Artist and Conservationist
As an artist and conservationist, my art would not be possible without the preservation of wild spaces. Proceeds from my work go to support the Greensprings Wildlife Sanctuary in Ashland, Oregon. The sanctuary is 154 acres of forest, high prairie and riverside habitat in the Cascade-Siskiyou Mountains. Many of the materials used in my work are humanely sourced within the sanctuary. All art sales directly benefit the sanctuary for reforestation and habitat restoration projects. My family and I plant trees by hand every fall. If you would like to join us, please reach out.
I make foraged nature sculptures shot in my barn art studio and I call it a blend of fine art photography and citizen science. Each piece starts out with a survey foraging trip. When I am foraging I pay attention to the color and texture of decaying materials, new growth, and animal sign. And I do my best to gather materials that tell the story of that particular ecosystem in that moment in time. Then I use my field guides to identify the species of plants, animals and fungi I’ll be using in my work. Back in my studio, I assemble the natural materials into a “live sculpture” and photograph it for print. My use of studio lighting and a high key background provide an interesting contrast to how we usually see these elements out in the field. By mirroring many of my pieces in post process I attempt to double the visual and meditative impact of my art. When I am done photographing the wilted “live sculpture” joins the compost heap and returns to the wildlife sanctuary.
I became a moth breeder because I have always had a fascination with lepidoperty (the hobby of collecting butterflies and moths); and in the last 15 years I have seen a huge increase in the demand and availability of preserved butterfly art. But most of what is available is shipped from distant tropical butterfly breeding operations. By breeding indigenous ceanothus moths in the wildlife sanctuary I bring the practice of making moth art to Southern Oregon, I can be transparent about the process, and harvest by my own ethical standards. Turns out after three years of breeding moths, I only have one preserved and framed moth specimen. Yet in the process I have documented the entire caterpillar rearing process, and released nearly 50 females each laden with up to 100 eggs. Currently I am illustrating a coloring book about the life cycle of the ceanothus moth and my experiences in moth rearing.
Exhibitions
January 7- February 26 2022 Apocalypse Maybe Gallery 114, Portland, OR
January 13 -29 2022 Wild and Scenic Film Festival, Nevada City, CA
October 16th 2021 Oddities and Curiosities Expo, Portland, OR
August 28, 29 2021 Treasure Valley Art Art Festival, Meridian, ID
July 10, 11 2021 Summer Arts Festival, Bend, OR
June 25-27 2021Summer Arts Festival, Roseburg. OR
April -June 2021 Best of the North West Virtual Group Show, Seattle, WA
August 31 2020 Burning Man Virtual Show
April 2-25 2020 Marin Society of Artists Images 2020, Santa Rosa, CA
April 10 - May 17 2020 Left Coast Annual Artists Group Show, Pacifica, CA
December 5 - February 29 2020 Solo Artist Feature Bestow, Ashland, OR
October 10 2019 Portland Oddities and Curiosities Expo, Portland, OR
January 6 2017 Piedmont Center for the Arts Group Show, Peidmont, CA
August 29 - September 3 2016 Burning Man Cafe, Black Rock City, NV
June 18 2016 American Steel Studios Precompression, Oakland, CA
March 26 - June 16 2016 Natural Reflections Solo show, Brix 581, Oakland, CA
Past Work
The Apeiron
The idea for this collection of photographs started with my compost pile. The idea was to show the process of decay as something other than disgusting and repulsive. To somehow capture the richness and potential in the garbage that we take for granted. In Greek "apeiron" means, the unlimited or infinite.
This collection was ready for show in 2010 but would never make it print and was lost due to a burglary.
