THE STORY
Ciao, amici! Welcome to my art gallery! My hope is that viewers have an opportunity to engage with unique photographic images that provoke emotion and tell stories about humans and the ways we connect with the environments around us.
From Wisconsin, to Kansas, to Italy and every beautiful place I have lived in between, my passion for photography has remained a constant. Growing up in the Midwest, I had this deep excitement at the thought of traveling and experiencing the world through a different lens. Since I was about 14 years old, I had this fascination with film and photography...the idea that still images produced by the mechanics of a camera lay the groundwork for the moving pictures that we identify as film, is positively intoxicating. This interest served as a firm foundation for my undergraduate degree from the University of Kansas in Italian and Art History, which further propelled me to complete my Masters at the Savannah College of Art & Design. During my masters program, I had the honor of interviewing Italian Photographer, Piergiorgio Branzi, which enriched my desire to learn more about photography. Serving as an intern at Galleria Immaginaria in Florence, Italy, sealed the deal...I was determined to pursue photography as an expressive medium, instead of just studying the "greats," I wanted to become one too. Well, four years have passed since that moment and I am ready to share this piece of my life with you all. Buckle up!
THE METHOD
Is there a method to this madness? Kind of! I enjoy traveling and forming connections with people that I meet along the way. Photography provides an opportunity to do that. I am interested in the way that visual art, in particular the medium of photography, has the power to constantly offer ways for your perspective about the world around you to be sculpted and expanded. Strolling around the cobblestone streets, beachfronts or neighborhoods throughout different places I have visited has allowed me to grow deeper connections to the places I visit and the people I meet along the way. Taking wrong turns, embracing the "scenic" route and soaking in all the sensory experiences that pop up along the way has fueled my creativity curiosity in the photographic medium.
THE INTERVIEW WITH PIERGIORGIO BRANZI
A pivotal moment in my professional journey was interviewing Italian photographer Piergiorgio Branzi at his home studio, just outside of Rome, Italy. Spending the afternoon together getting to know him, learning about his technique and intentions behind a great deal of photographs from Il Giro dell'Occhio lit a fire inside me and opened my eyes to the ways that photography can give a voice to the small, mundane aspects of life. His work is deeply influenced by street photographer Henri Cartier--Bresson, which Branzi openly aligned himself with. The quick snapshot of everyday life on the streets of a city or the architectural textures of the buildings that call a particular place home have such significance and can provoke emotion in the most unexpected ways. This interview with Branzi deepened my interest int the ways that photography can achieve this. Upon leaving the most delightful afternoon, Branzi said to me, "we must always swim against the current," getting stronger and helping those around us to achieve that also. These words of wisdom continue to fuel my desire to use photography as a method to say something meaningful about the places, cultures and people I have encountered. Branzi's spirit is certainly a part of these photographs & it was truly an honor to have the opportunity to learn from him.