Introduction

I tend to stumble on what to say about myself in these sort of assignments. I don't think I have grown enough as an artist to really know who I am or what I would want to say as one. But I will try.

Colosseum, Rome, Italy, 2014

My name is Chloe. I am currently a senior studying psychology and studio art at Lawrence University. I am half Italian, half American. 
I grew up in Rome and speak the language fluently; however, since moving to the States for college I have felt a great detachment from my Italian identity. I think, at times, I portray this loss in my artwork (especially in photography).

I take a lot of pictures of these two:

I have a fascination with documenting life around me. I take what some may consider way too many photographs with my iPhone. I want to be able to have a physical record of everything, basically. If I don't have my phone on me I will immediately regret it, not because I can't text or call or facebook, but because I can't photograph things. (*side note: my phone is currently in a ziplock bag of rice because it's waterlogged, so you can probably imagine how I am feeling rn.) I feel like many of you can probably relate to this, since we live in a time when documenting our daily (mostly mundane) routine and then posting it all over social media is pretty normal. On the other hand, some of you may really not agree with this kind of documentation because it can take away from the actual moments you're in. I don't know. Anyway, what may be different from some others is that I really, really value these tiny photographs. I don't delete them easily because keeping memories with me makes me feel a little more whole. All in all, I think that partly losing this chunk of who I am has really urged me to try my best to keep hold of what I still do have. Does that sound corny? It probably does.

Cardinal perched on a snowy tree, 2013

 So, I really enjoy photographing (both digital slr and darkroom) and I feel like it's a meditative form of expression. Sometimes I take photographs to remember, sometimes I take them to express a feeling, but most of the time I stumble upon things I see beauty in and want to capture them. As someone who tends to be hyper-aware of (and easily distracted by) everything, photographing really focuses me in on things occurring around me and makes me feel a little less scattered and a little more connected.

 I could probably say a lot more about what art means to me, but I find it difficult to formulate what I want to say through it. Mostly, I photograph to convey what I see and hope to elicit a certain feel. I think/hope that the photographs can do the rest of the talking. Another corny ending to a paragraph!

Dall'Alto, Winter Light, January 2015