Secrement

(Secret + Fragment)



Diane Arbus once said, “A photograph is a secret about a secret. The more it tells you the less you know".



I have an obsession with the anomalies within the human figure. Small details on another’s skin such as a scratch, birth mark, freckle, or lump piques my interest; I respond to the textures, blemishes, and patterns that naturally occur on and are produced by the figure.



Arbus’ influence on my work is a simple question, “How do we relate?”

Arbus’ work emphasized her sitter’s public identity; my work emphasizes my sitter’s private identity.



The majority of my sitters are friends and family. Having these comfortable relationships allows me to create these up-close images. Being permitted to move freely around their bodies enables my ability to create abstract imagery. At times, people share fragments of their bodies with me that the world cannot see.



My exploration began in 2008. Since then I’ve challenged myself by portraying the figure through multiple formats. Straight and manipulated micro-photography were the methods used to create these images. The close-ups are borderless to enrich the bold forms and textures. The bodily abstraction is a metaphor for the unknowns we have in relating to each other.