I create a world by framing the picture, constructing the landscape--a geometry of angles and lines, and then populating it with characters, all in the interest of telling a story. My photography has led me to create my own world view. Since the first time I picked up a camera at the age of eight, I’ve used it to recreate the world from my perspective. I’m intrigued by the intersection of light and dark, abstract and concrete, color and black and white. Initially, I was self taught--I took my camera everywhere I went and took thousands of images and then downloaded them to my computer. Although I took my time and carefully framed my pictures, I tried to maximize the amount of information--the pixels in each shot. It’s better to rely on the original picture than on editing. That reliance on the original shot has stood me in good stead as photographer for my high school newspaper. There’s no second shot at capturing a slide into home plate or a graduation ceremony. Since I first started taking pictures, I’ve taken a number of classes to improve my skills including a Digital Photography Class at Main Line Art Center and an Urban Photography Class at the Moore College of Art.
Although photography was my introduction to the world of art, my desire to tell stories broadened my interest in art. I would write a short story then sketch the characters in it. This interest in framing the world and creating new environments led me to creating and drawing characters and delving into game design. I’ve spent years doodling in sketchpads and creating my own set of characters. I’m drawn to and have drawn characters that have a sense of wonder when facing the world. One of my favorite characters is mystified by the objects he encounters everyday. He picks up a rose and discards the petals in favor of the thorns.
My interest in storytelling has also led to my passion for game design. What is game design? It’s creating an artificial world, creating a story arc, and developing characters within that world. That world is not static, rather it evolves as players game the system.