I currently split my time between Finland and Berlin but my roots, are on the West Coast, in a small town in Oregon where as a child, I was allowed to wander the wooded paths that surrounded us. The natural world was a place of solace, a playground, an endless labyrinth of sights and sounds- a patch of moss was a miniature universe both infinitesimal and infinite. It still is- the camera lens has become my conduit- it helps me see what I can’t see with my own eyes, it articulates and reveals what I only sense and can’t possibly name.
My interest in photography developed at a young age, I pursued my fascination all the way through graduate school at San Francisco State University where I received an MA in Interdisciplinary Arts. In 2000 I started using a plastic camera. I picked it up in an attempt to get out of my own way- I found I was craving imperfection, a sense of immediacy, I was, and still am, in love with photography’s past: the mysterious blur of a daguerreotype, the ghost of chemistry dripping down a glass plate, the faded image as a record of time. I would load the camera, wander my surroundings, click the shutter and never develop the film. This fallow period was crucial. I found that the simple act of looking became an exercise in and of itself, that somehow looking through the viewfinder brought me closer to my surroundings. The looking became an intense and intimate act; the simplicity of the camera’s mechanism allowed me to explore my world unfettered, the accidents and the lack of total control added to my sense of freedom– all have become an intrinsic part of my artistic investigation.
In 2004 I started working at The Museum of Modern Art as a lecturer and teaching artist. The exploration of multiple viewpoints through my work with, among others: children with autism, adults with Alzheimer’s- the history of art as one giant visual conversation, the concepts and ideas that flood the museum’s walls… all of this has become a vital part of my existence. I have gained a deeper understanding of the world- its’ patterns, paradoxes, currents and cross-currents. I’ve learned that being an artist is no longer enough; I am also unequivocally an educator- one no longer exists without the other, the two inform each other in an endless back and forth for which I am eternally grateful- both bring me closer to that delicate balance between surrender and self-possession.
Projects and Pursuits
Humble Arts Foundation Group Show 34
Narratively “Please Touch the Art”