As I take an image I look for simplicity, whether it be through the use of lines, forms or color. Most of the images I use are done almost to the point of abstraction and they usually have very few contours and a few basic shapes and shades. I try to make my visions have a strong sense of composition and design and allow them to have some kind of simple meaning.

I look for silence and things that are implicit; things that are already known and understood but never expressed as such. I look for places or subjects where the stillness almost speaks to me and demands my attention. It is in these little areas, between the hectic and demanding, that I discover connections and what these connections mean.

I currently live and work near Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Education

2004-2008 - Associates in Fine Art, Grand Rapids Community College, Grand Rapids.

Exhibitions and Publications

January-February 2008 - GRCC Student Photography Exhibition - GRCC Collins Art Gallery, Grand Rapids, MI - Group Exhibit

Fall 2007 - Display - GRCC Magazine - Issue 88, pg. 39

December 2007 - Holiday Artist Market - Urban Institute for Contemporary Art, Grand Rapids, MI - Invitational

June 2007 - Student Show - Center for Fine Art Photography, Fort Collins, CO - Juror: Hannah Frieser

May-June 2007 - Festival of the Arts - Grand Rapids Art Museum, Grand Rapids, MI - Juror: Dennis Grantz

February-March 2007 - 21st West Michigan Regional Competition - Lowell Area Arts Council, Lowell, MI - Juror: Pravin C. Sevak

February-March 2007 - GRCC Student Photography Exhibition - GRCC Collins Art Gallery, Grand Rapids, MI - Group Exhibit

January-February 2007 - Handcrafted - Visual Edge 3 - Viewpoint Photographic Art Center, Sacremento, CA - Jurors: Kerik Kouklis, Mary Swisher

November-December 2006 - GRCC Student Photography Exhibition - GRCC Collins Art Gallery, Grand Rapids, MI - Group Exhibit

May-June 2006 - Festival of the Arts - Grand Rapids Art Museum, Grand Rapids, MI - Juror: Richard Stien

March 2006 - Lightleaks Magazine - Issue #2, pg. 16

Fall 2005 - Display - GRCC Magazine - Issue 82, pg. 20, back cover (both sides)