Modern Ruins of Kentucky (In Progress)
My inspiration for this series originates from lifelong recurring dreams that involve exploring abandoned houses and buildings. I spent my early youth in a small West Texas town and later moved to the sprawling city of Dallas, Texas. The opposite extremes of these environments had a great impact on my perspective of the world. Since moving to Kentucky, I decided to take on the challenge of documenting some of the soon-to-be forgotten structures of this state. Certain images include a female figure to depict the reflective nature of architecture. Other images are simply a romantic and nostalgic portrayal of these structures in various stages of decay. My desire to delve deeper into the themes of architecture and the psyche has led to a progression of interest in historic preservation and the current global environmental crisis. My artistic interpretation of these issues attempts to serve as an antidote to the modern disposable suburbs of America.
For more detailed historical information on these sites and to view them on a map, please click here.
Selected Group and Juried Exhibitions:
- Photowork '09, Barrett Art Center (Poughkeepsie, NY) Curator: Malcolm Daniel, Curator of Photography for the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
- Shelter, 23 Sandy Gallery (Portland, OR) Curator: Randy Gragg, writer and editor for "Portland Spaces"
- International Exhibition '08, The Center for Fine Art Photography (Fort Collins, CO) Curator: Hossein Farmani
- Bluegrass Biennial '08, Claypool-Young Art Gallery (Morehead State University, KY) Curator: Tim Glotzbach
- Trick of the Light, Manifest Gallery (Cincinnati, OH) Curator: Dennis Kiel, Chief Curator of The Light Factory Contemporary Museum of Photography and Film, Charlotte, NC
- Silver Eye Center For Photography (Pittsburgh, PA) Member’s Gallery
- Sacred Art Festival, Boxheart Gallery (Pittsburgh, PA)
- 3rd Annual Anniversary, Boxheart Gallery (Pittsburgh, PA)
Publications:
- COLUMBIA: The Magazine of Northwest History (vol. 23, no. 4)
- Capture Kentuckiana, A Courier Journal Book
- Photographer's Forum, Best of Photography (2008)
- Oxford American Magazine, Best of the South (Summer 2008, no. 61)
- This Old House Magazine, Save This Old House Feature (Nov. 2007)
- Photographer's Forum, Best of Photography (2007)
- The Sun Magazine, Front Cover (Feb. 2007, no. 374)
- The Ontario Review, Featured Portfolio & Front Cover (Fall/Winter 2005-06)
- The Kenyon Review, Front Cover (Winter 2004)
- The Sun Magazine (Aug. 2003)
- Clamor Magazine (2002)
- Exposure Magazine, University of Arkansas Literary Press (2002)
- Photographer's Forum, Best of College Photography (1996)
Clients:
- Orion Books UK
- Via Afrika NB Publishers
- Gruner + Jahr AG & Co. KG
Awards:
- Honorable Mention, Photowork '09
- Honorable Mention, Photographer’s Forum, Best of Photography 2008
- 1st Place (People's Choice Category) for the series "Modern Ruins of Kentucky"
PX3 Prix De La Photographie 2008 (Paris, France) - Honorable Mention (Fine Art Category) for the series "Modern Ruins of Kentucky"
PX3 Prix De La Photographie 2008 (Paris, France) - Honorable Mention, American Institute of Architects / Central Kentucky Chapter Photo Contest 2007
- Individual Artist's Grant Recipient 2006, The Kentucky Foundation for Women
- Honorable Mention, Photographer's Forum, Best of Photography 2003