Nature: Quiet Places (2016-2021)

STATEMENT:  It started with an innocent image. A photo of a hosta plant was sent to me by a friend. I responded to the image by telling him that I did not like hosta plants. They grew like weeds around my house, and every time I dug a plant up to give to someone, it seemed like another two plants grew in its place. More hostas than I knew what to do with!

The friend then drew my attention to Albrecht Durer’s watercolor, “The Great Piece of Turf.” It is quite lovely. It was also a surprise because the first images that formed in my mind about Durer’s work are his woodcuts which are black and white.

So with Durer’s woodcuts and watercolors in mind, I paid closer attention to the vegetation around me, incorporating shrubbery and trees, and translating the world into black and white images.

As the years moved along, I took one step backwards and started capturing the interplay between trees, clouds, and water in familiar landscapes. This process led me to a silent reflection, or meditiation, and wonder. As with nature, all things, even photographs, move and find a different path to travel.