Third Floor

2004. Digital photograph. 8" x 10" $39.99 plus $2.99 for shipping; 11" x 17" $59.99 plus $3.99 for shipping. Click here if you want this piece.

I hate wasting things. The previous sentence could just about begin any statement about any piece of work I've ever done, and I may one day have them inscribe it on my tombstone... though I'll have to find something to recycle into a tombstone first. Anyway, in this case, it's especially applicable. I make things out of scrap articles... but I can never save them all. This photograph is a testament to the many levels of the trash can. Some of the best stuff is found close enough to the surface so the digging process isn't too gross. Unfortunately, on the day I took this pic, I was already virtually swimming in "saved" garbage. Why the quote marks? Easy. Oftentimes, what I can transport and/or store dictates what I can actually save. I've had to throw away a lot of gold (literally, once), simply because of lack of room. It sounds like I'm begging for donations, or something. Go ahead and send some... but the greatest part of a digital photograph is its permanence. All this requires is a small amount of energy, and a small amount of space. As matter and energy can't be destroyed, it can literally last forever. When the legacy of digital media has outlived its old guard (people not much older than I am), we'll see what the future has in store. As anyone who knows me would tell you, I am all about digital. Screw old-school slides; they're nothing but an obsolete fad. Digital photography would be my main focus, if not for bandwidth restrictions (and the fact that I'm even worse at photography than at painting). The materials in this picture are the subjects of an ancient portrait... gone, but not forgotten.