History Forward
I am a retired graphic designer, mixed-media artist, fine art photographer and visual historian. My creative work is a culmination of 35 years of experience with photo research, photography, digital image restoration, collecting, image archiving, and family & geographic research. I create to bring history forward into current day so that we may learn from it, appreciate its lessons, and add our own story to it in a thoughtful and restorative way.
In 2009 I combined research skills with extensive Photoshop experience to perfect the art of image colorization or “reconstruction.” The beauty of color reconstruction is that an historic image and it’s underlying story can be understood more readily because it uses the image vernacular of modern day. This enables a digitally, tech savvy generation to appreciate and interact with world history in their own terminology. Reconstructed color imagery bring history forward to our time.
A sampling of my creative projects:
In 2013 I produced a color reconstructed image for NPR’s special 50th anniversary coverage of the March on Washington.
In 2014 I produced work for two History Channel specials – Blood and Glory: The Civil War in Color and Ancient Aliens. Here is that gallery.
In 2015 I worked with Pat Sullivan in researching his family genealogy for the book No Matter What May Befall Me, published by the Orange County Historical Society (of Virginia, USA). The cover jacket features a colorization of the family patriarch.
In 2016/17 I researched 60+ images with visual historian Jordan Lloyd for the book The Paper Time Machine published in October 2017, and History as they Saw It: Iconic Moments from the Past in Color (Chronicle Books, 2018)
IN 2016 I began collecting vintage tools, ephemera and vintage smalls has become the focus of my creative outlay. Tools related to woodworking, machining, plumbing, drafting, etc…advertising tins, vintage office supplies, receipts, photographs, ledgers, passports etc... It is difficult to quantify (or list) them all. I create imagery arranging physical objects using the style called knolling, “as seen from above” and #flatlay. That gallery is here. My collage art is a new creative work in process and I will post them very soon. Prints are available.
I wrote about this process for my inclusion in the encyclopedia, A Vintage Life published by Uppercase magazine in July of 2019
My office/studio which houses my collections was featured in the magazine In her Studio published by Stampington.com.
I continue to maintain my large collection of vintage film cameras, Kodachrome slides and an extensive historic family archive, which I will delve into often for inspiration and information. I am not selling any of my collections at this time.
As os 2022 I am a certified Virginia Master Naturalist. I bird every day, work on citizen science projects, study butterflies and take photos of everything I see. My bird and butterfly galleries are now live.