"The After Life of Things: Discarded, Collected, Assembled" explores the materiality of things and the nature of photographic materials, while celebrating the wonder of the traditional darkroom in an age of its demise. At heart, the project is about photography itself, both its practice and means of representation, its history and place in contemporary art.

The decline of darkroom practice has led me to consider the nature of photographic materials in ways I hadn’t previously imagined. I draw a parallel between discarded objects and discontinued photo papers as found objects, utilizing the typically unwanted color shifts and random marks characteristic of expired papers as a metaphor for impermanence and mortality.

These cameraless images are made in the darkroom without the use of a negative. The expired paper is processed directly from the paper box or roll in complete darkness, without the exposure to light that typically occurs when enlarging prints in the darkroom. This process uniquely isolates the effects of time on the aging photographic paper because no additional exposure or selected color balance has contributed to the appearance of the paper.

What results is time itself made visible in the color streaks and random marks caused by light leaks and the vagaries of storage conditions throughout the life of the paper. The expired paper becomes the raw material for abstraction, offering striking parallels to the work of Modernist painters from the 1950's-'70's such as Rothko, Frankenthaler, Olitski and others.

I most often make multiples and assembled pieces when working with cameraless imagery. By constructing works comprised of multiple sheets of paper, I give shape and meaning to the unpredictable, random marks found on the expired material. These pieces range in size from 8"x10" to 4'x6,' depending on the dimensions of the paper itself.

"The After Life of Things: Discarded, Collected, Assembled" explores the materiality of things and the nature of photographic materials, while celebrating the wonder of the traditional darkroom in an age of its demise. At heart, the project is about photography itself, both its practice and means of representation, its history and place in contemporary art.

The decline of darkroom practice has led me to consider the nature of photographic materials in ways I hadn’t previously imagined. I draw a parallel between discarded objects and discontinued photo papers as found objects, utilizing the typically unwanted color shifts and random marks characteristic of expired papers as a metaphor for impermanence and mortality.

The photographs are both images of objects and objects themselves. They vary in size from individual prints as small as 8”x10,” to constructed wall pieces as large as 4'x6.' Most are printed life-size from large-format negatives to emphasize the physical presence of the object photographed. Considerations of image scale, color balance and shape all contribute to the creation of singular works defined by the unique qualities of the paper selected.

"The After Life of Things: Discarded, Collected, Assembled" explores the materiality of things and the nature of photographic materials, while celebrating the wonder of the traditional darkroom in an age of its demise. At heart, the project is about photography itself, both its practice and means of representation, its history and place in contemporary art.

The decline of darkroom practice has led me to consider the nature of photographic materials in ways I hadn’t previously imagined. I draw a parallel between discarded objects and discontinued photo papers as found objects, utilizing the typically unwanted color shifts and random marks characteristic of expired papers as a metaphor for impermanence and mortality.

The project has grown to include imagery inspired by collected objects, as well as cameraless images. A rich diversity of subject matter has formed organically during the several years pursuing this work, as I find, borrow and collect things to photograph. These objects may have a personal significance I respond to immediately, or may come to understand later in the process. Each resonates with larger issues that characterize our contemporary culture, with subjects that speak to a range of human experience, including: the idea of home, our relationship to nature, and the shifting boundaries of the sacred and profane. I’ve organized the images thematically within the context of the project to create relationships that bridge personal and cultural artifacts.

Looking at these images, each of us may be reminded of something cherished or perhaps recall something discarded and since forgotten. Objects serve as markers in our lives, connecting us to people and places, delineating time’s passing. Our relationship to things is rooted in the physicality of the object itself, and yet enters the life of our memories, personal history and aspirations. As digital media crowds our visual landscape and the virtual world finds its place in our collective experience, this project celebrates the persistence of the physical object and its life in our imagination.

"The After Life of Things: Discarded, Collected, Assembled" explores the materiality of things and the nature of photographic materials, while celebrating the wonder of the traditional darkroom in an age of its demise. At heart, the project is about photography itself, both its practice and means of representation, its history and place in contemporary art.

The decline of darkroom practice has led me to consider the nature of photographic materials in ways I hadn’t previously imagined. I draw a parallel between discarded objects and discontinued photo papers as found objects, utilizing the typically unwanted color shifts and random marks characteristic of expired papers as a metaphor for impermanence and mortality.

The project has grown to include imagery inspired by collected objects, as well as cameraless images. A rich diversity of subject matter has formed organically during the several years pursuing this work, as I find, borrow and collect things to photograph. These objects may have a personal significance I respond to immediately, or may come to understand later in the process. Each resonates with larger issues that characterize our contemporary culture, with subjects that speak to a range of human experience, including: the idea of home, our relationship to nature, and the shifting boundaries of the sacred and profane. I’ve organized the images thematically within the context of the project to create relationships that bridge personal and cultural artifacts.

The photographs that comprise "Sacred|Profane 1" present an exploration of this duality that recognizes how the means of representation contributes to the significance of the object pictured. From Crucifix to Pagan Goddess, Aztec Princess to Buddha-for-Sale, I use the same oval framing device for each image to suggest a shared, though ambivalent, spiritual identity. The oval mask also serves to preserve the aged (unexposed) color of the expired paper, while making reference to 19th century photographic practice.

"The After Life of Things: Discarded, Collected, Assembled" explores the materiality of things and the nature of photographic materials, while celebrating the wonder of the traditional darkroom in an age of its demise. At heart, the project is about photography itself, both its practice and means of representation, its history and place in contemporary art.

