What is there, and what you expect to be there, are often not the same. 

 

With photography, I play with the tension between the actual and the expected, the seen and the unseen.

 

For many artists, exploring the unseen involves exploring the unconscious through abstract or surrealist imagery. For me, exploring the unseen is more about exploring the unnoticed--the parts of the visual world we have trained ourselves not to see. The way a tuft of grass becomes a skeletal claw, or how a wedding party favor becomes an offensive gesture, or the spontaneous appearance of the image of a fish in a pile of cutlery and fruit. Capturing the angles and moments in which the world is what it is not supposed to be is the essence of my art.

 

But it is not a purely passive process.

 

Angles must be created, shadows adjusted, reflections diligently sought. An image that is funny from one angle might be unsettling a few degrees to the left, or completely banal a few degrees to the right. Sometimes, digital tools can combine images to create a truly startling effect that was lacking in any of the component images.

 

I don't believe that art with integrity has to be inaccessible or impenetrable to the point of meaninglessness. Many of my photos have been called crowd pleasers, particularly when showcased outside of traditional environments. It's a thrill to be able to share my unnoticed world with those outside the art world, and to help them begin to discover how much of the visual world there is to discover.