Artist Statement
There have been many nights that I could not fall asleep because of the visions of my death. Everyday activities become paranoia to me because anything can turn into a deadly accident. These visions range from falling down the stairs and breaking my neck to burning alive in a fire. From past experiences, I know that life is not something that can be taken for granted. At the same time, I feel the media has fueled my fears. Without the persuasion of television and movies my fears would not be as extreme.
These images represent what would be a VHS video on pause. In many instances when someone dies in a movie, people either pause the movie at that moment to see the exact instant that person loses their life. It is not necessarily a sense of wanting to be entertained; instead, the lack of motion creates a sense of tension to keep the attention of the viewer. There is a fascination with the grotesque and this is what keeps the viewer from walking away. In turn, this fascination has also prevented me from escaping these reoccurring themes in my work.
I would like to thank Caroline LeFevre and Lindsey Hinshaw who graciously modeled for my images. I would also like to thank Trevor Gerring who helped me with lighting my scenes. Lastly, I would like to thank my past and current BFA peers who have given me plenty of criticism and encouragement to go further.