n one photograph, a soft feathered bird—suspended by string—drifts in a box by a dried twisted vine; another one's caught in a simple machine, the artist's invention of cogwheels and twine.

As macabre as they sound, a look at the photographs rewards us with images that are both tender and haunting. A dry flower mirrors a piece of coral and both are framed in a simple box. In this and other photographs, Medinger's camera reveals a contextually confusing natural world in which a sea skeleton harmonizes with a parched and wilted flower—from whom it might have robbed its bloom.

Asked why he began assembling these small scenes and what they mean to him, Medinger responds, "The choice of objects and their placement are both exciting to me. I like using wilted flowers because I am interested in the wilted state, but also because I like to show the reverse of things. I am sensitive to changes, disintegration... beauty that is not eternal.

"It began, I think, at home. My father kept his tools in drawers that were a complete mess. I felt I wanted to document the things that he worked with and I began arranging them to photograph in the drawer.

"I collect objects that interest me, or attract me with their shape. I may place a fragile element like an old vegetable or animal skull beside a tool or machine in part because of how they look together. Then, after I view the installation with a friend, we often rebuild it and the original object may not even be part of the composition. We have a good time finding the balance. Even when the photos look severe, there's always something humorous meant to come through."

He offers a clue to his humor when he mentions the cartoon drawings he avidly collects. Gahan Wilson, the master of macabre, is a particular favorite he says. The influence of surrealism is also apparent with a number of his photos inspired directly by the work of Max Ernst.