I grew up in San Diego, California, part of a family that roamed the readily accessible mountains, beaches, and desert whenever possible. I moved to New Mexico in 1973 for graduate school and remained, spending the next two-plus decades as a jury psychologist.
Then, in 2007, I was diagnosed with breast cancer, went through treatment at NMCC. Shocked, numbed, restless, and depressed, I picked up a camera and started taking photographs of the orchids I grew. Orchids are lush, beautiful, wild, and the plants are strong, hardy survivors. I bought a printer, saw at once that I needed to pay attention to how I framed my photos, old lessons from my father coming back to me. My orchid photos represent the months of my treatment.
I lived in semi-tropical beach communities for my first twenty years; the ocean has always been transformative, healing to me and, after treatment, I spent as much time as possible in Hawaii, mentally healing and rebuilding my life. I honed my photography skills, capturing the ocean, beaches, knife-sharp lava ridges, bamboo and rainforests. These photos represent my healing/rebuilding years.
As a child, my family made a yearly trek the length of Route 66 and I have vivid memories of the changing landscapes, the anticipation as we approached each small town. For the last several years, photographing along the many miles of Route 66 is one of my favorite pastimes. Today, Route 66 is a broken montage of roads crossing long stretches of desert, farmlands, through tiny towns with closed diners, motels, gas stations. To travel it, photograph it, is to step into the history of the 20th century, to hear forgotten stories once more.
I’ve been a member of the Albuquerque Photographers’ Gallery for the last decade, served as its Director for nine years. Along the way, I’ve been in numerous juried art shows and fairs. I’m additionally represented by Johnson’s Fine Art in Madrid.
Thank you, NMCC.
Artist Statement
Photographs connect us powerfully, viscerally to places, times, events . . . can spark serenity, sorrow, awe, can trigger memories of times long past, elicit laughter. I photograph what I feel a strong connection with: the lush beauty and hardy strength of orchids, the immense power of our oceans. I’m drawn to places where the textures and rhythms of our earth dominate, where I feel a strong sense of timelessness, an awareness that eons are but seconds of infinite time. I photograph the forgotten stories of Route 66 and the old roads, the small towns, seeking to capture the lingering echoes of community, laughter and strength.
