ANCESTRAL TREE
Artist Statement
I have an affinity with trees. When I was young, one of my best friends was a big tree behind my grandparent's house. I used to spend all day in that tree, climbing as high as I could get, giving me a different perspective on the world. My grandmother's maiden name is Treece. It means the family that lived near a prominent tree. I think there is something in my genes regarding this connection. My project explores mankind’s connection with trees over the ages. My use of a pinhole camera to create the photographs simulates the history of trees through the memories of individuals who have admired them. Pinhole photography provides a dream-like, ethereal sensibility that lends itself well to supporting the concept of memories. In my work I embrace the soft focus, distortions, aberrations, and anomalies present in the photographs because they add to the feel I am after.