Last year my studio neighbor, @ivester_contemporary, invited me to be part of a group show at his gallery where functional artists make something non-functional and visual artists had to create something functional. I loved the idea and for months I played with ideas on what I could make in the studio– a wall piece, a lighting installation, and countless other departures from my normal studio practice. Nothing quite felt right, but I did have what felt like a crazy idea. For the past few years, I’ve been taking photos on a more regular basis. What had started as a tool to document my work in the studio, had begun to creep outside of my studio life. 

I have never printed and framed one of my photos before. I’m so glad I did with this image because I’m truly blown away to see something of mine printed at this scale. It is so far outside of my comfort zone and was so frightening to actually execute this idea. I know a lot about clay, but am definitely a novice when it comes to photography. I am grateful for my many talented photographer friends who have been so wonderfully open with sharing their vast knowledge. Thanks to @agaveprint for the beautiful print and guidance along the way.

The photo in the exhibition was taken in San Martin Tilcajete, a town about 45 minutes outside of Oaxaca City. As soon as we sat down to lunch at a remote restaurant in the middle of the valley my friend @aaron said, “Hey, do you want to go take some photos?” In that moment, I was like a little kid with a cooler, older friend. I don’t think I had gotten the word “yes” out before we jumped out of our chairs and left the rest of our group at the table. We strolled through the restaurant's property and found ourselves on the fence line bordering this field. As I was taking some photos of cows and the landscape, I saw this man moving slowly across the field. After five or ten minutes everything lined up for this shot.

I'm including a few more photos from the trip below because I'm excited to see what sharing more of my photography leads to.