Straining Salt from Sea Water

This work examines the echoes of family history through the creation of photographic artifacts. These tangible images are paired alongside found objects that carry their own histories—bridging past, present, and future.

Dear lake, tell me about forgiveness, about where I come from.

The vastness of the lake becomes a metaphor for the immensity of inherited pain and provides a contemplative ritual. It offers the possibility of a way forward. Through the meditative processes of cyanotype, handmade paper, film photography, and darkroom printing, this work examines cycles of hardship and how they may be broken through empathy and self-reflection. By acknowledging pain through said reflection, and without perpetuating it, this body of work transforms past wounds into a message of resilience.

I leave, I come back, I leave. Back and forth, revisiting. The salt stays.

Straining Salt from Sea Water reflects the slow, deliberate process of healing—one that requires patience and repetition rather than force. Sifting, or straining, is also an act present throughout this process of making—paper pulp through screen, charcoal through stencil, or light through film negative. Just as straining cannot separate salt from the sea all at once, personal transformation does not happen instantly. Yet, through quiet reflection and persistence, clarity can emerge, much like water gradually purified. It is not a futile act. The lake, a recurring image in this work, mirrors the sea but lacks its salt—perhaps representing a space emptied of what once overwhelmed it, or a vision of what healing could look like when the turmoil has passed.

On view at Kendall College of Art and Design, Grand Rapids, Michigan, May 3 - June 15, 2025.