Sentient
The ocean is simultaneously dangerous and beautiful. I was attracted to this duality and began to photograph the waves at night, a time when the ocean feels the most unknown and un-navigable. Although the ocean is physically the same at night as it is in the day, our perception of it changes in the dark. Unable to see the water at night, we feel uncertain of our surroundings. Even photography, a medium of light, captured only the white crash of waves, the lone visible sign of the water in the darkness. The white seemed sentient and in a sense was the mark by which we could know the ocean at night. Waves visualize the power of the ocean and in the black void of night the swirls of white in Sentient hint at that unseen energy we know in our minds to be present.

Sea Change
Wave after wave, the mark of the ocean is ever present and continuously changing. The variations in the images of Sea Change, a series of palladium-based photograms, reference the complex character of the ocean. Never on its own, water is always in combination with other elements or in various transitional phases. Water contains and transports many materials that are not visible to the human eye, including sand, minerals, and other sediments. To produce the images of Sea Change, I stand in the water holding light sensitive paper in the break of a wave and allow sand to form a pattern on the paper as it exposes in the sunlight. This process entwines the material aspect of the medium with the ocean and shows the trace of water. As a result, each piece becomes a unique document of the movement of matter within an individual ocean wave. 

Under Glass
The natural world is composed of many levels of infinite complexity, all in a continuous state of change. Attracted to these transient processes, our perceptions of them, and the ideas of 19th century citizen science, I collected natural objects and placed them under Victorian-style glass domes. Under glass, the objects are singled out for close examination and highlight the act of intense seeing which is common to the practice of both art and science. Each seemingly simple object coupled with an engraved label on its glass dome seeks to explore the larger duality of presence and absence, blurring the boundaries of perceived and accepted reality.  

Flow
A system is a set of interacting entities that form an integrated whole. I was interested in what exists between the elements of a system and began to explore the idea of interconnections. Working with objects and photographs, I focused on building intuitive associations using form, color, and pattern.  I paired images that had a sense of flow between them along with a three-dimensional natural object that mirrored an aspect of the imagery. The object’s shadow anchors the grouping and highlights the important role that space plays in the perceptual connections we make about the arrangement of things in the visible world.  Within the framework of the shelf, these elements form visual connections between otherwise unrelated items and explore the sensibility of our perceptions.    

Quo Vadis
Quo Vadis…where are you going?…can be interpreted on numerous levels, from the literal to the philosophical.  I was interested in the sense of change that the question implies and began to create sculptures that explore the feeling of transition. Ladders were the basis of this series, as they are tools for moving up and down in a given space and are often used to represent the hierarchical levels of an organization or society. Both physically and conceptually, these sculptures and installations invite us to consider a change of position. Concerned with choice and change, these ladders, graphs, slides, and compasses allude to the continuous transitions in the world around us.    (These images show the maquettes/models for the sculptures and installations that I plan to build on a large scale.)

Spin
Storms make visible the tremendous energy of the natural world. Inspired by the swirling shape of satellite hurricane imagery, I began to experiment with spinning forms. In Spin, centrifugal force is recorded as unique cyanotype photograms.  Created with a balance of chance and intention, the spiral shapes of these individual photograms are timeless.  The spiral can be found in the natural world at every level and scale. Following the idea that simple things working in unison can generate great intricacy, I joined the arms of these spirals to create larger continuous forms.

White Nights
Fascinated by the idea of the water cycle, where water is in a continuous sequence of evaporation, condensation, and precipitation, I started to explore our common understanding of where the ocean ends and the sky begins. Although we cannot see it, water is constantly rising from the ocean into the air eliminating any real horizon line. Unable to observe the sun driven evaporation process in action, I worked with sea salt, one of its residuals, and UV-sensitive photographic chemicals. The patterns of this series are based on constellations, subjective configurations in the sky, just as the horizon line is a perceived boundary between ocean and sky. These images use materials obtained from an actual, but invisible, process to draw seen, but unreal, patterns of the sky. 

Wax Flora
A floral arrangement is the product of natural materials organized in an aesthetic way. Human creativity is imposed on nature.  Within an arrangement, a plant becomes more than a natural object, it works as both a color and a shape. Attracted to these formal art qualities, I photographed plant material including blooms, petals, leaves, and stems assembled in man-made compositions. Set in wax, these botanical still-lifes explore the interplay between the natural and the artificial.  Although derived from organic matter, they are ultimately synthetic. 

Various Projects
This gallery shows a selection of images from  numerous  projects.