I Fade Away Like a Lengthening Shadow, 2022

I Fade Away Like a Lengthening Shadow is a series of large-scale, one-of-a-kind, Mordançage prints, which I created as part of my spiritual art-making practice during a period of transformation and healing.

Acting out of deep personal necessity, I began this series in response to the sudden passing of my brother, and then I also lost my Dad. As I confronted unimaginable grief and an overwhelming sense of emptiness, my practice shifted into a means of metaphysical expression. My work became so essential to my survival that life and art-making became one, revealing my purpose for being.

My Mordançage technique involves creating a one-of-a-kind photographic print through the chemical and physical alteration of handmade gelatin silver photograms. My approach is motivated by a desire to have a transcendent experience and interact with the inherent unpredictability of the process. I make my large-scale photograms using various experimental techniques. I then apply Mordançage chemistry to the fully processed photogram; as the image bleaches, the darkest areas of the emulsion begin to lift, and the print takes on a life of its own. I redevelop and manipulate the paper's malleable surface, forming a reciprocal connection. Luminous layers of texture accumulate, revealing mysterious abstract worlds. The interplay of my mark-making and how the living print responds determines the final work.

Creating each piece is a form of alchemy, a meditation on accepting loss and relinquishing the illusion of control. My transformative darkroom encounters announce my place in the world and serve as a testament to the spiritual influence that guides my creative process. Through close observation and experimentation, I surrender and accept that there are forces controlling our universe that cannot be seen or fully explained. Yet, I am comforted in knowing that what is unseen is eternal. My brother and Dad are with me forever; I feel their presence in my work.