Artist’s Statement
I have always photographed things that catch my eye, especially the more mundane or overlooked those things might be. I am particularly drawn to views of nature, sky & ground and abstracted details of objects found in urban settings.
Like many of my other artworks, these photographs explore the fragility of life. The series began in April 2009, when I first noticed a cardinal who had been hit by a car. I was taken with both the brilliance of color and a sense of sadness that the cardinal lost its life.
I have since begun a series of photographs documenting songbirds that have been hit by cars. Why songbirds? Because they are not nearly as resilient as many other animals and so rarely recover from injuries sustained after being struck by cars or falling great distances from their nests. Male songbirds are often vibrantly colored and draw attention to themselves, bringing into question how they are still at risk from automobile traffic as they are much more vibrant and easier to spot. Also, songbirds are adored by many people and are often more welcome in our backyards than the squirrels and rabbits that eat our manicured landscaping or the pigeons, starlings and other birds that many perceive as a nuisance or as disease-ridden pests. Thus, I think that these photographs of songbirds will connect with a much larger audience than photographs of other animals struck by cars, although I may begin documenting other animals in order to make others aware of their losses as well.
As this series grows and evolves to include even more birds, I have begun to further ponder how we humans come into so many conflicts with the natural world and the losses that the environment has sustained from our practices. By showing these photographs, I hope to get others thinking about their effects on the ecosystem and its inhabitants as well. More photographs can be found on the blog here.
