March 11, 2014: The Heart and The Heavy at MoNA Charlotte

My series The Heart and The Heavy has been on a southeast tour since last October. Last weekend the show opened at the MoNA Gallery in Charlotte, NC. Each opening has its own unique components and vibe. Charlotte was no different. Gallery owner, Dan Butner, went above and beyond with this exhibit. Every nook had a new surprise, a prop, a quote from myself regarding specific images, and a viewing station.

I stole the infamous robot, Chuck, away from his owner for the weekend. He was there greeting guests and starring in the viewing of Chucked by director Jared Nelson. Chucked was one of ten winning films at last fall's Project Imaginat10n contest.

I love having the opportunity to talk with patrons about my work. Not only to convey what the work means to me, but to hear what they take away from it. Each piece means something different to everyone and I love the connections that are made during those conversations.

If you missed the opening, the exhibit is up until the end of April. Contact Dan at the MoNA Gallery to view the show. There is also a closing reception at the end of April. Hope to see you there!

The infamous robot, Chuck, greeting guests at the door.

PDN/Emerging Photographer Magazine grand prize winning image Talk To Me on the left.

Props from the photographs were displayed around the gallery.

I love my models! Here I am with Morgan Marlowe and her photo Breathe Me In.

Model Olivia Radley with her photo Stranger On This Earth.

Chuck and I at the end of a wonderful night!

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October 2, 2013: The Heart and The Heavy Now On Exhibit

Life is full of stories – some deeply personal and specific, others universally relatable.  My story is beautiful and complicated and bittersweet and hard.  Life is just that way.  So are photographs.

The birth of my daughter was life-changing, but not in the way I expected.  Though there has been no greater joy for me, the responsibility of another life has proven to be at times a heavy load.  Thinking about this in a literal sense, I imagined a heavy home on my shoulders, yet held tightly with love – a burden and a joy, a challenge and a reprieve.  This became the first image in the series The Heart and the Heavy.

From there the stories evolved, just as my life has.  The genesis of an image comes from moments of life, like a still from an old movie. Movement and pain and the simple joys of being alive are frozen in time – a study of fictional worlds based in reality.  Compelled to shoot these stories, I am haunted for days and months until it is released in an image.  Telling someone’s tale in a world not quite like our own.

It has been almost two years since I shot the image that changed my focus and redirected me as an artist. That image, The Heart and The Heavy, became a catalyst for a new study and the exhibit by the same name. I am thrilled to have the work on display in somewhat of an southeast tour this fall and winter.

First up, the Durham Art Guild is presenting the show from October 1 - 28 at the Room 100 Gallery in the Golden Belt in Durham, NC. There will be a public reception on Friday, October 18th from 6-9 p.m.

Next stop on the tour is Atlanta. The Jennifer Schwartz Gallery and I will be creating a one-night only special event on November 1st from 6-9 p.m. at DEADRINGER [prints + projects] located at Studio LR-12 at The Goat Farm Arts Center (1200 Foster Street, Atlanta, GA 30318). Then catch the show for the remainder of the year in the Jennifer Schwartz Gallery.

The MoNA Gallery in Charlotte will host the show from March 7 - April 26, 2014, with the opening reception on March the 7th. MoNA Gallery is located at 1900 N. Brevard St., Charlotte, NC 28206.

I couldn't be happier to be sharing this body of work. I hope to see you there!

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