I experience photography as a path between inspiration and sharing. In between, there is challenge and discovery. From beginning to end, there is awe.
All of my images start with the camera. I develop them further in the digital darkroom. I like to think of Photoshop as a “Narnia Wardrobe”, where anything imaginable is possible. I print on fine art watercolor papers and finish my originals at the easel, hand-painting with either pastels, acrylics, oils or encaustic.
There is usually a gap between the way the camera records and the way I see things. However, I really love the photograph as a magical capsule of light and information, a suspended moment in time. My finishing techniques are my attempt to create images that are closer to my experience of that moment. I’m trying to include some of the un-photographable elements to make images that contain information and spirit in conversation.
I’m grateful for the fact that photography has been my full time livelihood for over thirty years. I started out using a traditional black and white darkroom, and spent several years exploring the alternative technique of Polaroid transfer. I’ve been hand painting nearly the entire time. My photographic experience includes commercial photography, documentary photo essay, fine art, portraiture, graphic art, teaching, travel photography, and more.
I love that photography is a constant opportunity to learn more about the world. Through the lens the world is always brand new, and everything is beautiful once seen.