About: This series of small copper etchings titled City Blocks features small isolated landscapes that depict empty building lots throughout the city of Philadelphia. These prints are very small; the average size of the largest dimension is just under 3 inches. This is a two and half year project that was initiated in the fall of 2016 when I moved back to the city of Philadelphia after 12 years in Athens, GA. I started photographing and creating sketches of these wild urban spaces that exist in forgotten lots and old structures; tiny ecosystems filled with weeds, feral cats, trash and occasionally a community garden. Some of these lots had been cared for and become green spaces within these marginal neighborhoods while other lots are representative of years of neglect. At this time I noticed that these empty green spaces were disappearing quickly as real estate prices were skyrocketing and developers were filling the spaces with high priced townhouses and commercial properties. This is a result of the rapid rate of gentrification in North and South Philadelphia neighborhoods. This series of prints forms a portrait of the transitioning city landscape.
