Artist Statement
Fine art photographers have had different purposes and objectives throughout the history of photography. Some have worked to portray things as they are, some have searched to find beauty, some portray the opposite, some build scenarios and then photograph their own creations. I formulate a theme and I work to explore that idea and give it visual form. For example, my Ideal series is based upon the search for ideal romantic love. The project began as a comparison between the real found in the human form and the ideal found in Greek-style statues. As the work progressed I began to incorporate a loosely flowing romantic narrative between the two. Yet later, the continuation of the project involved the adornment of the Ideal. My American Flag series is based upon the Founding Fathers' ideology for this country. I sought to portray the flying of the flag by residents, businesses and government. I later expanded the project to include the flag in the context of the varying American landscape, emotions articulated through the flag, and American life in the presence of the flag.
Photography is a language of visual expression. When shooting, I enter a world of beauty and form, from which I attempt to express, in visual form, an idea and/or an emotion. I work on self-directed thematic photographic projects because I enjoy becoming immersed in the search for expressing an idea, and exploring the tangents that I discover along the way.