The following images are from Removing Mountains, 2007, and Plume, 2009-2010.
Removing Mountains surveys the social and political institutions surrounding the modern coal mining process known as mountaintop removal, one of the most destructive and pervasive forms of modern industry in the world. Through the process of mountaintop removal, mountains are literally blown apart to efficiently access coal seams. These photographs resulted from the process of following the industry’s production from start to finish, in addition to spending time with locals as they struggled to deal with the realities of living in coal country.
The follow-up project, Plume, is a photographic exploration of Southeast Ohio and its unusually dense concentration of coal-fired power plants. Plume follows the coal pictured in Removing Mountains up river to Ohio, where it is being burned to generate electricity. The project focuses not only on the coal-burning industry and its historical artifacts, but also the slow, quiet pace of The Ohio River and the communities that live in the shadows of power plants.
> Download a PDF with full artist statements from each project here.
Cheshire, Ohio, 2009
Power Line, 2009
Cindy Parker and her Father's Tools, 2009
Racine, Ohio, 2010
Big Muskie Dragline, 2010
Racine's Daily Walkers, 2010
Cross Grocery, 2009
Robin in Cheshire, Ohio, 2009
Old Lock 24 Campgrounds, 2009
Dennis Riffle, 2010
Gavin Power Plant, 2009
The Ohio River, Middletown, Ohio, 2009
McArthur, Ohio, 2010
Parks and Recreation, West Virginia, 2010
Ohio Green Fayre, 2009
Rosemary Eskew, Pomeroy Flower Shop, 2009
Slurry, 2007
Department of Environmental Protection, 2007
Hell's Gates, 2007
Mountaintop Removal, 2007
Coal Protest, 2007
Coal Pile, 2007
Gavin, Named After Gavin Power Plant, 2010
Morgan County, Ohio, 2010
McArthur, Ohio, 2010
Glouster, Ohio, 2010
Plume and Clouds, 2009
Old Coal Supports, 2010
Bill Jones Camping On The Ohio, 2009
Gavin Power Plant, 2009
Raymond City, West Virginia, 2010
Gavin Power Plant Ash Pond, 2010
Ann And Her Grandson, 2009
Foreclosed Trailer, Ohio, 2010
Kyger Creek Power Plant, 2010
Coal Transportation Railroad and Beltway, 2010
John E. Amos Power Plant, 2010
Smoke Stacks, 2009
Plume was funded through two print sales in the summers of 2009 and 2010. Many people supported me in this work, either by buying prints, blogging the sale, or putting me up while I was on the road. The work could not have been made without the following people, many of which are fellow artists and photographers:
Zachary Allen, Caitlin Arnold, Alis Atwell, Peter Baker, Gabriel Benaim, Aaron Bernstein, Jake Berry, Ramsey Beyer, Toby Blyth, Richard Boutwell, David Bram, Timothy Briner, Sam Brodie, Erin Chrest, Matthew Cox, Chris DiPietro, Geoffrey Ellis, Rachel Fauber, Lucas Foglia, Alex Foucre-Stimes, Sahadeva Hammari, Paul Harnik, Peter Hoffman, Ben Horns, Matt Johnston, Ari Kermaier, Joe Leavenworth, Cesar Llacuna, Ian Maclellan, Steve Mardenfeld, Kurt Mars, Roger May, Shawn May, Michael McCraw, Jeremy Mlodi, Tucker O' Brien, Cindy Parker, Ryan Paternite, Greg Ruben, David Schalliol, Bryan Schutmaat, Brian and Martina Shea, Patrick Sheehan, Thomas Sibley, Christopher Simpson, Martial Soucaze-Guillous, George Slade, Rafael Soldi, Andrew Spear, Nolen Strals, Mel Trittin, Rick Valicenti, Noah Vaughn, Laurence Vecten, Ben Walton, Elisa Young, Katherine Zeltner, Jin Zhu.
Thank you.
Prints are still available form these sales. All money goes towards exhibition costs and future projects.