Artist Statement

"In a morbid condition of the brain, dreams often have a singular actuality, vividness, and extraordinary semblance of reality. At times monstrous images are created, but the setting and the whole picture are so truthlike and filled with details so delicate, so unexpectedly, but so artistically consistent, that the dreamer, were he an artist like Pushkin or Turgenev even, could never have invented them in the waking state. Such sick dreams always remain long in the memory and make a powerful impression on the overwrought and deranged nervous system."
-Fyodor Dostoevsky, "Crime and Punishment"



When I reflect on why I do what I do, why I make the art that I make, I realize that it comes from somewhere deep within, stretching into the realm of my sub-conscious. My whole life I have felt things that I could never verbally express, the two prominent emotions being sadness and overwhelming curiosity about the unknown. I have always been attracted to things that are generally deemed strange or unusual; I am fascinated by the things that we cannot see. I have a strong connection to the feeling of nostalgia. I have battled with dreams and memories, often conflicted by which are which. Through my film photography, I try to create a visual reconciliation between the two; I try to photograph subjects that I connect with, hoping to make it all make sense. My digital work is evolving, it is a different kind of outlet. I am drawn to taking photos of people in an editorial type of way. My collages and paintings are often a reflection of my challenging mental health.