My work has an outward perspective. Much art, and especially photography, is all about humans and our relationships to each other, as if humans are the only important things in the universe. I am visually more interested in the physical world outside the human form. Some of the interesting stuff is natural, and some is man-made, and may even be unnatural. I’m always looking for images, especially when I travel, and can see around me with fresh eyes. When I find …it, I get an indescribable, visceral reaction. I can’t call it a sense of beauty, because some of what attracts my eye is kind of horrible, but whatever it is, I crave it. It is generally not tied to any particular meaning or emotion in the human sphere, but I am compelled to try to capture and communicate it. Perhaps that makes it about human relationships after all, but what I am trying to say in images cannot be described verbally. I can only hope that my images will show you what my words cannot.
Biography
I have been taking photographs since childhood. I am old enough that my first camera was a Brownie. Then I graduated to my dad’s castoffs. I fondly remember a Yashica with an unusual 55 mm f/1.2 lens. It provided a view just a bit tighter than usual, and that aesthetic has stayed with me. In the late 1970’s I studied with Phil Davis at the University of Michigan, and gained an appreciation for the zone system approach. Over the years I have worked with a 4X5 field view camera (didn’t Ansel Adams have a pack animal?) and a Stereo Realist, but have stayed primarily with the 35 mm format. Slide film met my needs for color; I never wanted to spend the hours in a stinky darkroom that fine printmaking required, so my public work was limited to shows for friends. A few years ago I began to feel the need for a wider venue, to share my work with others. I purchased an Epson 4000 for printmaking and a Nikon Coolscan V film scanner. Printing is still a labor-intensive process, but at least the air is clean as I work. I acquire new images digitally now, but I am also continuing to work with my back catalogue.
I've done cd covers for my amazing musician husband James Hoskins
The 'Seaweed' series of 16 images was exhibited at Burnt Toast in December 2006.