ARTEXPRESS – Bodies of work

“I saw the angel in the marble and carved until I set him free.” - Michelangelo.

I explored self-creation and emancipation in my body of work, inspired by classical Greek and Roman marble sculptures of the perfected human form. The octopus, itself a symbol of creativity, is one of the few creatures that manipulates tools for its own benefit. The creature’s tentacles clasp the tools as it hews itself from the very stone that entraps or births it. My work pays homage to the idea that art imitates life. The search for perfection, which the ancients strove for, is still worthy of pursuit today.

My artmaking practice has been influenced by the study and interpretation of the following artists and works: Morgan Herrin, Octopus; Salvador Dali, Lobster Telephone; Michelangelo, Pieta; Jeff Samudosky, The Giant Pacific Octopus; unknown, Laocoön and his sons.

A Romantic Summer Getaway Alone is intended to be a journey into my soul, a self-portrait that transcends physical reality to examine my inner world, and beyond. A mythical hero represents the complexities and abstraction of nostalgia and psyche, expressed through the literality of character design and storytelling. My body of work draws on the aesthetic and tropes of video games, leaving clues for audiences to connect and interact with the characters. While I appear to be exposing my 'heart on my sleeve', the title shows that my work is for me alone, with layered secrets for my eyes only.

My artmaking practice has been influenced by the study and interpretation of the following artists: Frida Kahlo, Caspar David Friedrich, Caledonia Curry (Swoon), Jim Woodring, James McCarthy, John Stephen.

Ticced Off represents my anxiety and its manifestation as motor tics.

Just as the tics contort and deform my face, the flowers beneath each portrait become dishevelled, exploring the effects of stress within the environment. Each flower has cultural associations with providing stress relief and calming effects, yet the notion of comfort is subverted. The looped clock sound represents the unending, cyclical nature of life, while the ticking acts as a play on words. The sound is intended to affect the audience's response to my body of work, and extend its examination of how we experience stress.

My artmaking practice has been influenced by the study and interpretation of the artist CJ Hendry.

Our world of rapid change and constant motion has fundamentally altered our experience of time. We often perceive this dynamism as a blur of motion. My intention in my body of work is to represent these moments of flux, offering the audience a contemplative space in which to reflect on the transient nature of existence. I used long exposure techniques so the movement of feet manifests as streaks of light and shadow. Each image represents a unique moment in time, a step in someone's journey, and a different aspect of our interconnectedness with the world.

My artmaking practice has been influenced by the study and interpretation of the following artists: Nick Fancher, A window to the soul; Long exposures of ballet dancers series; Giacomo Balla, Dynamism of a Dog on a Leash; Gerhard Richter.

My body of work explores connectedness, and how everything in the world is linked. On one hand we have evolved in conjunction with nature and other animals. On a cellular level we are connected to all living things. Modern society creates a sense of alienation and separateness from this aspect of life. Urban living isolates us from nature and our environment, but also connects us to other people in an unprecedented way. We are simultaneously disconnected from nature and superficially linked to millions through social media, commerce and globalisation.

My artmaking practice has been influenced by the study and interpretation of the following artists: Man Ray, Robert Rauschenberg, Pablo Picasso, Piet Mondrian

The inspiration for my body of work was to highlight the problem of food wastage. I want everyone to value everything we have, and to understand that nothing is permanent. It will all eventually be gone or rotten. After choosing the design for the fruits I carved them, drawing on my personal experience with fruit carving which I learnt from my dad. I photographed the fruit composition with different coloured backgrounds and filmed it using time lapse, setting the camera to photograph every two minutes, focusing on different angles. I used a compost accelerator to speed up the process of decay.

This work focuses on individuals working together to achieve great things and overcome disaster. I was moved beyond description after stumbling upon astronaut Frank Culberston's story on National Geographic's 'Live from Space' channel. He was the only American not on the planet during the attacks of September 11. Having witnessed first-hand the grieving of the people while visiting Ground Zero, I could only imagine what it would have been like for him. However, it was the sympathetic connections going around the world through the International Space Station that served as a testament to what we need to be doing as a global community.

