Artist Statement:

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Stop what you are doing right now and take a look. Come a little closer, and you are about to discover a whole new world, a whole new realm of artistic possibility. Often times in art we are told to look at the bigger picture, to absorb the situation as a whole and not focus on specific details. I would personally agree with this concept in many cases, but it should be said that concentrating on the details can be just as, if not more, important than the whole. Skip them and you will miss the microscopic yet incredibly fulfilling presence and beauty of a thriving system that constantly occurs all around you. Because you chose to overlook the specifics, you may have missed crucial aspects that would have sent you head first directly into the most extraordinary artistic flow you've ever experienced, and drastically change your perception of the world around you. Okay, I know I'm being a little dramatic, but seriously, take a few moments to seek out the detail once in a while.

This is exactly what I aimed to capture during the trip to Europe. I left home having a few ideas for a photographic theme in mind, but none that I felt truly confident with. It wasn't until about a week in to the trip when it was brought to my attention, looking through the photos I have taken so far, that I had a few promising-looking close-up photos. This was somewhat of a theme I was assembling subconsciously, and looking back at my photography in the past, I tend to do this while I go out on my adventures. I went forth the rest of the trip with this idea in mind and I am pleased to share what I have brought back. What you see here is a collection of photographs I have titled "Proximate Impressions", thirteen close-up images of my adventures in and around London, England, Edinburgh, Scotland, and Paris, France. I hope you enjoy my work and remember, take a moment out of your day, pause, and come in close. You are bound to see beauty that is often dismissed.