Places of Power

“When I’m aware and feel deeply the magic of reality, I can express what wants to be lived through me. It is through this awareness that I find myself compelled to make self portraits that show my body integrated into nature. I select places unaltered by humans. The photos themselves are also unaltered, and I do not use Photoshop to composite my images.

The pictures represent a theme of dissolving into nature while naked and vulnerable. Going deep into myself, trusting the process of letting go, stepping into the unknown, and becoming one with the place. Hovering in the now, I sought out a state of “no mind” each time I composed and began the process of making an image. This was a crucial aspect of whether or not a picture was born for me. If the internal dialogue was still present I could sense it in the frame and the image was incomplete.

None of the images were preconceived. They are spontaneous acts performed while wandering in nature. Often I felt that I did not find the location, but instead the location found me. I call these locations Places of Power.  These places spoke to me and often provided the art direction I needed to create the images. I would sometimes notice forms and shapes reminiscent of animals, symbols, and the presence of spirits that would call out to be photographed. Some scenes asked for stillness and others dictated a more active participation in the landscape, such as burying myself in rocks or submerging myself in icy cold water.

The underlying theme in these images is an expression of my inner world, a search for authentic self, and a path of the heart. Stillness, awareness of interdependence of life forms and shared consciousness.