Frozen in time captures split moments in a busy snowy cityscape. A few magical, nostalgic moments are 'frozen' by the camera. I have always been drawn to the romantic cityscapes of French Impressionist artists such as Pissarro, Gustave Caillebotte and Patrick Antonelle. American photographer Rinze Van Brug was also a major inspiration for me to create this image of the city under snow. I have admired the pointillist techniques of other Impressionists such as Monet, and tried to replicate that same quality of illusion in my work. Upon close viewing the work is made up of small dots and strokes but as you step back the image is revealed.

Female surfers just like my friends led a global movement for equality and recognition of female athletes. My body of work is a celebration of the rise in female surf culture. This generation of young women is breaking barriers in capability, setting new limits for what's possible. My large-scale charcoal drawings represent the emotions and connection experienced between these local female surfers.

My artmaking practice has been influenced by the study and interpretation of the artist Dylan Eakin.

The mind is a cognitive faculty that houses the thoughts and consciousness of an individual. I was inspired by the metaphysical concept of mind–body dualism that claims that the mind and the body are two distinct and separable factors. I have explored this dualism through psychological portraits, one physical and one non-physical, representing the impossibility of grasping the magnitude of our mind as it elaborates on itself continually. Thus, going further than biological knowledge, I challenge our perceptions of truly knowing those closest to us. I have used a mixed media approach to capture the complexities of the mind.

My artmaking practice has been influenced by the study and interpretation of the following artists: Eric Lacombe, KwangHo Shin, Ben Quilty, Mathieu Laca.

Bondi's true heart and essence lie in the people and community who inhabit it. Yet the people of this vibrant suburb, who embody its spirit and soul, are rarely the main focus in photographs of its iconic beach. For my work, 2026, I decided to intimately document the local faces, which are as ubiquitous within the sublime landscape as the sand and sea. My selection of location, background, framing and composition was spontaneous, forcing me to use the surroundings of the subject I stumbled upon, capturing that moment in time to depict a community.

The jump dance is a Maasai ceremony that shows the coming of age for a Maasai warrior. I am intrigued by their cultural dress, from their beaded jewellery to their ornamental weapons. I have drawn one of the Maasai elders and tribal leaders as he exhibits the many journeys he has travelled and the many stories to be told.

My artmaking practice has been influenced by the study and interpretation of the following artists: MC Escher, Gabriel Moreno.

Gender violence, manifesting essentially as violence against women, is one of the most significant epidemics in the Middle East. Every day a woman dies because of cultural beliefs. This act has been normalised, submissively accepted to become an intergenerational occurrence. In most cases, it is the result of the woman speaking up against her family or husband. The woman is seen to be an embarrassment and is killed for this disrespect. My body of work, Generations, reflects this cultural theme, representing three women across the generations to bring attention to the cycle of domestic violence against women.

My artmaking practice has been influenced by the study and interpretation of the following artists: Shirin Neshat, Bill Henson, Leonardo da Vinci, Caravaggio.

Depression is a mental illness that can affect anybody no matter what race, sex or age they are. I located every photo in a different tunnel to express the sense of feeling isolated, trapped in your own head, with the world still moving on with or without you.

My artmaking practice has been influenced by the study and interpretation of the following artists: Bill Viola, Eduardo Asenjo Matus.

It has been my personal experience that medicine is becoming increasingly mechanised, with little ability to empathise with its subjects. In Internal tapestry I explore the contrast between mechanical processes and the delicate, organic nature of the human body. Surgical practices are represented through pinning, cutting and sewing while fabric, paper and cloth have been used as a substitute for the physical body.

Immersed in the water, we are weightless and without worry. We are a small thing, subsumed by something vast and expansive. The initial shock of coolness on the body is quickly replaced by a feeling of being lifted, buoyant, carried and held. We emerge emboldened by this sacred communion with, and connection to, our natural world.

My artmaking practice has been influenced by the study and interpretation of the following artists: Claude Monet, Euan MacLeod, Jin Bo, Emily Ponsonby.

Images of the working Australian farmer have shaped our cultural identity. Through my work I wanted to portray a working farmer and his family, their connection to the land and their animals, to capture the unforgiving landscape they live and work in. I wanted to show the cultural context that shapes a man and gives him the toughness and resilience to tirelessly work in the Australian outback. The poem The shearing is now over by Beverly Woodman inspired and connects the elements of my work.

My BOW explores the form of the human body in close detail. It captures the intricate textures that comprise of skin and its bulbous, fleshy nature. I am particularily fascinated by the human body in close detail and capturing this through the unconventional use of ink pens gave the wroks more depth. The size of the artworks and the subject matter pertain directly to the theme of the artworks; intimacy. I want people to look closely at the detail portrayed in the drawings and see the beauty of the human body as i do; as a fasinating and wonderous creation.

