PEEPING JUDY SERIES

I have always enjoyed walking or driving in the evening and seeing the light in the windows of people’s homes. The light coming from the darkness evokes in my mind perfect scenes inside where all is well; where there is the smell of delicious food cooking, the pillows are soft and comforting, children are being hugged and held by their parents, lovers are passionate yet tender with each other....

There is something about the light coming out of the darkness that is a vehicle for the imagination. The fact that the light is emanating from someone's living space guides the mind in a
particular way.
 
There was one window up on a third floor that I used to walk by frequently imagining all the wonderful scenes inside. It had soft flowing curtains with a little light. I had occasion to meet the person who owned the home. I went up to the room eagerly looking forward to seeing it and found that it was an empty, unfinished attic. Sometimes, it seems, the imagination is a better place to reside.

UP ON THE ROOF SERIES

It seems to me that everyone is running around these days in
a kind of crazy state dictated by cell phones, e-mail, and the fast pace of modern life in our country. As an antidote to all of the chaos I recommend finding a rooftop that one can use to get
away from it all.  

This series came about as I was running out after work at MIT to jump in my car that was parked on the top of the West Garage. I took a moment to look around and was entranced by the timeless
beauty of the urban landscape around me. The sense of quiet and the open space gave me a feeling of peace that I rarely feel in the city.

GARDENS OF EDEN SERIES

Gardens are an oasis in a culture that keeps speeding up and getting more and more complicated. Plants take time to grow; there’s no rushing them along. They need to be nurtured, protected and admired. Much time, energy and money is spent for the simple pleasure of viewing the vivid colors and shapes that nature provides. There is something basic and elemental about growing and looking at gardens, something that feeds the soul. In the words of George Bernard Shaw “The best place to seek God is in a garden. You can dig for him there”.

REFUGE SERIES

I love the natural world. I love what it has to teach us about the strength of the life force as well as the fragility of being.  I love the gestures of  leaves, branches, vines, flowers, fruits..... I love the little oddities to be found if you look closely enough. I love the audacity of the color; the bright pinks, azure blues, the yellow and blue greens..... I love the cycle of fresh new beauty transformed into wrinkled, sculptural beauty.

I could go on and on. Nature has always been for me a refuge from the cares of everyday life; a place I can go to feel  whole and to have a profound sense that it is a good idea to be alive because I too am a part of a world that is wild, wonderful and mysterious.

JP DE NUIT SERIES

This work is inspired by Brassai’s Paris De Nuit book.  Brassai was obviously in love with Paris and made this apparent in his pictures. I thought to myself “ Well hell, I’m in love with JP why not photographically explore the idea of Jamaica Plain at night?

I’ve lived in Jamaica Plain for a total of around 21 years.  It is a fabulous place filled with beautiful landscapes, lovely homes and churches, interesting bars, restaurants and businesses and a wonderfully diverse population.

I’ve seen much change in the time that I’ve lived here: some things have been for the better and some for the worse. I would like to capture in this work some of the fleeting scenes that give me pleasure as I’m walking or driving around this place that I call home. Some of this will be gone one day and it will be nice to have a visual record of it: for myself and for others who share my passion for this little slice of Boston.