ARTIST STATEMENT

Often, it is a reaction to what is seen/experienced that fuels my imagination and inspires me to create. Sometimes, it is the curiosity about the unknown that leads my way into an image.   During that journey, one must remain purely present, open, and ready to recognize the surroundings: suggestive forms, colors of light, textures, shadows and the people within it. The search for balance between the content and form (composition) begins with observation. I construct my life and creative work around it to capture the ties that bind communities, families, and cultures.

For the last decade, I have focused on documenting diverse spiritual communities in Chicago and Poland. My commitment comes from a strong belief that through art and cultural exchange, we can connect and break down the forces that separate us.

Building relationships based on trust with the photographed individual or community requires time. When most effective, documentary photography conveys trust gained and the photographer becomes a witness of the fleeting moment, and in the glimpse of time brings together the essence, the beauty of the experience. By following moments of faith with my camera, I seek to reveal the contributions of each community to the American experience.

As a photographer I aspire to be a visual poet; to concentrate on the depth and substance of a moment. Yet I’m also humble enough to recognize the value in the simple purpose of serving the people and communities I photograph by enhancing their own collective memories.

Photography is not just about remembering, but also about finding meaning in common human experience. Sometimes, a photograph helps to bring out hidden truths in the everyday world by pointing to detail and asking the viewer to marvel in the mystery, or simply to find what is human in all of us.