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I like to shoot natural objects because I can relate to those materials. These
are the things my eyes go to when I take a walk, or see on people's windowsills
or in the grocery store, or things I have collected myself in my travels. I am
always picking up seedpods or dead beetles or examining egg shells or inspecting
the rust of a piece of junk metal. One of the aspects of these natural objects
that catches my attention is their mysterious quality - what a marvel of
construction, what a lovely patina, such a beautiful subtle color. These are
some of the things I want to capture on film. And the only way to successfully
capture the feelings that I have when I look at the object is to go through a
series of controls and manipulations: turning the object to just the right angle
to create a graceful shadow, using light as a paint brush to have the light emit
mysteriously from various angles, or using a wide angle to create a sense of
chaos. I often color the photographs with photo oils to give that subtle color
not possible in color photographic processes.
My recent artwork has centered around hand-colored black and white photographs of
natural subjects, mostly local gardens. I try to shoot the gardens as if they
were still lifes not landscapes. I love the subtle, soft colors that are close
to nature and are a reflection of what one is likely to see. I shoot what
attracts me visually; I want the viewer to see that the objects that I shoot can
be exquisitely beautiful, a memorial to that moment in time.
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