Joshua Tree Photo Collage

The desert allows your mind to wander. Expansive and unmistakably harsh you're left to question what could possibly survive in such an aggressive landscape. Yet the textures of the cracked ground and jagged foliage lend themselves to an expressive organic canvas. You suddenly realize that this isn't a barren wasteland; you're surrounded by thriving examples of life that have prospered against seemingly death defying odds. Alone with your thoughts in the heat of a glaring sun, you think to yourself what a truly amazing world we live in.

Split Wash 2: Jaguar XJ8

Nostalgia seems to be a great motivator. When going to clean my car a couple weeks ago I decided to bring along my camera simply for the sake of capturing something similar to what I had with my 1989 Buick. From that footage I created Split Wash, a short experimental video using a split screen to divide the recording in to two separate points and layer them together.

What I've done here is of exactly the same principal, except this time the image has been roughed up a bit more and repetition has been applied to the bottom layer. While the validity of these types of video as art can be debated, I've always had a fascination with the subtleties of editing and how it can force us to look at things in ways out of the ordinary. I often attribute this to painting. Like how an artist will create something that is as much about recognizing the paint on the canvas as it is about the art itself.

My goal isn't really to make this seem like more than it is, but in washing my Jaguar (just like I did with my Buick) I've captured a moment and presented it somewhat out of context to make the video and edit the subject. I find something visceral and tangible about working this way. In a little over two years the first version of Split Wash is now a little piece of my history; not quite a homevideo, not quite a complete project.

Crossing the Golden Gate Bridge

After leaving Alcatraz and the buzz around the waterfront, it was off to another one of San Francisco's legendary landmarks, the Golden Gate Bridge. It was one of those moments where we were just in awe. We claimed our brief, but epic road trip moment by grabbing a few snapshots and marveling at our incredible surroundings.

There was no escaping the prominence of the Golden Gate at the entrance of the bay. Driving across it with the roof down only emphasized the scale. That distinct rusty red color, strings of cable whipping passed us, and swarms of cars buzzing by made for an unforgettable scene. Here we were with the wind in our hair crossing one of the most recognizable landmarks in the world.