my capstone was based on a revelation I had while hating how the mountains looked in the dead of winter when there wasn't any glistening, white snow blanketing the earth. i found you could marry your subject with the landscape in a way that was different than in the hazy, green, Appalachian summer. 

winter in the Blue Ridge felt isolating and lacking, and it produced a mirror that was non-existent in summertime. there was no greenery and rhododendron blooms to mask the skeleton and soul of the mountains. in the winter, you could see things better - your line of sight wasn't blocked and the landscape was more apparent.

i became a master at seeing how the landscape and nature could be used to tell an intricate story of closeness between itself, ourselves and our peers. how it mirrored our own forms and connections, or lack there of. it was about looking closer to find something you missed when it all looked "perfect"- the truth under the surface. 

this body of work focuses on looking closely at how the natural world can create a portrait of reflection on ourselves, on our relationships, and how we view, experience and engage with the beauty of the landscape around us. 

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i hold this project and story and these places and people very close to my heart.