“The Morning After He Bit Her,” received first place at the MN State Fair Fine Art Competition 2007.  The image is the morning after we spend several hours in the ER putting her face back together after our family dog attacked … not bit, but attacked her. The dog in the background is the offender. He was a great dog, but the trust was broken and we ultimately had to do the responsible thing. He was eventually put-down by our vet after this image was taken.

What prompted me pick-up my camera? As I walked down the stairs and into the kitchen unclear if I awoke at from my nightmare.  The fog in my mind was still so thick yet as I watched my daughter’s interaction with our dog through the screen door the message became clear to me.  Strangely, my daughter wasn’t scared of the dog and at that moment my daughter reminded me of forgiveness and how incredibly innocent she was, and still is.  Even in this moment in which she should have showed fear or hate… she never did.  She forgave.  She had no idea how to hate.  The day the dog attacked her, my daughter nearly lost her innocence.  I know I can’t protect her forever.

There are strong reactions, positive and negative, which means that the image is hitting individuals very personally and emotionally hard.  I find that very interesting and I am proud to have been able to stir the same emotional stages in strangers that my family had experienced. In the end, the reality of life isn’t always fair and easy to look at…