Spotlight: Northwest Coast Structures

Artist Statement

These images, taken in 2016 in the Pacific Northwest, demonstrate my interest in using tonalities and arrangements to elicit abstract shapes from natural objects. My art photographs utilize isolation of detail as a tactic to focus attention; I enjoy discovering how realistic contents can be grasped in new ways when guided by the discerning camera lens. I experiment with exposures to explore how perception and perspective articulate. Such landscape designs allow viewers to ponder how objective reality can be perceived in multiple ways. The ambiguities in interpreting some imagery can engage a viewer’s mindset and show the power of the abstract. Many of my photos utilize or evoke water—what can be seen beneath, above, and through this common yet mysterious medium. The fascination of water arises from its ability to change shape and color, to reveal and conceal, and to move with great power yet remain elusive to the grasp—like perception itself.