My work involves investigating ideas and themes through series
of photographs. I've explored unusual vantage points: trees
illuminated at night, tiny scenes made large, and unlikely constructs
of stones and flowers. Although each series has its own particular
vocabulary they all explore similar themes: the effects time,
the interactions of man and nature and most importantly visual
energy.
Photographic work inevitably has documentary elements,
however my primary focus is not on documentation but on attempts
to achieve formal visual poetics. I hope to capture a range
of emotional tones from ecstatic to melancholy, from aggression
to tenderness. The most successful images exude energy. My ultimate
goal is to isolate and refine this power.
The grey skies and cool flat light of Northern
Ohio's climate pervades much of my work. This influence is apparent
even in work that I compose in the studio. Living in the so-called
Rust Belt I'm fascinated by unlikely locations and forms that
create scenes of power and beauty. The effects of time are primal
in much of my work. Prior to human existence, decay, erosion,
and deterioration created the first iconic imagery. These forces
inexorably continue to work their magic, often offering us a
glimpse of the sublime in the process.
Whether I'm working with scenes that I discover
or those that I create in the studio, I'm always interested
in seeing subjects anew, from a different perspective, re-contextualized,
isolated in an unusual way, or combined with an unexpected element.
I'm fascinated by the interplay of positive and negative spaces
and the visual alternatives they create. Im also intrigued
by images with competing centers of interest and the dynamic
tension that results.
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