My younger brother Jason is
a three time gold medal winning bowler, abstract painter, 

heart breaker, pro spin jumper, avid potato chip eater, 

lover of hats, comedian, farm animal enthusiast,
nonverbal, and has autism.

I have learned so much from Jason.
He has taught me about humility and service.
He has taught me about patience and unconditional love.
He has taught me about gratitude and happiness.
I have also learned that people don't always treat Jason 

like the amazing person that he is.

While we are making great strides
in efforts to treat those of varied races and lifestyle 

choices with respect, there is a lot of prejudice and
ignorance against people with mental, developmental,
and emotional disorders and disabilities.
I do not think this is okay.
People are naturally afraid of what they do not know,
but I do not think that ignorance
is a good excuse.

These collages of my photographs and Jason's paintings 

are an attempt to show how he sees the world.
His paintings are really his only commentary on what is
happening around him.
His perspective of the world is different,
but not less.

We are all different, but not less.

 Captions can be found on my website.

A book of this series can be ordered here.

Broken (explained).

It was an August afternoon in 2003 when my parents said,

"Girls, we need to talk." Those five words never meant anything

good. My dad sat between my sister and I on the couch, and my

mom sat on the loveseat. We sat there for a while in silence

until my dad said, “It’s your show, Julie.” Then my mom said,

“Girls, your father and I are getting a divorce.” My sister and I

started crying. My dad started crying. My mom just sat there

crocheting. Phrases such as “We still love each of you” and “It’s

not your fault” fluttered through the air. Shortly after my dad

moved out. Every other weekend custody started. Holidays

were spent at one house or the other.

This series is entitled “Broken.” People always seem surprised when a tragedy like divorce happens in a family, but there are always subtle signs. Things are never what they seem.

The format is horizontal to contrast with the broken-ness in each image. The colors are desaturated and slightly edited to show that the announcement of divorce was just the beginning; the actual event was just the first thunder clap of the storm.

This series was inspired by Emotionlessness by Gwendolyn Kraehenfuss, broken dishes of summer oh nine, and my parents’ divorce.

*I love my entire family very much. They are great people (read about them here). This is just something I needed to do to help release emotions that have been building up for years. It is the first time that I have artistically expressed how I felt about this subject. So for me it represents divorce, but for you it could mean something else. No family is perfect.

Broken.

Rexburg, ID

Broken

A series for Color Photography.

Inspired by broken dishes of summer oh nine, Emotionlessness by Gwendolyn Kraehenfuss,

and my parents' divorce.

Artist's statement/explanation coming soon.