My photographic artwork pays homage to the myriad ways in which color impacts moods and environments. I believe that the spaces we create for ourselves mold us powerfully and significantly; therefore, it behooves us to pay attention to the objects we surround ourselves with. Because color directly contributes to well-being, I play with it delightfully, imbuing my art with all it is meant to offer. My images begin in nature and end as bright modern focal pieces that demonstrate a yearning for what could be above and beyond what is. I live in Albuquerque, New Mexico surrounded by giant cottonwoods, tend to many representatives of the animal kingdom, and enjoy the company of some pretty terrific humans.
I've always felt better in color-soaked places. A painted wall, just the right mix of flowers, a kitchy bright green trinket sitting on the shelf all stop me in my tracks and make me look closer. I feel alive around color! After years of shooting with a Pentax K1000 and film, my husband bought me a Nikon DSLR. I took many classes, read until my brain couldn't hold anymore photography-related stuff, and toted that camera everywhere. We traveled. I walked all over mountains and cities and shorelines and practiced learning composition and light language. Zillions of mountain flowers served as willing subjects. I learned to hone my interpretation of an image, thereby dressing up the world in its colorful best - as it should be.
It is so fun to push an image of an everyday object to a place it's never been before and see what happens! Most of my photography starts out pretty recognizable; by the end of my playtime, though, things can get pretty whacked into the abstract realm! The whole process has fostered a healthy respect for color and its impact on people. I've learned over time to see things differently and that can be a very metaphorical blessing. We can take care of ourselves internally with good food, good thoughts and good art. We can also tend to our living and working environments, make them more colorful and thereby increase our well being all at the same time.
The whole process from start to finish is so satisfying! It fills my need to be creative and to spread some happiness throughout the land.