Nostalgic energy and appreciation of nature characterise the visual style and motivation of my films and photographs. The perceived dichotomy between humanity and the natural world fuels my explorations in depictions of the environment. Adventures in deserts and forests built my personal connection to the land. Images made during my travels convey my relationship with the landscape and my longing for others to feel the compassion for each leaf and rock that I feel. 

Experimental animation and analog image making techniques dominate my portfolio. Early experimenters like Mary Dudek, and modern science fiction films like Annihilation inspire the direction of my work. In Annihilation, the boundaries between species blur, and humans succumb to the cycle of life. Humans in the “dangerous” zone of this film become indistinguishable from the plants and animals. The poetic and striking images from Olivia Parker’s soft, poignant photographs and Charles Lindsay’s alien abstractions influence my black and white, semi-abstract style. Scientific, historical, and cultural texts like Black Earth Wisdom and Field Notes From a Catastrophe inform my studies beyond time in nature. I am drawn to immersive haunting forests and meditative towering cliffs. Mostly, I seek hypnotic visual rhythms; something to absorb my focus and obsession like a well made music video. My film, 2AM in a Tahoe, illustrates my appreciation for a well balanced composition, and extensive time in the land. It is also an example of following my instincts, no matter the time of day. A month of hiking and travel led to a greater awareness of the surrounding environment, which resulted in beautiful images. 

Evenings spent examining the treasures in my grandmothers’ jewelry boxes developed my special interest in sentimental objects. Wood boxes and analog photographs stir deep nostalgic emotions. Creating and preserving images helps me feel closer to the past, while ensuring that people in the future will remember my experiences and the nature that existed during my life. A film is a time capsule; movies lift the lid on worlds full of clues, characters, images, and sounds. I seek final projects that can be opened and examined many times with new discoveries, just like a box of priceless keepsakes. 

Following the production of the animated music video, Dilemma, I will apply similar experimental animation techniques to analog photographs and digital videos. There are many stories to unpack from my travels and studies. I will continue the process of translating my dark, nostalgic photography style into films. Whether my future work is narrative, documentary, or experimental, it will continue exploring ideas around climate change, environmental justice, and humans’ place in nature.