In Perfectly Imperfect I examine nature's beauty through its inherent flaws, celebrating the unique qualities that make the natural world extraordinary. Each piece in this body of work conveys how imperfection is a defining trait of nature's perfection. Using varied mediums, I represent the asymmetries, irregular patterns and unexpected forms that are often overlooked. From the curve of a leaf to rugged bark textures, true perfection lies in diversity. My work challenges society’s ideals of flawlessness and encourages the audience to appreciate the authentic beauty in nature's resilience and organic variations.

My artmaking practice has been influenced by the study and interpretation of the following artists: Kim Tillyer, Martina Celerin, Laurence Leenaert, India Flint, Fiona Duthie.

My artwork explores my feelings about my Czech heritage and how people gain identity through their heritage. In carving my wooden puppet I was literally shaping its identity, but it also became a visual metaphor of cultural memories that pass through time and influence who we are. The costuming of the puppet in pyjamas, embossed with the iconic Czech vernacular, visually represents the retrieval process by which folklore can be handed down. The letters and wood shavings in the small 'identity' boxes record the complexity and perseverance inherent in the crafting process.

My work draws upon the life cycles that are shared by all humanity. Life's momentous milestones, often marked by ritual and celebration, are captured in my work within the context of the inevitability of the final milestone: death. As a result, my work is shrouded in the understanding that all life must come to pass.

'We are born and we die, but in between we give this purposeless existence a meaning by our drives.' Francis Bacon

The dominance of humans and their structures and the emergence of industrial landscapes is diminishing our natural world. By using found-object sculpture with an emphasis on mundane, manufactured materials I have sought to show erosion then renewal through three-dimensional textural sculpture. I enclosed the sculptures in protective spaces to indicate the continuing vulnerability of the natural environment. Following my themes of reuse and renewal, the fluted cardboard's horizontal layers are severed by vertical voids to represent regeneration of new forms in a postmodern context.

My work is an expressive, abstract response to the urban environment that surrounds me. One of the artists I was most inspired by was Karl Wiebke, due to his skilful manipulation of colour and form. My process was an intuitive and experimental procedure using mixed media where the work continued to develop and build with layer upon layer of colour and pattern. This provides a taste of the methodical pattern underneath a more gestural reaction to the city.

Veil is an exploration of the burdens on the human psyche. After the passing of a family member, I was faced with the realisation that the world around me continued at the same rate. I expressed this through an experimental film in which a protagonist in a gas mask meanders through different environments in a world that is seemingly devoid of human life. Veil is an exploration of the isolation and fear that we all feel at some time, and the tension in the search for release. Stanley Kubrick (filmmaker), Sara Teasdale (poet), Gregory Crewdson (photographer)

My artwork is an investigation of my surroundings and an interpretation of the way in which changes in the environment can affect an individual's mood cycle. Each panel descends from light to dark; the lighter tones represent sweltering heat and steam rising off the ground and the dark tones convey stormy temperamental conditions. My surroundings have had a large influence on me personally and my artwork is an expression of that.

The Fall refers to the biblical fall of man who lost his EDEN when he disobediently ate from the tree of knowledge. Implied in this sculpture is an imminent contemporary fall. If man, with the machinery he has developed, continues arrogantly, ignorantly or disobediently to erode nature upon which he depends, he ultimately will knock himself off his own pedestal and lose his present Eden. One can predict that the consequences of chopping down the tree will be at least as disastrous as eating of the fruit.

My body of work engages with the tradition of war/ history art and illuminates how the sacrifices of soldiers in 20th and 21st century conflicts act as modern ‘crucifixions’. My use of the term and imagery of the ‘crucifixion’ is directly appropriated from Francis Bacon who used the crucifixion secularly as a vehicle for expressing human suffering. However, unlike Bacon, I explore not only psychological pain, but also the physical and mental despair induced by conflict. The 100th anniversary of the World War One armistice influenced my decision to contain extensive imagery from that war, and to use it as a framework for the work.

