OSU-Cascades Library

Initially I approached the subject of phobias wanting to make images that were haunting and at the same time investigate the psychological aspects of fear. What I discovered through the process of researching and making pictures is there exists well documented cases of many different and quite specific types of fears ranging from allumiphobia, fear of garlic, to zephyraphobia, fear of bridges. I was intrigued by the nature of these fears, how something like Homophobia can be so widespread and accepted but Limonophobia, fear of string, could be seen

Most of the work in the Fragments Series pertains to the passage of time – time evidenced in one form or another. The photographs that comprise this piece (six in all) were made over the period of 20 minutes when the full moon was setting and the sun was rising. From the elevation provided by Zabriskie Point one is given the chance to experience the protraction of the brief series of moments when the moon is just ready to drop behind the western horizon while at the same time the sun is peaking above the eastern.

This piece is based on a wilderness study area in the areas of Steens Mountain southeastern Oregon. The particular site of this photograph depicts the remnants of a homestead from the heyday of dryland farming. All that remains is evidence of the root cellar and some trees that are not native to the geographic region of this site. Many of the named plants have disappeared from this location and others like where at one time they were abundant.

Photographs abstract time and manipulate space. The monocular view through the camera lens collapses deep space onto a 2-dimensional picture plane. Often this collapse renders a powerful physical experience of place quite impotent when translated to the photographic surface. Maps are also an abstraction of space, as well as a code or language that describes the place to those that know the language. These two abstracted views are combined to give multiple readings of the same place – an edge overlooking Big Indian Gorge seen through a curtain of Mountain mahogany.

Diamond Craters is among those places that call to me because the land forms openly reveal their origins – their history is clearly written upon the surfaces before me. "Constant Movement" is a phrase drawn from old geology text and in this place is meant to speak not only about the geomorphology of the region, but also about the human experience of the moment in this place as the wind whips the mullein plants into motion.