ARTIST STATEMENT

From a young age I loved art, painting and photography. I became trained and worked as a biomedical photographer where the goal was to create images that were literal, exact and technically perfect. Over time I’ve moved to a point where the photographic image serves only as a starting point for my artwork. The computer, like the camera, is another tool in the art process. I don’t seek to present reality but to draw out hidden emotions and dreamlike scenes from the images I photograph.

My current projects explore the sentiment of timelessness and decay by integrating images onto recycled metal. Metal is my favored substrate because of its perceived attributes of solidity and stability, and because of its reflective qualities - how the angle of light will alternately hide and highlight parts of the image evoking an attempt to understand a dream or an emotion. The aged and distressed surfaces of found and recycled metal also reinforce the somewhat contradictory messages of permanence and corrosion.

About my process:

Images are captured on a traditional digital camera, or a digital camera that has been internally modified to capture the infrared wavelength adding a surreal effect. Photoshop and other software programs are used to alter and enhance the image or create digital collages. The image is printed onto a specially made clear transfer material. The metal is prepared with a gelatin substance and while it is wet, the transfer material is applied until the image is adhered to gelatin. A protective top coat is added and paint or collage materials may be added at any point in the process.