Spent

Energy and strength have a capacity, an upper limit. When we reach our maximum effort at the end of our struggle, we are spent. Weary in action and conjecture, we physically endure and prevail through the stress of life. For years I have observed these contorted expressions surface while lifting weights in front of a mirror. Our faces, the organs of expression reveal themselves like a whistling teapot under pressure. Kinetic energy builds to a climax through the body to form the grimace of strain. I am fascinated with these expressive moments because they are both telling and mysterious.

The series Spent is about the tipping point where we tangibly exhaust ourselves through enormous effort and the daily grind forward toward complete depletion. I am interested in the differences exhibited by different people. These portraits demonstrate a variety oof uniquely evocative individuals. From the youth who disguise their vulnerability, to the manual workers exhausted by continual labor and life in general, the expression is the betrayer of the inner struggle.