[Work in progress]
I've always been drawn to landscapes. People intrigue, challenge, and illuminate me. Yet, they also hurt, provoke, and sadden me. The people in my life have been and are wonderful, but they’re also a source of complicated pains.
Yet, through photographing landscapes, I’m able to temporarily escape these pains. I can focus on the bend of a tree, the flattening of a field, and the gulps of a river. I can forget the strain of a voice, the dissolving of a friendship, and the charades of relationships. I can be alone in a place where it feels okay to be as alone as I often feel.
These photographs were made in large parks around Columbus, Ohio. They were born from a state that most of my landscape photography comes from—one of anxiety, loneliness, and confusion. By traveling to these parks, I am able to find the escape I need from the people I love.
I am focusing on parks or other human-established pieces of land. I’m interested in how I’m able to mentally escape human interactions and focus on the land, even though this land is being displayed and sometimes provided to me by people.
