Every day we are bombarded with images that the solidify the message that youth is the currency of society. The young are to be celebrated and as we age, we should be moved to the shadows.

I was raised by my Mother and grandmother and was brought up to appreciate and value the wisdom and beauty that age brought.  That message was reinforced years later by my Mother-in-law who, like my mother and grandmother, was beautiful to me in looks and spirit.

As I grow older, I see the effects that aging has brought to my body. It is much different from what society sees as beautiful. Yet I still believe that what makes us beautiful and real are the lines on our faces, the soft shapes of our bodies, and the gray in our hair.

My work explores the affect that aging has on organic matter and how the aging process reveals a different type of beauty. The images include family heirlooms from these three beautiful women that passed.

I hope that my images “uncovers the Real which isn’t ugly, except to those who don’t understand”. (Velveteen Rabbit)

Vanishing Points

I am attracted to corners as places of mystery. Often they are empty and lonely, projecting a negative energy that seems to drive objects and people away. Other times they attract the forgotten, the things no one cares about. Corners go unnoticed and unvisited.

A corner is made up of three lines converging to a vanishing point. Perhaps that point silently draws things into it (including ourselves) until they vanish completely. People have evolved to interpret this pattern of converging lines as depth, which the two-dimensional photographic print then makes ambiguous. Is the corner receding—pulling us in—or projecting toward us—threatening to attack? The presence of pattern recognition in humans has lent us both survival skills and aesthetics, and vanishing points touch something at our core.

The Aging Project

The Aging Project is about being given a second chance, new life and purpose.

I have entered my 60’s, and aging terrifies me. As a nurse I became the main caregiver to my late parents and aunts, I saw very active vibrant people become limited by physical and cognitive deterioration. After these losses, and my time once again became my own, I sought out a diversion. I redirected my energy by renting a small space at the Winsmith Mill Market in Norwood, MA, a vintage furniture co-op. I began repurposing furniture for resale.

During their declining years, I had taken multiple pictures of my parents.  The raw emotion of those times, though years had passed, still made it difficult for me to view the images.  The photographs that I show today have helped me in my transitional grieving.

With each portrait you can see that once the utility of an object is removed, the beauty of the object emerges. With time these beauties will find a new home and even a new purpose. The Mill is a monochromatic background filled with clutter. Within the confusion of it all, it is difficult to isolate any one item. The images that stood out to me were the ones with a bright flash of color set against a very monochrome background. When I reflect on the twilight years of my parents and now my own, I find day-to-day living can also be very monochromatic with the occasional bright flash of color.

The Aging Project demonstrates that aging, though difficult and permanent, can be beautiful.  

Once Upon A Time

This work is a collaboration between myself and my 15 year old daughter.  

We work intuitively, with no script or agenda. She dresses up, I follow. I am beholden to her, capturing moments which toggle between fantasy and reality, as she tells her story. I am like a spectator in the audience who has been given a chance to peek behind the curtain and capture her world.  

The process is much like childhood, at times, playful and joyful, at other times, frustrating and confusing.   The result of our collaboration is a series of photos that depict her creativity and imagination.  

It is an honor, a privilege.  It is also fleeting.  I relish these moments, as I know their occurrence will dwindle as she makes her way into womanhood.

Children of the World / Boston

I’ve always been interested in my own family’s immigrant origins. Where did we come from, and how does that make us who we are? How do parents, who emigrated to the U.S. from other places, help their children understand who they are, in their new world?

I met many immigrant families in my job as a social worker, and was fascinated to learn more about their lives. I began photographing the children, and listened to how they understood their family’s immigrant story. Photographing them in their homes here in Boston, I love to see how they ‘become Americans’, and at the same time hold on to some of their identity from the home country. A mother from Pakistan dresses her daughter in a sari, and the little girl only wants Barbie dolls.  A boy from Cape Verde plays African drums, and also loves baseball.

Children of the World | Boston is a story, in photographs and words, about children of immigrant families who live in Boston. My goal is to photograph children from different countries, all living in the Boston area. I interview each family to learn about their experiences living in the U.S., and here in Boston. I ask the parents and children to talk about their identities. A 12 year-old boy said, “I was born in America, but my parents are from the Caribbean. I’m American by citizenship, but ‘American’ is just a label… my blood is from Dominica.”

I want to introduce these different worlds and cultures to a wider audience. My hope is that the viewer will learn something about the ‘children of the world’ here among us.

In Your Face – The Mannequins Look Back

Mannequin heads have fascinated me for years. I frequently find them looking back at me when I look at the world through my camera. Some are attached to bodies and some not. Some of them are sad and battered with chips and stains and bad hair or no hair; some are smooth and perfect if a little blank and submissive. They are inanimate, and yet I feel a connection with them and want to tell their stories.

The faces in this collection look at the camera as though they were human, with consciousness and attitude, meeting the world in their individual ways. They are active participants, projecting their personalities, rather than passive objects. In their photographs, they are alive.

 

Urban Reflections

A lover of the sky, I often look up for consolation. Walking in the city, I see the sky’s light dancing on the old and new architecture. My challenge, or delight is capturing their interaction in a photograph. A myriad of moods can take over as the reflections enhance the images. Looking in on these transformations helps us see the fleeting nature of who we are, and what our created landscapes can become.

The need for innovation is tempered by the commitment to preserve what is beautiful in the old. As a photographer I explore the ever-changing urban space. My hope is that viewers will explore and find glimpses of beauty and history reflected in many urban cityscapes.

Flora

The concept behind “Flora” is to bring me closer to nature and the intricate details and colors of flowers. I am particularly drawn to tropical flowers which are often called exotics. I find that close-up photography using a macro lens gives me the opportunity to discover and observe a whole new world of patterns that, for me, generate positive emotions, ranging from calm to delight.

I first started exploring this form of photography by chance during a workshop involving a single hibiscus flower. I have been quite surprised to find that macro photography appeals to me (not unlike seeing art on a canvas) as an experience full of surprises, where I don’t know what to expect until I see what the seemingly unrecognizable image brings forth. For me, this has opened a new world of exploration and curiosity as I search out details in everyday life. The journey has taken me to new places where I often discover the myriad ways in which an image may surprise, please and intrigue.

Celebration Of Trees        

I have to see a bit of nature every day to maintain my inner balance. Whether I am in the city or exploring outside, trees have a soothing power over me. The relationship between human kind and nature is crucial to our survival as a species and fundamental to my daily life. On exhibit here are a Kauri tree from a rain forest in New Zealand and a Dawn Redwood at the Arnold Arboretum in Boston, Massachusetts. 

Throughout the world trees reduce air temperature, shade surfaces, absorb noise, reduce glare, absorb potentially harmful gases like carbon dioxide and provide habitat for animals. Their beauty transcends time and distance throughout the world.