Raised on the Kapiti coast, I moved to Wellington with my first camera at 18 to study Visual Communications Design where photography was a core subject. Photography has become ingrained in my lifestyle ever since. I worked most of my life in Wellington as Sprout Design, branding, packaging and advertising have been the backbone of my practice.
My recent migration to Horowhenua has come with a new freedom to pursue self initiated art and design projects. Having built up large collections of images I now am re-discovering my back catalogue, curating my photographic eye and looking to exhibit my artist voice. I am inspired by modernism, those first to link photography into the art world over 100 years ago. What might have been called ‘avant garde’ at the time. I am a big fan of a great photographic capture and will gladly take it when I see it. However, I draw more stoke from exploring the creative edges where the many purists may not like to tread, where the camera might be just a tool in the process or the genesis for an idea.
I thrive on the experimentation both in camera and what the edit allows me, to explore toward art felt offerings. I look at it like the digital equivalent of dark room photography, alternative film stocks and cross/push processing. Extracting and enhancing I follow my creative intuitions to meet my intentions, but always with an openness to be pleasantly surprised and to change course when I feel it.
For FotoFest have decided on a regional relevance, and selected images I took at February’s Art Deco weekend. I have employed our modern photographic tools, and the simple old ones of reflection and symmetry to push my images back into the patterns of those decorative art pursuits from that time, one century ago.
