COME TO THE LIGHT

These images represent the liminal spaces of grief, fear, and apprehension that were triggered by my father's death in the Spring of 2016. Feeling that were then amplified the 2016 elections, my mother’s passing in 2018, the January 6, 2021 insurrection. Weekly mass shootings, unwarranted violence and murders endured by black and brown people, and the traumas of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic left me in an emotional sinkhole where life felt overwhelmingly bleak. But I found that during my walks with my dog Amber, those feelings of despair dissipated as I spent time wandering the natural spaces in and around Providence, capturing the images that would be the source material for these fractal like images that were made entirely with my iPhone and with an Instagram layout program. The process was intentional in it’s simplicity.

Shinrin-yoku, or "forest bathing," is a practice the Japanese claim can neutralize the toxic effects of modern-day life. It’s a way to get grounded and reconnect with the calming energies found in the silence of a forest. Making the images in Come to the Light served a similar purpose for me. They provided a pause where I could reflect and release. These images are like emotional Rorschach images, they represent feelings that came up while in the places the source images were made. Come to the Light may have arisen out of need to cope with dark feelings, but, the series is also evidence of the solace, hopefulness, and joy that is waiting for us in nature—a practice that is like a salve for the soul during turbulent times.