ARTIST'S STATEMENT

Having always been intrigued and inspired by natural forms, I began photographing with the intention of producing work that was evocative of vintage natural history illustrations. Hand working image transfers made using Polaroid's 20 x 24 camera has allowed me, on a large scale, to use contemporary "instant" technology to produce images with a timeless quality.   It is my hope that, beyond its descriptive or decorative character, this work possesses the honest simplicity and clarity to reveal nature's creation of its own art.

PROCESS DESCRIPTION

This work was made using the Polaroid 20 x 24 camera in the New York Studio, one of five of it's kind in the world. The camera, though measuring five feet in height and weighing 235 pounds, operates like any camera using Polaroid materials, though on a much larger scale. The 20x24 inch film is exposed, and then promptly pulled apart. The large negative sheet is then placed face down and carefully squeegeed onto a water soaked sheet of Fabriano paper - smooth, hot pressed watercolor paper - that quickly absorbs and retains the dyes. The negative is allowed to sit on the paper for several minutes, and then is slowly and carefully peeled away. The paper is then re-wetted to render the dyes more malleable and the image is worked into by hand, using tools ranging from large wads of cotton to cotton tipped toothpicks to remove and mute portions of the image. Occasionally, watercolors are subtly applied to the finished print to enhance the image.