In this ongoing body of work I examine a period in my life that metaphorically resembled a tear in the fabric of my being. A phase catapulted into existence as a result of manipulation and coercive control at the hands of a partner. Sense of Self illustrates a turning inside out of experience and perception of the world. Something that began as a way to release inner pain took me on a journey to reclaim my balance and to the most important discovery of all. Self.

Multiple in-camera exposure (no generative technology) is used to convey the experience of a splitting apart of the self, the questioning of one’s own reality and losing a sense of inner balance. The internal imbalance and the clinical terms I had become familiar with which described what I had experienced became the building blocks to images. External chaos caused by another created internal dissonance which lead the project to a visual process of deconstructing self in order to re-emerge whole. A montage of self exploration through my work and communion with landscape was a way back to inner equilibrium. Nature, long refuge became instrumental in redrawing the map of my inner world and the blueprint upon which i could illustrate the journey.

Nature and my place within it is foundational to my artistic practice and the processing of life’s challenges and triumphs. My relationship to the natural world is one I view as a symbiotic partnership where co-evolution occurs. I am nature and nature is in me. We co-exist in mutual guardianship.

Sense of Self is an inflection point in life’s journey which I determined is the only way forward through adversity. What began in this tumult morphed with the seasons into something peaceful, empowering and regenerating.