Creative Path
I am often asked....how do you find your creativity? I can honestly say that I was born this way...an introvert with a deep interest in seeing things more closely than what is presented on the surface. As a child, I would spend hours outside alone looking up into trees and seeing the little crevices the critters made, the flickering of the light on a backlit leaf and how the shadows and light created depth. Even now as an adult, I find solace in being able to absorb the natural world around me. But taking those feelings and translating them onto a two dimensional surface becomes less about creativity and more about talent and experience. Learning visually what is most appealing in compositions, how light affects mood and how to use the equipment whether it be a set of oil paints, a camera and darkroom or pen and ink is of upmost importance.
I have spent my life constantly learning about different forms of art and although most are very appealing to me, my talent seems to reside more with being able to capture what I see rather than what I can create in my mind. I tried my hand at oil painting and was fairly good at it, but I didn't feel extremely passionate about it mainly because it wasn't spontaneous enough for me. I also have enjoyed ceramics but have enjoyed it more as a hobby. When my chance to learn more about photography came about, it seemed as if everything clicked. I could capture in a split second, exactly what I was seeing and then take the film into the darkroom and experience what I thought was true magic. Now with computer software and digital cameras, I am able to extend my creative vision a bit further.
My creativity is constantly changing and evolving. I have learned to just enjoy the process because the few times I have forced a creative path that I don't have passion about, my work suffers and in turn, I start feeling empty.
Some of my newest work takes my love of the past and combines it with a touch of color.