Fine Art nominee

A "familiar" was known in Medieval folklore as a super natural being in the form of an animal that would assist witches and cunning folk in the practice of magic. A fully photographic image with exotic antique taxidermy, modeled by Shaun Ross. Photographed in October of 2015, medium format Hasselblad.

I like to say that I "paint with my camera," I approach photography from an illustrators perspective. Although my technique is more modern than my aesthetic, I deem to create a fantastical scene that is completely photographic. I combine simple materials like folded paper & body paint with meticulous placement to help give an "un-realistic" structure to the characters and stories I create.

My photographic mantra has always been to present an ambiguous world, unclassifiable in time with a celebration of visual androgyny. My "floating busts" are interpretations of flamboyant characters and historical figures that speak to me, whereas other pieces my work tell a full symbolic storyline (usually a dramatization of events happening in my own personal life). If I can propel the viewer into a daydream... then I feel accomplished.

I grew up in Reno, moved to San Francisco to attend AAU for photography, then moved to Los Angeles, which is where I currently live and work.