My photographs operate as a way for me to collect and memorialize the ephemeral. I am influenced by collections of objects and the memories and emotions attached to them. The photograph as an object itself to be collected also inspires me to photograph particular subjects.
Some of my images depict a dead subject, but look to Victorian post-mortem photography, and work to create an image that is peaceful and respectful, not voyeuristic. Other photographs are like pressed flower collections in that they are a way for me to capture and keep these ethereal beings and moments. I believe that when I photograph someone or something, I ensure their existence is not just catalogued but also remembered.
My subjects exist as a dichotomy between the natural and unnatural. I treat a flocked animal and a self-portrait as subjects both worthy of preservation. The inherent kitsch of some of my subject matter is not treated as a negative but rather something to embrace. I see an inanimate figurine as holding as much interest and worth as the deceased body of a beloved cat.
The photographs were created in and exist in a world of nostalgia. The simple pleasure and sadness they invoke moves them past a personal sentimentality to become more universal spaces for viewer introspection.
2016.