The decline of darkroom practice has led me to consider the nature of photographic materials in ways I hadn’t previously imagined. I draw a parallel between discarded objects and discontinued photo papers as found objects, utilizing the typically unwanted color shifts and random marks characteristic of expired papers as a metaphor for impermanence and mortality.

The project has grown to include imagery inspired by collected objects, as well as cameraless images. A rich diversity of subject matter has formed organically during the several years pursuing this work, as I find, borrow and collect things to photograph. These objects may have a personal significance I respond to immediately, or may come to understand later in the process. Each resonates with larger issues that characterize our contemporary culture, with subjects that speak to a range of human experience, including: the idea of home, our relationship to nature, and the shifting boundaries of the sacred and profane. I’ve organized the images thematically within the context of the project to create relationships that bridge personal and cultural artifacts.

Our current social and political divide echoes the duality of the Sacred and Profane, reminding us how this idea also inhabits the political landscape. Few American political figures have been more polarizing than our current President, though others memorialized on our currency, such as Andrew Jackson, have suffered a more ambivalent legacy in the hindsight of history.

“Unfit” is the title of several of the prints in “Sacred|Profane 2,” making reference to the name given by banks to damaged currency that’s been removed from circulation. As objects, the commonplace utility of these bills is transformed by their altered appearance into richly metaphoric symbols of our shared history. Recent events in our Presidential politics add a contemporary dimension to the idea of “unfit.” The vibrant green of the print edges is a product of the paper’s age, framing this interpretation of the American “Greenback” with apt color.

"The After Life of Things: Discarded, Collected, Assembled" explores the materiality of things and the nature of photographic materials, while celebrating the wonder of the traditional darkroom in an age of its demise. At heart, the project is about photography itself, both its practice and means of representation, its history and place in contemporary art.

The decline of darkroom practice has led me to consider the nature of photographic materials in ways I hadn’t previously imagined. I draw a parallel between discarded objects and discontinued photo papers as found objects, utilizing the typically unwanted color shifts and random marks characteristic of expired papers as a metaphor for impermanence and mortality.

Looking at these images, each of us may be reminded of something cherished or perhaps recall something discarded and since forgotten. Objects serve as markers in our lives, connecting us to people and places, delineating time’s passing. Our relationship to things is rooted in the physicality of the object itself, and yet enters the life of our memories, history and aspirations.

As digital media crowds our visual landscape and the virtual world finds its place in our collective experience, this project celebrates the persistence of the physical object and its life in our imagination.

"The After Life of Things: Discarded, Collected, Assembled" explores the materiality of things and the nature of photographic materials, while celebrating the wonder of the traditional darkroom in an age of its demise. At heart, the project is about photography itself, both its practice and means of representation, its history and place in contemporary art.

The decline of darkroom practice has led me to consider the nature of photographic materials in ways I hadn’t previously imagined. I draw a parallel between discarded objects and discontinued photo papers as found objects, utilizing the typically unwanted color shifts and random marks characteristic of expired papers as a metaphor for impermanence and mortality.

Looking at these images, each of us may be reminded of something cherished or perhaps recall something discarded and since forgotten. Objects serve as markers in our lives, connecting us to people and places, delineating time’s passing. Our relationship to things is rooted in the physicality of the object itself, and yet enters the life of our memories, history and aspirations.

As digital media crowds our visual landscape and the virtual world finds its place in our collective experience, this project celebrates the persistence of the physical object and its life in our imagination.

"The After Life of Things: Discarded, Collected, Assembled" explores the materiality of things and the nature of photographic materials, while celebrating the wonder of the traditional darkroom in an age of its demise. At heart, the project is about photography itself, both its practice and means of representation, its history and place in contemporary art.

The decline of darkroom practice has led me to consider the nature of photographic materials in ways I hadn’t previously imagined. I draw a parallel between discarded objects and discontinued photo papers as found objects, utilizing the typically unwanted color shifts and random marks characteristic of expired papers as a metaphor for impermanence and mortality.

Looking at these images, each of us may be reminded of something cherished or perhaps recall something discarded and since forgotten. Objects serve as markers in our lives, connecting us to people and places, delineating time’s passing. Our relationship to things is rooted in the physicality of the object itself, and yet enters the life of our memories, history and aspirations.

As digital media crowds our visual landscape and the virtual world finds its place in our collective experience, this project celebrates the persistence of the physical object and its life in our imagination.

“Nurturing Time, Life in a Backyard Garden” inhabits the place where still life and landscape meet.

The project’s working method bridges the disparate practices of documentary and staged photography to explore how we regard our natural surroundings as we nurture, shape and control them. The series depicts the human presence in Nature in the form of arrangements I make from plant and flower cuttings taken from my garden, and then photograph amidst the cycle of growth, decay and rebirth that unfolds there.

To create the assemblages I isolate the plants individually—often altering them by drying, tying or otherwise reconfiguring their appearance—and then arrange and combine them to make associations or suggest contradictions when placed against a chosen background. A simple cardboard box serves as both neutral container and conceptual envelope to display the arrangements.

Beyond typology, “Nurturing Time” offers us the richness of the garden and illuminates our connection to it. The assembled flower boxes resonate with a range of emotion, reflecting our own experience of vitality and decay, abundance and loss. Memory—Time’s shadow—is present here, too, as events and lives are evoked and memorialized by these images.