My creative research consists of two distinct styles of art making: traditional narrative video and experimental video documentary. The content of my experimental work is driven by and created in response to primary experiences in my life. I draw from personal experiences to develop documentaries, experimental single-channel videos or video installations that encourage discourse on difficult subject matters, including domestic violence, women’s body issues, breast cancer and Alzheimer’s.
The content of my work is inevitably drawn from both personal experience as well as a desire to uncover stories about other people and their responses when facing the vicissitudes of life. My most recent project stems from September 6, 2010, when the most destructive wildfire in Colorado history ignited. My home was in the center of the burn area. During the fire we were under mandatory evacuation orders for ten days and as soon as I returned home, I began collecting imagery and documenting the aftermath of the fire.
In Fall 2011, I completed a 30-minute documentary about the Fourmile Fire, titled Above the Ashes. As a documentary it reveals untold heroes, the strength of mountain communities and the devastation caused by the catastrophic Fourmile Fire. Moreover, Above the Ashes tells the stories of mountain residents that refused to evacuate the mining town site of Sunshine and instead stayed to fight the Fourmile fire. With haunting images of the forest in flames and remarkable interviews with ordinary people in extraordinary circumstances, Above the Ashes reveals tales of bravery, family, friends, loss and the rebuilding of a community. I directed, produced, filmed and edited the piece.
