A Fisherwoman, a Dentist, and an Inventor…
What in the world does an artist fisherwoman, a dentist and an inventor have to do with my photography?
There were three people in my life who formed my path as a photographer and artist, each with their own specific talents and influences.
The fisherwoman was my Mother, who besides being an award-winning saltwater fisherwoman along the Connecticut coast, was also the original artist of the family. A student of The Rhode Island School of Design, her multidisciplinary approach to the visual arts was not only breathtaking, it was transformative for me. She taught me how vital imagination was in the creation of art.
The dentist was my Father, who being from a science background, helped fuel my original passion, zoology. He instilled in me an obsession for examining the world around me and how it works. Constant observation was required, but discovery and revelation were the rewards. I taught myself about all the animals around me, from single-celled creatures to rescuing baby seagulls engulfed in an oil spill.
The inventor was my best friend, who was a genius in examining how things worked and maybe how to make them better. He had a drive to investigate everything. Nothing was out of his inquisitive reach. He was the one who showed me photography, how to develop film and make prints. I was 16 at the time and I can still vividly remember the thrill of seeing my first negatives and then prints. It was a watershed moment for me. I fell in love with picture making instantly.
Within this blog, I will delve deeper into how these people brought me to photography and what it means to me to be an artist. All of my work in photography, drawing, sculpture and printmaking has always centered around two simple concepts: curiosity and imagination. For me, there can’t be one without the other.
I will share the stories of how certain photographs came to be and why. Because I use a large format camera, photography becomes very experiential: I must slow down-quite a bit! While shooting I leave the world behind and enter an altered version of time which compels me to be a part of everything around me. There is no walking around, snap the shutter and then on to the next. I revel in the meditative process that occurs; I am in this moment, at this particular place, illuminated by this particular light, surrounded by these sounds, this weather, the smell of the earth or that of an old interior. All of it permeates my being there at this time. Everything fuels my curiosity and my imagination; together it serves as the catalyst for my work- it's as simple as that.
However, getting to the point in my practice where I truly feel it’s “as simple as that” is another story…