Artist Statements
WISHES: REST IN MOTION
This body of work stems from an ongoing meditation practice, focusing on the connection of humanity, hope and our ability to help each other through vision and innovation. Each image is a single wish made with a tossed stone in the creek below our family cabin, forming capillary waves, which serve as visual metaphors for the connectedness humanity has through water. Encompassing 85% of our planet, all of us are inextricably connected to the ocean in some way, regardless of how close or far we may live from the shore.
I’m inspired by Walter Munk, the "Einstein of oceanography", who had a strong belief in the role of technology and engineering to problem-solve. Munk spent his life optimistically studying waves, tides and ocean acoustics. Given the unprecedented global changes taking place before our eyes, now, more than ever, his plight brings to light the connectedness we share, as well as the responsible stewardship needed to protect our planet's delicate heat balance and our global ocean. “People have to realize that the air we breathe and the water we drink come from the ocean and will go back to the ocean one way or another, no matter how far away we may be from it. It's a perpetual cycle.” said Munk.
It is often said that "necessity is the mother of invention". Flooding has led to increased displacement in Asia, Africa and Central America and is predicted to increase. Extreme weather has already pushed millions more people into food insecurity as climatic changes increases the likelihood of simultaneous crop failures. More than 500 million people live at 30 feet or lower, and the impact on them is severe. Regardless of how far we live from each other, now more than ever, we are in a race against time to document, understand, and communicate the consequences of known human impacts on our planet.
Several years ago I collected hundreds of smooth, flat stones for my mother when she became a widow. I placed them in a simple box for her to keep. Whenever we felt the need, we walked down the hill and made wishes in the pond below the family cabin. The box of wishes burned in a massive house fire, yet the stones remained. This gave me a continued sense of hope, enabling me to make new wishes from what once was, while rebuilding our home. With each toss of a stone, the universal symbol of the circle came forth in a consistent response with expanding ripples, a reminder of the eternal and infinite. My favorite time is dusk, when water reflects the day’s end with a deep blue. Entitled Wishes, this work stems from a blend of melancholy, science and hope, focusing on the past, present and future. For me, the blue that quietly develops at dusk is soothing, contemplative and spiritual. The physical expression of tossing stones in the water is an act of meditation with the seen and unseen. My work explores many moods of the color blue, which is most often associated with soothing calm.
Through this ongoing series of abstract imagery, I am expressing my deep personal desire to raise awareness of human connectedness with this study of hope.
SAUDADE: SENSE OF LONGING
Having lived in several different cities and countries, I’ve packed and unpacked countless boxes and suitcases. It’s been difficult to say goodbye to tribes of friends and chosen family. The Portuguese word saudade has deeply resonated with me for many years, aptly defining a feeling I've carried after moving from place to place. My images explore a sense of saudade, a longing for home and a deep yearning to find what I once had. After my grandmother died, her simple house dress brought me comfort when I could no longer visit her. When we lost our family home due to severe weather, my father’s books were one of the few things that were salvaged. They brought me enormous comfort and a sense of place during transition and loss. For years I've dreamed of finally being home, my forever place, where I can root my children as they grow, plant perennials and measure growth charts on the door frame.
BEHIND THE VEIL
This project tells the story of retired nuns from three different Catholic orders in the Chicagoland area. While they remain nuns for life, due to the critical national shortage of nuns combined with the decline of attendance in the church, most are unable to retire from designated jobs until they are often well into their late 80's. These women were at one time a crucial part of the foundation of their societies. They helped build schools, hospitals, orphanages, and churches in mainly Polish immigrant communities. This series is a window to their world, which remains behind the scenes from everyday society. A routine of community, solitude and faith carries them to their final destination. Process: Black and white 35mm film.
ONCE ONLY IMAGINED
The days of childlike wonder and untamed, imaginative play flow freely in the age of innocence. As a little girl I spent countless hours in the forest near my home, making up stories and songs, discovering trails with my dog and building secret hideouts. With this series, I attempt to photograph a connection to both the seen and unseen, where daydreams and creative thought tap into the deeper pulse of life. Childhood is a fleeting haven for magical play that adults too often lose, and through these images my intent is to instill a sense of memory and hope, with the possibility of rekindling wonder.
NATURAL ORDER
"We do not remember days, we remember moments." ~ Cesare Pavese My work explores the relationship between life's simple moments and the beautiful undercurrents that whisper within them. Like the stillness of early morning just before dawn, it is a meditation for me to find and photograph the extraordinary among the ordinary. I search for the quiet intimacies of everyday life, and strive to instill a sense of youth-filled wonder and hope in the viewer, speaking to their inner emotions. Process: I work with film, digital and plastic cameras, in a variety of formats.
MEXICO REFLECTIONS
I've had an ongoing love affair with Mexico for many years. Having lived there as a late teenager, I now visit as much as I can. These images are a study and reflection of the continuous pull I feel towards the place which, for me, is an endless adventure for the senses.