Revised Artist Statement

Most of us thrive on human connectivity. We want to be wanted, we're unhappy when we're not. Much of our relationship with others is premised upon our fear of isolation...of being alone, being apart from who and what we love...our fear of losing something or someone. What happens when the other side of the connection is gone? Unresolved emotions, high-fives left hanging, hearts that keep searching for something which has already left. What happens to those threads that connect us to one another...the ones that are cut loose left blowing in the wind?

My work is an exploration of these questions and through it I am driven to create something more than a simple portrait, but rather, an experience that brings you in, makes a connection and leaves an impression...a residue, something that questions, something that feels and makes you feel. In my photographs, I ask individuals to sit behind a large piece of glass that acts as a barrier isolating subject from photographer. The glass creates a physical experience momentarily confusing senses as the subject, unable to see clearly through the glass, gazes through a blurred and muffled filter. Through this process of isolation from each other, the subject is exposed to the repercussions from feelings of isolation, lack of communication and an inability to connect.

From the outside looking in, it is easier to see the person behind the glass, to watch their expressions change, to see what is going on. Similarly, when dealing with degrees of isolation, it is often easier for one to look in on another's grief when we are not the one held down by our own depression. My photographic process brings others and myself to a closer understanding of what it means to feel alone and why. My portraits are a looking glass into ourselves and into others exploring concepts of isolation, navigating through the aftermath of what is left when something vital to ourselves leaves or is taken away. They serve as connections to others traveling through similar waters in an effort to better understand processes of healing. Our desire for community and connectivity lives as a bridge between us and reminds us that we are not alone.