Artist's Statement

What I Hold Dear is a personal narrative based on my native home in South Dakota and my present life in California. Beginning in 2009, I made a series of trips back to South Dakota, seeking out places from my past that resonate with me. At the same time, I found myself drawn to scenery in California that reminded me of the Midwest: open, isolated, and quiet.

Moving between landscapes and interior spaces, a journey unfolds through the convergence of two disparate worlds. The process of photographing in both locations allowed me to address the feeling of being distanced yet emotionally attached to a place I once knew so well. What remains within me is an innate longing for the familiar feeling of home.