Imaginary Photographs

My subject matter is shared cultural memories - mostly uncomfortable ones - and while there is not always a specific narrative depicted, the imagery, time of day, and the viewer's point of entry imply the idea behind each image. Personal memories and nostalgia allow each viewer to interpret the story individually. I make dioramas; building, painting, and lighting models, and use hand-painted scale figures as my subjects. The backgrounds are photographs enlarged on computer screens, enabling the complete composition to be captured in a single photograph. This approach allows me to create the photographs I want to see. My large-scale prints, on cotton rag and shown without glass, allow my images to borrow the authority and presence of painting; as an art object made solely for museum viewing. The presentation of micro elements in a macro format highlights the artificiality of the image, while simultaneously enabling the viewer to interpret it as fiction and read into it a story.