Fundamentally, I am a North Carolina artist. Since arriving in Greensboro as a graduate student in the 1990’s, I have slowly come to realize that my deepest connections reside here in the Old North State. The mountains to the West and the Outer Banks to the East are like magnets - pulling me to explore and photograph their natural wonders.

Henry David Thoreau found his creative voice at Walden Pond. Carleton Watkins and Ansel Adams took their most scenic photographs in Yosemite Valley. Eugene Atget roamed the streets of Paris, and Josef Sudek was known as the poet of Prague. The best artists create their masterpieces only after discovering their rightful place in the world.

I am thankful to have found my own creative home, and I feel responsible to do my part in taking care of it. My role as a photographer is to call attention to our treasured portfolio of parks, preserves, and public lands, so they may foster the physical and spiritual health of all North Carolinians for years to come.

The experiences we have while communing with nature are powerful and necessary. Whether we realize it or not, each one of us has a deep need to breathe fresh mountain air, walk beneath the shade of a long leaf pine, and feel warm sand beneath our feet. Our humanity depends on a shared sense of awe, wonder, and connection to something bigger than ourselves. Our lives are enriched when we reflect on the mystery of our existence.

I hope my work awakens these sometimes dormant feelings inside each of us. I hope whoever takes the time to pause in front of one of my photographs feels what I felt when I captured the image. I hope their eyes and heart open wide. I hope they are inspired to protect our earth, sea, and sky, which hold the fragile origins of our shared aesthetic experience.