ARTIST STATEMENT

California Portal is a series of California landscape photographs intended to be viewed in the context of the ever-changing light and framed views from the windows of the gallery at The Ocotillo. The photographs invite the viewer to consider the desert as one of many scenic California vistas. I first picked up a camera at a young age while exploring the coastlines and mountains surrounding the Bay Area in Northern California where I started to study the golden light synonymous with the state. Eventually heading south to San Diego and Los Angeles I continued to study the California landscapes through the different seasons capturing the diversity of environments it is so famous for. Through my lens, I now capture what is now known as #valerartsy.