My artmaking practice has been influenced by the study and interpretation of the following artists: Gillies Archives; Leonardo da Vinci, St John the Baptist, Salvator Mundi; Francisco de Goya y Lucientes, An heroic feat! With dead men!; Francis Bacon, Three Studies for Figures at the Base of a Crucifixion; Michelangelo, The Creation of Adam; Salvador Dali, The Persistence of Memory; Rene Magritte, The Son of Man; Edvard Munch, The Scream; Otto Dix, Nocturnal Encounter with a Lunatic, Storm Troopers Advancing Under a Gas Attack; Michel Gondry, Knives Out.

My interest in horror as a genre led me to investigate ideas of tension and emptiness in my body of work, Coral Reef Motel. Referencing Mike Nelson's The Coral Reef, I developed the visuals for this series by mining a variety of personal photo sharing sites on the internet for artful and intimate moments posted by strangers. Once I had gathered these reference photos, I re-contextualised them to create a tone of suspense and paranoia, uniting the photos into one cohesive collection through painting, the details and colour choices.

My artmaking practice has been influenced by the study and interpretation of the following artists: Mike Nelson, The Coral Reef; Noel Brewer, A Kubrick scene; Jim Hickcox, Cheap motel sink; Dario Argento (dir), Suspiria; Dom, Motel room Kingman Arizona; Kojima Productions, P.T. [video game]; Dennis Kelly, Utopia [TV series].

I am exploring the concept of anxiety, mainly focusing on panic attacks. Mental illnesses are often misjudged as we cannot see their effects in the same way as we see a disfigurement of our appearance, yet they are just as debilitating for sufferers and should be taken into account as much as any physical illness. It was my own personal experiences of anxiety and panic attacks that led to the creation of my work.

My artmaking practice has been influenced by the study and interpretation of the following artists: Tyler Shields, Annie Leibovitz.

My work portrays contemporary Romani Gypsies in traditional, cultural settings. It explores the journey that my grandparents and parents took to come to Australia and their continuation of our heritage in living out and celebrating our customs and traditions. This artwork allowed me to express my love for my culture and family and show society that Gypsies are no different from your average Australian.

My artmaking practice has been influenced by the study and interpretation of the following artists: Anne Zahalka, Erwin Olaf, Orientalism.

This artwork was inspired by the abstract visual qualities of the land. Through printmaking I interpret the land as a physical place and explore the exchange that takes place between humans and the earth as a place we depart from and return to. Through the cultural appropriation of our surroundings we are able as individuals and as a community to navigate and draw connections, ultimately creating maps which reflect who we are.

My artmaking practice has been influenced by the study and interpretation of the following artists: John Wolseley, Shorty Lungkata Tjungurrayi, George Tjungurrayi.

Fascinating to observe in the field, humans have held the curiosities of naturalists for centuries. In particular, the behaviour of homo sapiens has been the centre of much debate, as we feebly attempt to understand their seemingly meaningless social norms and customs. Hence, I took it upon myself to document these interesting creatures and compile this field guide, suited for enthusiasts studying homo sapiens in their natural habitat. Compiled with the aid of numerous specimens and countless hours of observation in the field, this comprehensive guide is only one more step towards fully understanding these fascinating animals and their behaviour.

My body of work examines the experience of a young person navigating the modern world. Traditionally, bridges symbolise routes connecting one place to another. I was attracted to the intricate architecture of bridges, particularly the underneath, held up by structural supports and beams. These complex interconnecting pathways twist and turn, creating an overarching maze that reminds me of the unpredictable and perplexing nature of the path lying ahead in life. My work conveys this through its maze-like structure and angular lines. I invite the audience to consider the giant, intimidating structures of those bridges that dwarf us.

My artmaking practice has been influenced by the study and interpretation of the following artists: MC Escher, Relativity; Salvatore Gerardi, Tableau series.

“Down the long architrave of temple or palace …” AD Hope, The Death of the Bird

My body of work explores my development from young boy to the threshold of adulthood. All three pieces are inspired by various photographs of significant moments in my life, coalesced through the timeless mediums of wood and shadow. By representing myself in three momentsin time, I allude to one’s mental outlook over time. As the perspective grows, my head emerges above the parapet and I glimpse the threshold of adulthood and the future possibilities life holds.

My artmaking practice has been influenced by the study and interpretation of Donatello’s relief carvings.

Artlessness is juxtaposed with artifice in the portrayal of the authentic character of a child. The image of the girl emerges and disappears as her spirit fluctuates beneath the smothering contrivances of a blossoming euphoria. The tension quintessentially communicates innocence, vulnerability and the fragile psyche of a child in our materialistic word, at the same time as the retention of the true self amid the smothering corruption.

