Center of attraction - SERIES STATEMENT

Years ago I had read the book The Botany of Desire: A Plant’s Eye View of the World by Michael Pollan and began wondering about a flower’s role in satisfying our need for beauty. The idea that plants were learning how to gratify us in exchange for their survival intrigued me. With their popular beauty, was I one of the many being charmed into their story of survival?

As a photographer I wanted to explore the ‘epicenter’ where insects are drawn into --- the very small worlds less than one inch in diameter, ground zero. My expertise in 21st century optics and digital technology allowed me to explore a flower's tiny center. Over a number of years and thousands of photographs, it revealed an astonishing place that bewitched me again and again. I began to feel this was not an innocent realm. It was a story of temptresses, sultry subjects with mesmerizing powers who were enigmatic and dark. By using my mastery of enlarging these images way beyond what the human eye can normally see in great detail, viewers may experience an immersive view. The images depict an almost decorative beauty played against a subtle, disquieting voyeurism.

I celebrate nature’s infinite variety of forms, patterns, colors, and not least of all, its beauty.