Since I first started taking photographs of buildings a few years ago, architecture has crept more and more into the forefront of my inspiration. As I worked on this year’s compositions, I kept thinking about how certain buildings and landscapes define a place. Perhaps coincidentally, the architecture photos started in Scotland, which has such a distinctive look, but I’ve since looked at local landscapes and other travel images through the same filter.

To bring these pieces together, I drew from several sources. First, I’m still inspired by my daily collage project. I started small, using some of the 4×6 collages in combination with a digital photograph, just puttering around. In between the puttering, I noticed myself drawn to a few new colors, and rounded out my palette.

Remembering my love of printmaking and the incomparable textures it can produce, I was inspired to further transform some of my handmade collages into printing plates, or collagraphs. Yep, I inked right over those collages! (Yes, I made digital scans as backups just in case.)

Starting with one of my palette options as a base, I added one or more of the small detail collaged layers to a grid composition, much like the building blocks of 2014. The larger works in this series have many more layers than before, from using more, overlapped colors, texture from the collagraph prints, and details, even if they are obscured.

The result has a feel of decay and passing time, of the fleeting impressions of a place, muddled by memory. Whether we scramble for our camera, or just take in the view, it’s how we think of places after the fact that I am trying to capture. I hope these images invite you to think about your favorite places or to dream of a travel adventure. See for yourself, here: 2015 Portfolio.