SNOW GLOBE

Drawn to the stillness of the suburbs, I document anticipation and aftermath but never the main event—moments after a birthday party, minutes before a storm, the echo of an argument.

Growing up in a small town, there were two theories on life: 1) Leave. Then, you can live. 2) If you have to move all the way to the West Coast you’re running away from your problems.

I opted for the second philosophy, not believing there were limitations imposed by my environment. However, with my series Snow Globe (2009) these limitations became all too apparent. Either leaving or staying would give me only a partial answer.

Snow Globe approaches the hometown I once viewed as encased in a snow globe, but reveals disturbances in that entrapped world. This disconnect between what we long for and what we get continues to drive my work. Honeymoon (2011) reveals differences between reality and the expectations for that interlude shaped by years of idealizing.

Throughout our lives we attempt to find our hopes, dreams and expectations in our surroundings. Should all that fail, we may leave. I came back. In my photographs I show once idealized places in the suburbs’ collective memory: The Jersey Shore, The Poconos and The Bahamas. The shimmer and shine I once saw is peeling away.