Introduction
Childhood ballet classes introduced me to the expressive possibilities of the human form, and years later my continuing interest in gesture and movement became the focus of most of my photographic work. I use myself as a model so I may intuit positions or gestures that feel emotionally or physically compelling.
Once I have a photographic print, I use art materials to create fictional environments for the figure which emphasize the expressive qualities of the pose. I use a studio view camera with a 4"x5" Polaroid "back". I use Polaroid prints because, when abraded, their surface becomes an ideal ground for the art materials I use. Oil paint, graphite, wax, grease pencil and dimensional materials such as shards of glass are standard in my work. Looking through a jeweler's loupe to magnify the mark-making gives me a way to project the look and scale of the final photograph. The painted image, which can take weeks to complete, is then photographed onto an 8"xl0" negative which is used to create the final, mural size gelatin silver print (3'x4' to 7'x12').
The work shown here is selected from several different series of images. The Gesture Series (see "Crossed Hands" ) explores the suggestive powers of a simple pose. The Archaeology Series (see " Hug" and " Upside Down") was inspired by my interest in Pompeii and Herculaneum and the volcanic ash molds of bodies found frozen in time. Many of the figures in the Falling Body Series (see "All Fall Down" ) reel through space, reflecting the physical and emotional chaos of a loss of control. The Portfolio Series (see "Repose") stems from my interest in the transition from sleep to waking, when thoughts and dreams collide. The African Series was inspired by a rugged horseback riding safari in Kenya.
