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The fragile, graceful beauty of flying creatures is my inspiration. I
process my images to reflect the delicate qualities of their movement. They are then individually printed using archival pigment inks and acid free paper. I use an aluminum composite substrate and a UV protecting laminate. The image frame is placed in the back to enable the work to appear to float off the wall. There is no glazing as the laminate can be wiped clean of fingerprints with a soft cloth. This creates a work that is more accessible to the viewer.
I am currently focused on creating work based on the hummingbirds of Costa Rica, the country where I grew up and my family still lives. Tiny Costa Rica has about 52 different species of these little flying jewels, which reside at varying elevations in this mountainous country. I have found different species from sea level to 11,000 feet. My husband (also a prize winning photographer) and I have devised a system of 8-12 low powered strobe lights which we use to create a small outdoor studio for our winged subjects.
In the past two years of photographing these tiny creatures, I have taken well over 100,000 shots, of which less than 1 in 1,000 are eventually developed into a finished artwork. My work on hummingbirds has received numerous awards. It recently received first prize at the PDN (Photo District News) Great Outdoors juried international photography contest. My photography has been exhibited at numerous venues including the Smithsonian Institution, the Florida Museum of Photographic Arts and the San Diego Museum of Natural History.
Education:
- BS, Mathematics - Hunter College of the City of New York
- Printmaking: Charles Cramer
- Color Management: Bill Atkinson
- Composition: Stephen Johnson
- Creativity: John Paul Caponigro
- Retouching: Katrin Eisman
Recent and upcoming exhibits include:
- Nov 2011 PSA (Photographic Soc. of America) winner 2011 Elmore R. Chatham Memorial Award for best feature story of prior year
- Nov 2011 Von Liebig Art Center, Naples, FL, Founders Annual Juried Competition
- Nov 2011 Jan 2012 Crystal City,VA Metro
- Nov 2011 Slideluck Potshow at Foto DC, Juried Slide Show
- Oct 2011 Center for Fine Art Photography, Fort Collins, CO, Juried International Competition, "Art in Nature"
- Sept 2011 PDN (Photo District News) "Great Outdoors" Annual Juried competition, First Prize winner
- Sept 2011 Garrison Art Center, Garrison, NY , Juried Competition, "Photo Centric"
- Aug 2011 Florida Museum of Photography, Tampa, FL, International Competition, Honorable Mention
- Feb 2011 Chasing The Light, Juried International Competition, "Bird Portraits, The Avian Persona", runner up
- Jan. 2011 San Diego Museum of Natural History, San Diego, California, "Best of Nature" Juried Photography Exhibit
- Oct 2010 Nurture Art Gallery, New York City
- Aug 2010 Vermont Photo Place, Middlebury, VT Juried Competition
- Apr 2010 Center for Fine Art Photography, Fort Collins, CO, People's Choice Award
- Nov 09 Fotoweek DC Annual Juried Competition, Award of Merit, Washington, D.C.
- Aug 09 Double Exposure Challenge: Animals and Wildlife, Showcase winner
- Jul 09 Photoworkshop.com Digital, Imagining competition, Showcase winner
- Apr 09 Florida West Arts, Juried Exhibition, Award of Merit
- Dec 08 Artists Registry Juried Exhibition, Award of Merit, Orlando, Florida
- Jun to Nov 08 Smithsonian Institution new Hall of Oceans exhibit, Finalist, International Competition. Washington, D.C.
- Sept 08 Pen and Brush, Juried Winners Exhibition, New York City, Second Prize winner
- Feb 08 NANPA International Competition, Judge's Choice Award
Publications:
- PDN (Photo District News) Sept, 2011, 'Great Outdoors'
- NANPA's 'Expressions' magazine 2010, 2009, 2008 editions
- PSA (Photographic Society of America) Jul 2010 'Antarctica'
- Vermont Photo Place 'Flight' Aug 2010 and 'Natural Wonders' May 2010
- "The Forest Elephants of Dzanga Sangha" 2007