The seemingly innocent question, 'Where are you from?' highlights differences in Australian society. This is especially so when referring to skin colour. This effectively deports people back to faraway places and is confronting for those who have no other place to call home. My body of work represents how a particular racial identity is imposed on people without their consent. Recognising the hyper-visibility of their skin colour, the different colours reflect on the difficult and transcendental journeys of embracing their blackness, resenting it, or feeling separated from it. This can be liberating, but it can also foster a deep sense of exclusion, knowing that to be fully human in Australia, and to exist with dignity, is to be white. Therefore to be non-white, particularly to be black, occupies the space on the margin.

My artmaking practice has been influenced by the study and interpretation of the following artists: Jenny Saville, Andy Warhol, Shirin Neshat.

My body of work, The Familial Gaze, represents the lifelong love and interconnectedness of multiple generations within my family, investigating the connection between my grandparents on my maternal and paternal sides and my cultural heritage from the Netherlands, Bosnia and Australia. My intention in these portraits was to convey memories and document growth while showing the audience our most cherished relationships. Using an everyday art material – the coloured pencil – I have applied the techniques used in photorealistic portraits by artists such as Chuck Close.

My artmaking practice has been influenced by the study and interpretation of the following artists: Chuck Close, Dylan Eakin, Mary Cassatt, Cherry Hood.

How I wish to be a bird, to sing, to glide, to fly and to breathe. For I wish to be free as the birds who watch me. In the environment of my home, the quiet natural landscape of my farm, I can relax and step away from the stress and struggle of Year 12. There is solitude in the free space and the air. My body of work expresses my connection to my sensory disorder and anxiety. My intent is to tell a story from the perspective of my mental disorders and how they change the way I live.

My artmaking practice has been influenced by the study and interpretation of the artist Diane Fogwell.

My intent in my body of work was to capture a moment in time, by making a juxtaposition between rapid movement and delicate still life. This work expresses the developmental aspect of life and the concept of progression within nature. The audience can inspect the intricate fine wiring representing windswept willow trees.

My artmaking practice has been influenced by the study and interpretation of the following artists: Fiona Hall, Dead in the Water; Jorge Mayet, De Mis Vivos y Mis Muertos.

Within the current climate of fervent debate regarding our environment, I explored art history for representations of our evolving relationship with nature. My investigation revealed that the Romantic era was dominated by noble depictions of explorers, and a lack of female artistic presence. This yearning to unlock the secrets of the sublime through the 'Grand Tour' is now entrenched in the psyche of contemporary youth. My deliberate use of textile's 'gentle arts and crafts' elucidates the constraints placed on women within domestic and cultural spheres while contrasting modern and Romantic interpretations of the world around us.

The reality of death and feelings of grief are inescapable. My body of work was inspired by the passing of my beloved grandfather and great-aunt and the effect of their loss on my view of the world. I juxtaposed fresh flowers with imagery of decayed and ageing flowers in order to express the cyclical nature of life. The flower motif also represents the beauty of my loved ones, their legacy and the memories that remain. Death is an inevitable aspect of existence. It instils in us a new appreciation of the beauty of life and the world’s temporal nature.

My artmaking practice has been influenced by the study and interpretation of Huang Po-Chih, Flov’’er 2006.

My grandfather acted as the bridge that brought the family together. He inspired and motivated the family, so I created this body of work, Tulay (The Bridge), to show my appreciation and explore the idea of familial connection. I remember drawing with lead pencil in my childhood, so I have represented my improvements and undying passion for drawing by contrasting the stick figures on the still life of the bench seat with the realistic portraits. In my work, my intent is to give audiences the opportunity to reminisce about special family moments and memories that spark an emotional reaction.

My artmaking practice has been influenced by the study and interpretation of the following artists: Lantomo, Diego Fazio, Paul Lung, Paul Cadden.

My work is the conceptual exploration of memory discarded in common objects. I have achieved this through studying systems of biological classification and the museum system. I have chosen to use varied media including photography, a looped stop motion film and a series of wax covered canvases in order to create a varied to response to my key aim. Similar to way artist Dorris Salcedo uses domestic materials infused with significance and meaning accumulated from everyday use, my work surrounds the idea of deconstructing the shoe and peeling away layers of meaning and memory in order to reveal a journey.

