Eyedentity
“Look into my eyes and hear what I'm not saying, for my
eyes
speak louder than my voice ever will. “ – Unknown
Eyes are an essential part of defining who we are.
When we first meet another person, we make eye contact. Eye
color is a field on an identification card. An individual’s eyes are
unique enough that iris scanners are used to positively identify a
person in high-security situations. Black bars are used in in print
publications to hide individuals’ eyes, to mask who they are.
Celebrities wear sunglasses to keep us from seeing their eyes
making it difficult to recognize them.
In recent elections in Central Europe, posters from candidates
aspiring for office covered cities and towns. These posters, as is
typical, included faces of the candidates, their usually somber and
rarely smiling images asking voters to look into their eyes, believe
in them, trust them, vote for them.
The ease of access to these posters gave individuals an
opportunity to share their opinions about certain candidates by
altering the images in some fashion, usually by disfiguring the
eyes.
In doing so, these vandals have altered the identity of these
candidates in an effort to prevent us from looking them in the eye
or, in some cases, to affect our perception of these individuals by
making us believe that they are someone different from what their
professional images project – whether true or not.
I borrowed Mom’s camera when I was eight and never actually returned it. Dad taught me composition and together we learned how to make magic in a darkroom. And it is magic.
Majored in a self-designed Humanities program where I wandered through a number of disciplines. This taught me to see the bigger picture with the relationships and connections between seemingly dissimilar items. Scored a marketing job after college, which taught me a lot about goals, passion and delivery.
Today, my work is a mashup of things I love doing: photography, speaking, teaching. All of my time in the theatre, the darkroom, choir and conference rooms has merged. I constantly look for new ways to approach life as art and help others look at life and their work differently.
My photography reflects how I view the world: as one huge creative playground where I try to capture bits and pieces to share with others. I’m not constrained by certain themes; rather I continually try new subjects as I find them. They build on one another and I find that the story is evolving. Other artists work with a mix of media; I do the same, changing techniques and cameras as the situation dictates.
One role I plays is that as a catalyst to help bring out the creativity in others through speaking and workshops. The energy and curiosity we had as children remains a part of us; we just need to invite it out to play.
I try to visit a new country every year and search out Mexican restaurants upon arrival. In case you’re wondering, there’s one in Dushanbe, Tajikistan.
Awards Awards
•“Bodyscape” Fine Art- Nude Category: Silver medal, Prix de la Photographie Paris (Px3) | 2012
•“The I of Big Brother” Fine Art- Altered Images Category: Honorable Mention, Prix de la Photographie Paris (Px3) | 2012
•“1 tree 4 seasons” Nature: Seasons Category Winner: 1st Place, International Photography Awards | 2011
•“Curved stairs, Rome and other images” Cityscape Category Winner: 3rd Place, Worldwide Photography Gala Awards, Pollux Awards August Contest | 2011
•“Morning torso 1” Figure and Nude Category Winner: 3rd Place, Worldwide Photography Gala Awards, Pollux Awards July Contest | 2011
•“Urban flamingos” Honorable Mention, Worldwide Photography Gala Awards, Color Awards Contest | 2011
•“Father and Son” “People: Family Category: Honorable Mention, International Photography Awards | 2011
•“Nudes, morning” “Fine Art: Nudes Category: Honorable Mention, International Photography Awards | 2011
•“Logo” Fine Art: Collage Category: Honorable Mention, International Photography Awards | 2011
•“Music in five parts” Fine Art: Abstract Category: Honorable Mention, International Photography Awards | 2011
•“Music in five parts” Architecture: Buildings Category: Honorable Mention, International Photography Awards | 2011
•“A modern relationship” Deeper Perspective Category: Honorable Mention, International Photography Awards | 2011
•“A modern relationship” People Category: Finalist, Prix de la Photographie Paris (Px3) | 2011
•“A modern relationship”: Finalist, Photographer of the Year, Black+White Photography Magazine | 2011
•“Fire escape”: Finalist, Photographer of the Year, City category, Black+White Photography Magazine | 2011
•“Endless”: Finalist, Photographer of the Year, Time category, Black+White Photography Magazine | 2011
•“The I of Big Brother”: Finalist, Photographer of the Year, Time category, Black+White Photography Magazine | 2011
•“A modern relationship”: Finalist, Camera Obscura Magazine | 2011
•“Urban flamingos”: Finalist, Camera Obscura Magazine | 2011
•“Fall from the series ‘1 tree 4 seasons’”: Finalist, Camera Obscura Magazine | 2011
Collections
• Museum of Fine Arts Houston
• Robert I. Kahn Gallery, Congregation Emanu El, Houston
Press
• Camera Obscura, Volume 4, US | February 2012
• Black+White Photography, Issue 120, UK | January 2011
• COLOR Magazine, Issue 10, USA | October 2010
• Refoto Magazine, Serbia | November 2009
• Pixel, MTV Hungary. Video feature | January 2009
• Black and White Magazine, Issue 63, USA | December 2008
Select Exhibitions
•“Toyed With” (Juried), Open Shutter Gallery, Durango CO, USA | August 2012
•“Abstract Consequences” (Juried), ARTROM Gallery, Rome, Italy | March 2012
•“A Thin Line Between Love and Hate” (Juried), United Photo Industries, NYC, NY | February 2012
•“Plastic Camera Show” (Juried), RayKo Photo Center, San Francisco CA, USA | January 2012
•“A Show of Light” (Juried), Flow Art Space, Minneapolis MN, USA | January 2012
•Center for Photographic Art Juried Exhibition, Carmel CA, USA | January 2012
•“Again: Reflections and Photography” (Juried), Photo Place Gallery, Middlebury VT, USA | November 2011
•“All Photography” (Juried) Light, Space & Time | October 2011
•“Narrative” (Juried) Black Box Gallery, Portland OR, USA | October 2011
•“Black, White and Definitely Gray” (Juried) Soft Canvas | September 2011
•“Seasons” (Juried) Light, Space & Time | September 2011
•“Toyed With” (Juried), Open Shutter Gallery, Durango CO, USA | August 2011
•“The Poetry of Shadows” (Juried), Photo Place Gallery, Middlebury VT, USA | July 2011
•“Light” (Juried), Santa Fe Photographic Workshops, Santa Fe NM, USA |May 2011
