Sweet Dreams & Nightmares

Sweet Dreams and Nightmares Borrowing from common themes often found in Mythology such as fate, love and sacrifice, these images deal with the collective unconscious and expressions found in symbolic forms. For example, The Kiss represents themes of love, betrayal and shame found throughout religious stories as well as fairytales. The Briar Rose Tragedy is based on The Sleeping Beauty sagas which are full of spiritual and psychological meaning that is based on the nature of the feminine psyche and its path of the soul’s self-realization (or salvation) and self-knowledge. The process of constructing and performing is significant to this body of work, as it takes breath to life once again for another generation of storytellers. I am interested in symbols of excess, as exemplified in the lushness of fabrics, color or skin. The hand-crafted construction of the sets and props illustrate the superficial and cultural construct of these much-valued elements. I cast real people (often friends) who are not experienced models or actors to play the characters, which every so often will lead to odd unexpected delightful moments. These images show the imperfections, and the humanness of individuals, creating a tension when juxtaposed with the historic imagery and sacred iconography. Special thanks to my peer and friend J William Hill for the collaboration of building these tableaus at the B Complex for use in his paintings and for the my use in these photography works.