Divin

While the word "divine" may suggest a religious character to many, the French dictionary Larousse also defines the word as "something that we find exceptional, perfect, sublime". It is the latter that I am exploring with photographs I have taken over the years. I've come to realize that the divine surrounds us if we take the time to slow down and look around. These prints are in a way profane icons of our world, a transcendental portrait of our environment. I give great consideration to the choice of materials in my work because it helps me communicate an idea or a mood of a photograph in the final print. Gold leaf has been used in art to celebrate the divine by many civilizations over thousand of years, and it has been a source of inspiration for this body of works. Some will also recognize my fondness for Japanese art, and particularly the very large byōbu folding screens from the Kano and Rimpa schools.