Artist Statement

My interests as an artist encompass inquiries into energetic patterns inherent in nature and in our human relationship with them. My current works are large-scale photomontage prints of healing plants used in Chinese Medicine. I am interested in capturing images through photography, and then manipulating the images by traditional or digital editing techniques.

I was inspired to work with Medicinal Herbs as an inherent part of the Eastern healing philosophy. I learned that in the natural world, a simple herb has powerful energetic properties, and that there is a relationship between the patient and the herb: each herb affects each body differently. Thus, each healing process is unique. I want to create portraits of plants and capture a representation of the power with which they resonate. To amplify the patterns and movement in the herbs, I enlarge each to up to 20 times its original scale.

In my most recent work, I've become interested in slowing down time, spending time in the movement within a piece that is static. Through the study of Tai Chi, a traditional Chinese form of moving meditation, I experience a profound awareness of presence of energies in and around my body: stillness inside of movement and movement inside of stillness. My current photomontage work reflects this philosophy in each composition.

The images embody great detail, subtle colors, organic patterns, and dimensional forms. I chose each herb for their visual characteristics, and allowed their natural form to direct the composition. I created this body of fine art prints using digital photography and state-of-the-art printing processes, including the use of archival inks, acid-free papers, and archival framing materials.