The inspiration for my body of work developed mainly from my love of simple modern sculpture and design – the three sculptures I have produced are a reflection of this. My work has been constructed through coils which have been blended together. Some of the tougher sections of the work have been created by rolling slabs of clay and assembling them accordingly. The highly polished surface of these forms was created by burnishing the work with stones and polishing the work, once removed from the final kiln. The final black fire kiln allowed for the black surface to be achieved.

The world is smaller than you think. You are just an inconspicuous dot on a rock flying through space. Everything you live for and everything you see is a momentary blink on a cosmic time line. The rich, detailed fabric of our lives amounts to mere memory in the large scheme of the universe. We are alone and we are small.

Music is intrinsically linked to our memories. It carries us through the many stages of our life. A song has the power to transport us back to the first time we heard it, even for people suffering from Alzheimer’s disease. My film, Memories of Melodies Past, is inspired by my Nan, who is unfortunately one of the many millions suffering from this disease. While she may forget names and faces, when listening to a piece of music she knows where she was when she first heard it, what she was feeling and who she was with.

My artmaking practice has been influenced by the study and interpretation of the film Memento, directed by Christopher Nolan.

The title of my body of work, Я, translates from my native language as ‘I’. It explores my identity and my perception of the world. Two cultures, Russian and Australian, united in one, form who I am today. The work consists of two pieces of Perspex. The first sheet displays the gouache painting while the second, clear, sheet shields it. The work is mounted flush using bolts, with a spray-painted backing to prevent backlighting. Я expresses my Russian side through the traditional painting medium of gouache, and the style of painting itself, while the Perspex refers to Australian contemporary art.

My artmaking practice has been influenced by the study and interpretation of the following artists: Rembrandt van Rijn, Ilya Repin.

My body of work is deeply influenced by my Mauritian heritage and my concerns about the impact that humans have on the environment. My work fuses culture and concept in a series of ceramic forms. The patterns evoke coral formations and traditional Indian folklore. My work represents both destruction and rebirth, with the hope that nature will always prevail.

My artmaking practice has been influenced by the study and interpretation of the following artists: Courtney Mattison, Jennifer McCurdy, Martha Grover, Elizabeth Kendall, Tara Wilson.

My artwork is based on the idea of unravelling identity and the unknown through layering. As the first visible layer is unravelled, the distortion reflects the individual's psyche: unbalanced, inexplicable and limitless. Each distortion is a journey in itself – the delicate web of one's psyche is malevolent and intertwined. The easiest way to express this postmodern and modernist stream of influence is by a series of distorted layerings through which meaning can be interpreted, moulded and visualised as per the individual. 'Identity', though, is limited and shaped by the mask one wears. However, it is an emotional voyage once the layering begins.

Façade: putting up a front, showing people what they want to see.

Through my body of work, I try to represent the different faces that we show the world. Expressing myself in this manner, I convey what others may feel. There is a connection by lines from the 'puppeteer' to the figure below, reflecting a journey and choices people make in life. The colours used are important in conveying the emotions portrayed. The neutral tones of the two panels demonstrate a sense of reality. With the smaller panels, the more colour that covers the canvas, the stronger the emotion.

My body of work investigates the devastating effects of war and displacement on the human psyche, drawing on my personal experiences of fleeing the Syrian conflict. The sculpted forms represent the depths of the unconscious mind while the title refers to the concealed and chaotic aspects of our inner world. The malleability of clay invites the audience to engage on a sensory level, and expresses the ever-changing nature of thought and emotion. It is a tactile metaphor for the mysteries within us, to encourage contemplation of our own consciousness and meditation on the human experience.

My artmaking practice has been influenced by the study and interpretation of the following artists: Albert Tucker, Arthur Boyd, Michael Lang, Jérôme ‘Trez’ Oudot.

Mirage is a series of digital photographs that investigates ideas of real and imagined landscapes. Through the use of symbolism and by evoking the senses this exploration discloses landscapes as both place and experience. The process of shooting through a diffuser of convex glass creates a ghostly presence that takes you into an ethereal world. This practice allows for the collision of photography and painting as expressive forms; they are as much photographs as they are paintings. The series references Chinese Zen landscape paintings of the Southern Sung School. The artist Gerhard Richter influenced my approach to photography, blurring boundaries between painting and photography.