Artist's Statement

Self-Portraits

My work combines pinhole photography with improvisational performance, and stems from the idea that everything we experience is stored somewhere in our bodies. Movement is one way to access and give visual form to what lies beneath the surface of the skin. The making of these photographs is an exploration of the nature of each movement and where it originates internally.

Because of the unpredictable nature of pinhole photography, there is no way to really know how an image will turn out. I don't usually begin with a clearly defined idea. The images often reveal stories that may or may not have been known to me previously. That doesn't mean that they aren't my stories. Often the body remembers what the mind has forgotten.

The pinhole camera is low tech; it is the most basic tool for making a photographic image. There is no lens to interfere with the light as it travels from the subject to the film. Because there is no viewfinder through which to preview the image, it's a relatively blind process.

The element of time in pinhole photography allows something to arise that might never be revealed by modern photographic technology. The long exposure times give me an opportunity to explore the space in front of the camera. I may have the impulse to move, or I may choose to remain still - although the body is never completely still, and even the smallest movements leave traces on the film.

Inside/Out

These photographs are part of an ongoing series of landscapes taken in and around San Francisco with pinhole cameras that I have constructed from tin cans. I usually go hiking with about 15-20 cameras in my backpack, each loaded with one piece of film. When I have made an exposure with every camera, I head back to the darkroom to develop the film. Each photograph reflects the unique characteristics of the camera with which it was created. Exposure times range anywhere from a few seconds to several minutes, and I handhold the camera during each exposure. My movement is recorded on the film along with the movement of the trees and the light. In some photographs, elements of the landscape may be recognizable, while other images hover on the edge between the familiar and the mysterious.