As people approach a piece of artwork, they tend to concentrate on the object presented;  when the subject is presented in a different way then they are used to seeing it, they are forced to open their minds and creativity to question what the subject is or create their own interpretation of the piece.  Each person who approaches may have a different idea of what it is or what it represents.  But is it necessary for artwork to be plain and easily recognizable?  For me, it is not.  For me, it is the shapes and the details and how they interact with each other and create an overall composition that is important.  In my work, I take simple, everyday details and show that beauty can be found in anything and an everyday object can be made interesting by simply changing your point of view.  

   In my artwork, I try to express what is important to me.  I accentuate small portions rather than surveying the whole; I concentrate on the details of people or the details within a still life to express my point.  When I approach a design, I decide what makes the object or idea different, what it was that caught my eye and made it unique for me.  In my piece, "Window to the soul", I focused on the eyes of an individual.  In order to make the image my own and create a more interesting composition, I exaggerated the contrast which made the cheeks go completely white and made the eyes become a deep, rich black without losing detail and the slight gray of the nose gave the piece a balance and enabled it be grounded as not to appear floating.  By blowing out the contrast, I was able to make a focal point and it enabled me to take what would have been a typical shot of a person into a beautiful piece of art.  This piece is also a prime example of my desire to be in control of my work.  I like to be in total control over my lighting, my speed, as well as my composition and positioning.  I do not like to leave much of a design up to chance or luck.  I like to plan and research each piece I do prior to shooting which enables me to stretch my creativity and forces me to create a design and then follow through to make the mental design, a true piece of art. 

   Art can be used for any of several different purposes, which might be different for each person.  I enjoy creating pieces that have different meanings to each person who views the piece as well as a purpose for the design or photograph.  The reason I create art is to make the viewer see the world a different way.  At times we are so focused on the big picture that we lose touch with the details and the details to me are what make things beautiful.  I enjoy making people question what it is they are seeing and maybe create a story of what it means to them.  Whether you know exactly what my picture represents or whether you create your own story, you imagined and, maybe for one minute, saw the world through my eyes.