Artist’s Statement

I can’t remember a time when photography was not important to me – whether I was being photographed as a young child by my parents and others, or when I was taking my own photographs with my Brownie Hawkeye, or when I was looking at my grandfather’s photograph albums from his world travels, particularly in the early 1900s. Looking at photographs delights me and fascinates me — always has and always will! To this day, I am happiest when surrounded by ‘snaps’ of special moments in my life with Jimmy and our family and friends.

It occurred to me a number of years ago that it was New England winters that formed my photographic eye when I was a child. The simple form of a tree, a bird in flight, or a stone wall stood out against the stark beauty of the snow-covered landscape. I believe it is the visual purity of these childhood images that has been the cornerstone of my work throughout the many years of my photographic journey.

When I moved to New York in my early twenties, I was immediately drawn to the street happenings of New York. It was a time of protests and parades, the early beginnings of graffiti, and live park music and breakdancing. It was truly a visual feast for street photographers! For the next fifteen years, I spent as much time as possible photographing this exciting city that has been my home for almost forty years.

In 1983, I began a large-scale body of work to photograph Jazz artists and thus began an amazing journey. There are truly no words to describe the immense joy that this continuing endeavor has brought to my life both artistically and personally. Having the opportunity to get to know many of the Jazz artists whom I have photographed and to listen to and appreciate their music has been an experience that has truly enriched my life in ways too numerous to mention. Through the years, these artists have always been generous and kind to me with their encouragement and their generosity of spirit.

Over the years, I have had numerous one-person exhibitions of my work in galleries in the United States and Europe. Several years ago, my Jazz images were accepted by the Smithsonian Institute for their permanent collection.