THE INSPIRATION
A piece usually reveals itself to me through one of two doors.
Through door number 1, I meet a woman and feel an immediate energetic resonance that goes beyond words. Almost 100% of the time, within minutes of speaking with her, I find out she’s an energy worker or some kind of intuitive healer. It’s then up to me to discover the visual message or story that wants to be conveyed through her and only her.
Through door number 2, it happens in reverse. I’m introduced to a word, phrase, or spiritual concept that immediately conjures a vision in my mind. I may see the piece in its entirety or just a hint of what it could be, but my job is to find the right subject to “cast” for the lead role of the story the wants to be told.
Regardless of the way an idea chooses to enter my consciousness, I find the process of discovery to be extremely psychic and synchronistic. Each of my pieces has a magical story behind it, and the act of creating the work fosters deep connections with my subjects while also helping me to unearth knowledge and wisdom that lies buried deep within my psyche.
“Our thoughts, feelings, processes, and unconscious beliefs have an energy that is hidden in the work. This unseen, unmeasurable force gives each piece its magnetism.”
PROCESS
THE photoshoot
I arrive on set with my green screen, my photo equipment, outfit choices, props, and an open heart and mind. Sometimes I get lucky and begin with a clear and precise concept. But other times, I get even more lucky and have no idea what is going to happen. I might ask a model to move in a particular way and I just know to keep going in that direction. I can only describe this knowing as a full body YES in all my cells that makes me feel totally at peace. This is when the real magic unfolds.
The night before my photoshoot with Sarah, I had a weird impulse to check if a broken mirror I’d thrown away the week before was still in the dumpster. It was still there, so I rescued that dirty thing, wiped it down and put it in my car without having any idea what I was going to do with it. On the morning of the shoot, I tore the broken glass off its backing and arranged the pieces around Sarah. A truly poetic image emerged, and when I mentioned how cool her fragmented reflection looked in the mirror, she told me about a journal entry she’d written literally the night before the shoot.
She wrote: “With ultimate compassion, I have been reflecting on the countless fragments of my soul that I have lost over the years. As well as the many that were ecstatically birthed into the light of life, and those that I bravely healed too. The wise baby Naia has been helping me to reintegrate the fragmented parts of my soul, restoring life and presence where disconnection once lived as a protective force. She is helping guide the fragments of myself home.”
With no advance knowledge, I was gently guided (ahem... forced to dumpster dive) to create an image and animation that exactly reflected her healing journey through her pregnancy. When she revealed this information to me, I burst into tears. I don’t fully, or even partially understand how it’s possible, but the psychic power of this art to connect me so deeply to my subjects and make them feel so seen is absolutely undeniable.
“With ultimate compassion, I have been reflecting on the countless fragments of my soul that I have lost over the years. As well as the many that were ecstatically birthed into the light of life, and those that I bravely healed too. The wise baby Naia has been helping me to reintegrate the fragmented parts of my soul, restoring life and presence where disconnection once lived as a protective force. She is helping guide the fragments of myself home.”
THE composition
When the photoshoot is complete, I mine my images to find the most beautiful expressions, body positions and movements. I silhouette the models and drop them into a blank space where I can build anything I want around them. In this piece, I’ve used imagery from 3 different photos of the women and arranged them into a formation that suggests they are protecting something precious while at the same time, inviting you in to experience it.
When I shot Kalypso, Anya and Linda for The Underworld, the lighting in the apartment bounced off the floor, creating a mysterious and ethereal effect reminiscent of a dark watery cave. I wanted to populate this cave with otherworldly flora and fauna, and in order to create the mystical plants in this piece, I hand-painted leaves and succulents with mirror paint, photographed each leaf, and significantly magnified them.
The women felt extremely seductive and powerful, and I wanted the imagery to pull you in to their world.