About Tina and Her Apocalyptic Dark Art

I've been an animal rights activist and a vegetarian for over 25 years. My love affair with animals began in childhood, but 21 years ago I became involved in greyhound rescue. Thus it is only fitting that my work reflects that passion, and also the passion and visions I foresee for a planet suffering from neglect and in need of hope and positive reconstruction.

My artwork has evolved over the years, from idealist to realist, back to idealist! I created, designed and taught jewelry for many years, and have worked in many mediums, but photography, both black and white and color are my real passions. Over the last 5 years I have worked exclusively in traditional color photography.

I never expected that I would find a medium so attuned to me and my work that I wanted to immerse myself in it completely. I developed a technique in the darkroom using positive & negative transparencies as overlays to create ghostly figures of people, greyhounds, and skeletons that are at the very center of my work. Using this same technique, I have incorporated my drawings into some of the images. There is no digital manipulation involved in any aspect of the process.

Originally, my first body of color work had a very specific theme: as the world becomes more polluted, man & animals cease to exist, until the last stand is made; good vs. evil. Being an optimist, I re-populated the world, but with one extra detail: everybody, man & animal, has to wear gas masks. Part of this was my sense of humor, and the rest was to be a reminder of what could be.

Things are never so simple, so my work has gone through several metamorphoses to what I create today. The images are meant to invoke curiosity and self-examination, but I also want the viewer to feel outrage as they depict a future ravaged by nuclear war and pollution, but also a world in which animals (greyhounds) have become almost human, and humans, when they exist, have become fleshless, soulless creatures (skeletons). It's a messed up world where humanity appears lost, much like the world is today. 

Man's relationship to animals, or lack of, has always puzzled me, because I truly believe that we are all connected and as sentient beings, all deserve to live in peace and harmony on this planet.

I think many of my images are just pieces of a puzzle that all of us have the power and influence to change for the better. That in 50 years, will be a commentary on what we didn't do to the planet.  Instead, we choose hope!

I leave you with this last bit of sage advice.

If social and political ideas don't change,and change soon, I foresee a world in which gas masks will be the norm, and there will be an Exit........Nowhere.

• Born and raised in St. Petersburg, Florida & attended local schools
  
• Wanted to be a criminal lawyer since childhood & began college as law major
  
• Junior year of college changed major to Bachelor of Fine Arts in Art
  
• Received a B.F.A. in Art from Western Carolina University, Certification in Art Education (K-12) from University of South Florida   
  
• Married, live in Largo with husband and 5 greyhounds
  
• Visual Arts Dept. Chair @ a high school in St. Petersburg and currently teach photography (traditional & digital), Drawing & 2-Dimensional Design
  
• Jewelry, Drawing & Photography works exhibited and featured in juried art shows & local galleries
  
• Vegetarian & Animal Rights Activist
  
• Member of D.A.R.T. team (Pinellas County Disaster Animal Response Team): ongoing
  
• Active member of G.R.E.A.T. (Greyhound Rescue and Adoption of Tampa Bay): Fostered and rescued hundreds of greyhounds, etc.
  
• Co-Founded GPA of Largo - 1994
  
• Volunteer with Animal Awareness Club students from school at the SPCA: various jobs include dog walking, cat care taking, introductions of animals, and anything else  that is needed to be done.
  
• Member of S.A.R.T. (State Agricultural Response Team)
  
• Am a student in ongoing classes of Photography & Veterinary Technology.