ROCKERS

March 9, 2023

This work is a series of diptychs pairing portraiture and still life photographs to represent individuals that paint and hide rocks at Dunlawton Sugar Mill Gardens, in Port Orange, Florida. A space that’s over 200-year-old history includes a cane sugar plantation and a dinosaur themed amusement park called Bongoland. In 1985, the 10 acre property transformed into a community botanical garden and is now maintained solely by volunteers. Over the last 7 years, “rockers” have independently hidden their small art pieces throughout the grounds for visitors to discover.

I am fascinated and moved by this act and the idea that they are real easter bunnies within our community. When one enters the garden and could be feeling lost, these artists could potentially be vessels for the message or sign that those wandering through are seeking out. The gardens are not only “alive” in the sense that the vegetation is constantly growing, blooming, and dying as the seasons change, but also with the ever changing placement of these treasures and daily additions of new pieces. This series explores themes of anonymity, impermanence, and the human connection. My hope is that the work will inspire the viewer to spread kindness in their own small way within their community and bring some magic to the spaces they inhabit.

February 2023 (Month 1)

Thesis work (2008)

February 1, 2023

Throughout childhood the intrinsic notion of a father is a patriarch who is infallible, unflinching, and all knowing. From our fathers, it is expected that we be inculcated right from wrong. From them, we are taught how to be strong and persevere through all of life’s great challenges.

Amidst adolescence, there comes a point at which the perception of a parent transitions from unsurpassable being to mere mortal. Inevitably, embarking on adulthood, I have learned to acknowledge and accept the fact that parents are not invariably devoid of flaw and fault. They can be fragile, experience weakness, and feel very alone.

This work is a study of the shift in my father’s life after divorce. The series consists of staged representations of aspects of his life that I am not a part of. Set in his day to day spaces, including a small hotel room, I am challenging myself, as well as the viewer, to examine the clandestine moments of isolation and anguish, as well as experience the empathy that a child can feel for a parent.