Thursday, January 29, 2009

New Work

This is a series of work that I have compiled over the past 3 years, since my move to Tennessee. The images from Texas have been taken on trips home. The first of these images was actually taken 7 years ago during my senior year at UNT. I was driving home from work and it was spring. The sky across the plains was purple. I stopped on the side of the road and did a long exposure with camera movement. It was really just an experiment for me but I loved the image. Over the years I have found myself continuing this practice, though now with a sense of purpose. The images from Tennessee are printed on plexi and housed in handmade wooden light boxes, 10 x 10 x 10. I have not printed the images from Texas but plan on creating larger and longer light boxes for the Texas images.

Here is the artist statement for this series:

As a recent transplant to East Tennessee from Houston, Texas, I am mesmerized by the drastic change of landscape I have experienced. I have gone from the open flatlands of Texas to the confinement of mountains and smoky skies. Another change in my personal landscape is relocating from a city with over 4 million residents to a city of less than 30,000 people. This work reflects my overwhelming feelings of both isolation and awe of my new environment.

I have completed one piece from a series I have entitled, Finding Home. The series consists of images taken in both Texas and Tennessee and represents the dichotomy of emotions I have regarding the region I where I grew up versus my new home in Tennessee. Upon completion, each piece will be housed in a handmade wooden light box.