EAST MEETS WEST
Rita and I had been mutual supporters of each other's work from a distance for some time, finding each other through the women’s surf communities on Instagram. Rita fell in love with my snowy backdrops and pastel hues, and I loved her rugged tree lines and graphic photo collages. They were a different kind of artistry, and brought her photography to a whole different place.
I asked if Rita wanted to play with any of my shots, and that I would be honored to collaborate in whatever manner if she was willing! Although nervous and excited to create with someone else’s art, she agreed and I sent her a TON of files and essentially said "go play!" This was 2019, and it was such a rewarding process. Rita would send me some in progress, sometimes incorporating her own photos for different textures or backdrops, I would give some feedback or creative direction, and we came away with over a dozen pieces that we called "East Meets West". Especially as Covid hit, it was an opportunity for her to stay creative, and I trusted her with my art.
Fast forward to late 2020 and I had some new images and invited Rita for round 2. "East Meets West 2.0" was much more black & white driven, and combined a few more of Rita's images along with my own.
For never having met in person — being on opposite coasts, and now with Covid — I'd like to think this process has helped us become closer as individuals and as artists. It’s one of those friendships born of the online community, but still extremely fulfilling. I have a deeper understanding of her process and aesthetic, and respect her work on multiple levels. Rita is talented in ways I certainly am not, and it's refreshing to see what my work can grow into through another artist's vision.
We both have never really traveled to each other’s regions — and find something beautifully alluring in what we perceive as far off unknown places. But this is the beauty of collaborations, a melding of minds that forms a new creative vision. East Meets West has breathed new life into our imagery to create an entirely new set of visuals, and given us both further drive to get out there and explore these places beyond the digital and into the tangible world.
— Cate Brown
Shot over consecutive mornings during the long, recent run of North Coast autumn swell, In the Family of Things is Dave Rastovich in his element, doing his thing.