Seen Unseen Show

Finding Estrella in Seen/Unseen

Six photographs from my ongoing project, Finding Estrella, are included in Seen/Unseen at the Eric Fischl Gallery at Phoenix College. Organized by the Arizona Photography Alliance, the exhibition runs October 5–22, 2026, with portfolios selected by juror Emilia Mickevicius. (eventbrite.com⁠)

Finding Estrella follows the changing visibility of Estrella Mountain as development spreads across the West Valley. Warehouses, housing, roads, and walls enter the foreground, gradually altering our relationship with a mountain that remains physically present. From some places it still defines the landscape. From others, only a small portion is visible.

The exhibition’s title has a particular resonance with this work. The mountain can be both seen and overlooked. Sometimes it takes a moment to find it within the photograph, just as it takes an intentional effort to notice it through the development surrounding us.

Emilia Mickevicius is the Norton Family Assistant Curator of Photography at Phoenix Art Museum. Having these photographs selected by someone whose work involves studying and presenting photography makes their inclusion especially meaningful to me. (phxart.org⁠) A portfolio selection also gives several images room to work together, allowing the project’s recurring relationships to emerge across the group.

The six selected photographs are Together or Alone, There and Now, Receding Rhythm, Past Is Never Far, Overpassed, and Looking Back. Each approaches the mountain through a different arrangement of the built environment. Together, they offer a concentrated view of the questions that keep bringing me back to these places.

As the project develops, I find myself moving toward quieter images. I want the viewer to spend time with the composition, noticing how one shape relates to another and how the mountain holds its place within the scene. Color, light, and distance help create that opportunity for discovery.

I’m grateful to Emilia Mickevicius, the Arizona Photography Alliance, and the Eric Fischl Gallery for giving this work a place to be encountered. Finding Estrella continues to grow as the landscape changes, and this exhibition offers a moment to share where the project stands.