In 2019 I embarked upon a weekly trek to Northwest forests. Every Saturday I would drive far from home, to escape the hustle and bustle and search out Washington State’s wildest places. I day-hiked April through October, usually solo, during available day light and very long distances (my longest was just over 23 miles!), and documented my hikes with hundreds of photos via a cellphone camera on each trail. At first it was because it was beautiful, then because I wanted to share the natural beauty with friends on social media. By the end of the year I started to imagine what I could do with this treasure trove of images and began tinkering with an idea that eventually morphed into this series.

This is a far cry from my normal work. Shot on lofi cellphones rather than my heavy medium-format film camera. Details and vistas, and lots of macro-style shots. The final pieces are messy, sketchy, and moody. They’re glimpses into my experiences on the trail. I started making these in December 2019 and went through a lot of anguish over the process. As scary as it was to invest so much time, money, and put myself out there in the public when I exhibited them at Columbia City Gallery in January, going out of my comfort zone was worth the risk. I’ve had so much interest from the art community, and have had success in selling a few with interest in exhibiting them at other locations. I’m currently editing my images and working on the next batch (or should I say round?).

If you’re interested in more details on how these are made, I recommend you check out my posts on Instagram. I often discuss methods, process, and my art practice in general. These are photos, mounted to round panels, with encaustic (beeswax + damar resin), and india ink. I use a razor blade to shave down the surface and create the texture that is revealed by the ink, before I remove most of it with steel wool.

I am already planning the next phase of adventures and can’t wait to continue making more of these.