artist's statement
“There is nothing more powerful that beauty in a wicked world.” ~ Amos Lee, singer/songwriter
I picked up a camera in 1995 with the intention of making large landscape images full of space and drama in which I hoped to escape from childhood trauma. But my camera explored more intimate landscapes, like found in a flower. I stopped chasing the horizon and began to search my own back yard. I depend on my intuition and awe when choosing subjects and work to create the image that is to be found by looking consciously.
Botanicals have always drawn me in with their color, vibrations, form, life force. Flowers to me are like messengers from another realm, a bridge between the world of physical form and what is ultimately formless within ourselves. They remind me of the goodness and vitality that exists within myself. I need this reminder as a salve for my trauma.
I keep my creative process simple eliminating the distractions and burdens of equipment, making images in natural light in their natural settings. Images are made “in camera” and have miniscule amounts of post-processing “make up” showcasing what exists naturally, it’s just a matter of my discovery and close attention.
Each time I make an image, I respond to my trauma by bringing forth something of beauty and centering it. My creative process of seeing and making images is deep healing for me. Making a botanical image is much more than just sharing a pretty picture.
As a woman, the notion of Beauty is certainly complicated and nuanced. I reclaim the notion of beauty to serve my purpose. Vitality. Complexity. Magic. Mystery. Resilience. Power. Fortitude. Rebirth. Beauty is an ancient and unstoppable force that I gather and disperse through my photography, a force that waits like Spring in Winter deep within the Earth and is available to each of us just by looking closely.