About
About Me
I was born in Seattle, USA and grew up in nearby regions during the turbulent Sixties. My love of photography began with a film camera and a high school course in photography—my first inspiration was a shot of my father removing a can of soup from a kitchen cupboard followed by his watery image looking back from the dark room developing tray. Artistic inspiration came a few years later during a two-year residence in Japan.
I became immersed in the Japanese aesthetic after visiting the Empress Meiji’s iris garden on a glorious rainy day in May. Before me stretched a row of shiny black umbrellas as visitors meandered along the garden path. The gardeners, in shiny black rain gear, snipped spent blossoms as they waded among the iris plants. I was carried away forever by the beauty. I studied the Sogetsu school of flower arrangement, Japanese gardens, painting and pottery in every moment I could.Later I completed a certificate in photography from the University of Washington, studied at the Photographic Center Northwest, and continued my Japanese flower arranging classes. I have studied with the best of the best, including Sam Abell, J.P. Caponigro, Ben Willmore, Keron Psillas, and Charlie Waite in intensive workshops and mentorships. My work has been featured in Seattle and Santa Fe galleries. I am a member of NANPA (The North American Nature Photography Association).
About My Photos
My inspiration derives from the Japanese aesthetic of wabi-sabi, which holds that there is aesthetic value in all states of being, including decay. All of the images in this series came from discarded objects in various states of distress. I rummage through junkyards in search of an interesting patina on a rusting surface or a pleasing arrangement of shape and color in broken paint. I see rivers, ponds, and maybe a forest of healing trees in the leave behinds of time, use, and nature. In the end I want an image that somehow transcends the literal in the viewer’s imagination, suggesting a mood, a greater mystery, a timelessness.
POC
