The Final Line-Up

Well, it has taken me longer than I intended but here is the final line-up from my end of year show. It was a challenging semester but in the end I was very happy with my work. Below is my artist statement.

  We all carry anxieties and internal struggles with us, it is what makes us who we are. Some of these issues stay with us for the entirety of our lives, while others become eroded and shaped by our experiences. For this body of work, these internal reflections are written down on rocks and placed beneath the surface of the water and photographed with a macro lens. The act of writing these thoughts down on rocks is a ritual, a casting away, as well as a metaphor for the weight that these anxieties have in our lives. Everyone has their own “bag of rocks” so to speak. Placing them below the water is the act of letting them go, or allowing them to begin to shape and change as life passes over them. 

  This work has been a journey, therefore incorporating my presence into the images was an important decision. While not necessarily an autobiographical body of work, an exploration has been made and the importance of that transcendence is not something to be overlooked.

Getting My Grove Back

Alright, now that I've taken a few days to sleep in and recover from the end of the semester, I'm encouraging my brain to regain some function. The end of my first year of grad school has come and gone and I can't believe how quickly it went! Soon to come: pictures of my end of year show up in the gallery.

What a Beautiful Idea

I am mesmerized by these images. Artist Anna Schuleit was asked to make an installation of plants in a Massachusetts mental health center that was scheduled for demolition. They are breathtaking. Read the article, it is very interesting.

Image source.

Trying Something New

I'm trying a few new things in photoshop with some of my images. Up until now, I am a little ashamed to say I have done very little with my images in photoshop aside from minor exposure and lighting adjustments. And I will be the first to agree that what "new" things I am trying are by no means advanced or over-the-top, however, this is a new aesthetic for me and I must say I am quite pleased with it. At first glance, it does not appear to be two images on top of each other, but it does seem to have an awful lot of activity and movement which I find successful. It has been fun picking and choosing what images to combine, and I feel like to some degree, that it is furthering my state of discovery I had mentioned in my previous post.

Traveling a New Path

This group of photos is of an 'adventure' I took through the water flow in a park near my home. 

  This semester has been one of self growth and discovery. I am straddling the line between accepting a little more conceptuality and holding onto/embracing the aesthetics I love so much. At the beginning of this project, I was proposing night photography...and one might say I've wandered away from that idea. I just can not let go of the aspect of water, I love it. I love being around it, being barefoot in it, the way it smells and sounds. I am continually fascinated by how light passes through it, making patterns that can never be created again. I feel as though I am in a constant state of discovery.
  Not only am I drawn to the beauty of water, I am also concerned with the issues around it. Only 2.5% of the water on earth is fresh, and 70% of that is used for agriculture, another 22% goes to the worlds' industries, leaving only 8% of that 2.5% for us...and that is frightening. This is an homage to the beauty and life giving qualities that fresh water has to offer.
 

Bikes and Art

I have always had a thing for bikes, they are as beautiful as they are practical. I love the way you glide over the surface of the earth as you ride. The feeling of the wind on your face, it truly is a beautiful way to travel. This video is really cool, I feel like it is a very fitting combination of bikes and art.

On the Side

Today I went out and shot some images just for the heck of it. I could make pictures like these all day every day. I am so drawn to them - seeming to glow from within. Its easy to forget to kneel down and take a closer look at the simple things, such as this shallow creek bed. I feel like I am most at home crawling around on my hands and knees looking through a macro lens.