| When things are going well, I have dreams where I am flying. While working on an arts commission about cancer, I photographed Sandhill Cranes to represent the beauty of people who rose above their fears trauma. Creating this visual metaphor for cancer survivors (of which I am one) began my passion with photographing birds and this ongoing series, Flying Souls.
Certainly it is birds’ migratory and social behaviors that I relate to; moving and vulnerability are part of my family history. Regularly we migrated from one country to another; my grandmother was born in Germany and settled in the US. I was born in Denver; our daughter grew up in Santa Fe.
I am intrigued with how some species depend on each other for survival while others lead solitary lifestyles. The Gannet migrate to the open sea where they spend winters in isolation; every spring they return to the nest in colonies with their lifelong mates. Snow geese migrate in formations because it conserves their energy. Birds take turns being in front, falling back when they get tired, allowing the flock to fly long distances.
Prior to Flying Souls, I used large format cameras and deepened on control and precision. After cancer, I experimented with Diana cameras, which offer few. As my body changed, the toy camera came to feel how I experienced my life. I trust Intuition for making my work personal.
|
|