vision with rich details from a micro perspective, e.g. a square foot of area. The intent is to create a new relationship and appreciation for the uniqueness and complexity of plant-life.
Details and Diversity highlight diverse and striking botanical structures - looking beyond ‘flower as blossom’.
Symbiotics examines relationships among species of plants, either as found in nature or as aesthetic juxtapositions or assemblies created within the studio.
Aesthetic Studies (In Studio and In Nature) are focused etudes to develop my skill in applying specific design elements. I am especially drawn to methods of creating a sense of intensity and energy through motions, negative space, line, and light.
Duration and Narrative grapple with the challenge of creating photographic works that create an emotional or contemplative journey, representing complexity aesthetically, and issues of process.
Secondary Works include many works that may not have a strong thematic underpinning, but portray beautiful or stunning botanical specimens regardless.