I tend to be interested in projects that feel accessible, maybe even obvious. This series exists because a friend of mine bought a car. It was Finn's first car and he'd spent most of his commuting life on a bike with a nigh militantly anti-car posture. Finn ponying up for wheels was startling and I did the thing you do when you want to mark on occasion. One of the photos I took is the final image in this series. When I got those frames back I thought "Oh yeah, this could be a series."

(I guess technically everything could be a series, but this also could be a series.)

Some of these kids already had pretty respectable cars, gifts from parents. Those privileged few were outliers. Most cars ran well enough, one out at 35mph, rendering it unable to drive on the freeway. It was technically still a car, but not useful or reliable. Maybe an on-the-nose symbol of the quasi-freedom teenagers have.

Another car stopped working for good between the time I took the photos and the time they were developed. The lesson here is if you're a car and a teenager is your driver it's time to put your affairs in place. If you catch my drift.

I found the subjects through social media. One connection came because a proud aunt wanted her nephew in the mix. (Thanks Sarah.) I'm told the kids don't use email anymore, so I appreciate them being willing to meet me on that plain.

I showed this work as part of a group show outside my old office, located in a building that housed a bunch of artists & a few mechanic's bays. It led to a lot of stories from show attendees and my grandma liked it too.