“Surrender” Artist Statement 

When the world is in chaos and things seem so upside down, as they have the past few years, I head into the forest and surrender to the universe. I breathe deeply, savor the existence of the wildflowers I see, I’ll lay down with my eyes closed and listen to the birds, relax into the ground, meditate. Having a spiritual relationship with Mother Nature allows me to step outside and find peace in the most turbulent of times, both personally and politically. This collection of analog pinhole photography visualizes that feeling.

My peaceful presence centered in each self portrait is a stark contrast to the confusing, sharp, and angular world on the edges of each frame. These photographs were created with a handmade pinhole camera I designed to allow me to symbolically capture the world in a chaotic composition; having multiple overlapping vantage points extending out from the center of the frame in a nontypical way. My poses are both natural and narrative. Within each frame you’re witnessing my meditative practice in all seasons, while I lay down and listen or breathe for exposure times up to 4 minutes in length.

PROCESS: Pinhole photographs made in handmade pinhole cameras on paper negatives, contact printed to positives.

MATERIALS: Silver Gelatin Paper

DIMENSIONS: Varied. Approx. 10” x 4.5”

EDITION: Each negative is contact printed in an edition of 4.

CREATION DATE: 2022

EXHIBITIONS:

2023 Traces, The Gallery Space, Rahway, NJ

2022 Lux et Libera: Philly Edition, The Halide Project, Philadelphia, PA

2022  Muestra Internacional Fotografia Estenopeica, exhibited at FotoMaiz in Quetzaltenango, Guatemala, and Centro de Investigacion Fotografia “La Luz” in Monterey, Mexico 

2022 Divine Feminine, Passage Theater, Trenton, NJ

2022 Pinhole Exhibition, The Halide Project, Philadelphia, PA