My photographic work is deeply rooted in the traditions of American and European genre painting. This is evident in the subject matter, composition, detail and flattened sense of space. Using digital techniques to expand notions of frame, time and vantage point, I attempt to describe contemporary life in the urban and suburban environment of Northern Illinois.
My practice is initiated by an intense curiosity of the places and people I encounter on my daily walks. The camera spurs a heightened sense of awareness to what could easily be dismissed. By photographing, re-photographing and combining images, I attempt to create a fuller sense of these places. These images invite viewers to investigate detail and to consider multiple narrative possibilities and interpretations.
In the image, Irving Park Blue Line, I remained for some time at the location, patiently observing the late-night commuters as they waited for the bus or train. The artificial light, cast down from an overpass, illuminated the scene and allowed for a consistency of mood, feeling and image quality.
As the photographer and editor of the images, I am careful not to exert complete control over my process. Thus, the images are deliberately not staged. Ultimately I want to create images that are revelatory, not only to my audience, but also to myself. I want to be able to see as a member of my own audience, I want to cede control to the subject, responding to what is in front of me, instead of conjuring narratives to be communicated to the audience. In this way I hope to expand the confines of my own conceptual limits.
The larger-scale prints are intended to create a cinematic experience for the viewer. However, unlike cinema, they attempt to build a space of quietude and contemplation, free of distraction.