Artist Statement:

We live in a world filled with constant explosions of strong opinions, biases, fears, and energy. In this chaos, nothing feels entirely safe. We are tightly packed, surrounded by unpredictable explosions erupting in every direction.

In this series, I capture shifting bursts of color, light, and energy. All of these images are shot handheld, dancing in rhythm with the evolution of the rapidly changing forms. I was taught by award-winning pyrotechnicians to build my own professional-class shells. Understanding the chemistry, physics, and complex structure of the shells, as well as the rhythm of the fireworks, has given me an intuition that informs every image I create.

Each image records an event that cannot be repeated and shows how fragile beauty and belief can be. These images capture frozen movement in calligraphic strokes, arresting time.

The colors in the firework images are intentionally inverted, like a film camera’s color negatives. Film photography moves from negative to positive, with the negative typically being a temporary phase. Lingering at this stage allows light to be experienced as form. In this way, light becomes a substance rather than simply illumination. Vibrant hues transform into soft pastels which delay recognition and allows light itself to emerge as the subject.

There is a sense of stillness in this depiction of motion. A fleeting explosion is transformed into a mysterious abstraction, preserving a moment that can never occur again.

When printed large, these images immerse viewers in the abstraction. Rather than passing by at a constant distance, viewers often move close to explore intimate details before moving back to experience the whole image. The images create a feeling of contemplation and transcendence. As we look deeper, we may find that our thoughts evolve. This visual shift invites dialogue with others about their own perceptions.

Do these color-negative images of explosions serve as a Rorschach test for our times?