The Desk

This is where I have been editing, writing emails, etc. in Italy. It is the kind of desk that makes me want to learn as many languages as I can, read every book on the shelf, travel the world, and stay up all night playing with pictures. I think it may be time for a desk back in CA..

La Cucina

      

          Eleven days ago I arrived in Milán to work as a photography assistant for the Italian / New York artist Oberto Gili. I was driven to the small Piemonte town of Brá where Oberto has an amazing home that sits high on the hillside above town. Aside from the vegetable garden, the cherry orchard, the many peonies, and small vineyard - there are three cows, one of which is named Violet (or Viola for short), four small and charming dogs, a donkey named Giulia, and a flock of chickens. As may be telling of the Italian lifestyle, the other guests and I found ourselves in the kitchen more than any other room in the house. Whether learning to make Italian style eggs with tomatoes, sage, and half a stick of butter, or tasting the fierce sweet, stinging Grappa Oberto made last fall, we felt at home in this verdant cucína.

Chiara

This is Chiara. She has set the standard n my mind for what a great model should be like whether in front of the camera or not. Somehow I did not expect to see a professional model from Milan dancing around the house till 4am with an American flag napkin wrapped around her heard with the rest of us, but Chiara did.  

Intimate Patterns

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    The premise of the project is to observe the dispositions of young people while dressed and undressed and note the differences that arise outside the physical. I believe that body and mind are intertwined, and patterns of self-reproof are inhibiting at best. In a country where nakedness is immodest, and our own skin seen as something to veil and forget about, we become strangers to our natural selves. There is sadness in this that is rarely spoken about. When I decided to photograph young men and women with and without their garments, I saw how receptive many people are to a genuine request to see them as they are. Every person I photographed told me something about themselves I did not know before: how naked She feels without her glasses, the religious values behind His style of dress, how Her scar was made. I learned the reasons for the things beneath their clothes: rosary beads, a tattoo, a burn mark. People my age seem to understand the repercussions of the way they look, and it is a part of our molding and shaping to be beautiful, tall, overweight, dark skinned, freckled, blonde, because that is how we are treated. I want to take away a part of that by removing garments. From what I have seen and experienced, undressing makes people take another look at them selves physically and psychologically and I think it is healthy to look at the body with as much understanding as we can gather. I want to have a deep-seated affection for the physical that does not give way to judgment from outside or in.

Jenni

 This first one is part of an extension project I've just started that is more about combining anatomy, skin, tattoos, etc. with patterns I've found in Nature, primarily very seasonal patterns. I think it speaks to the shared sensuality between us and the other naturally beautiful parts of the earth.

Bobby

 Bobby’s skin is fascinating. From the Tentacles wrapped round his arms to the newest of his tattoos, a Breast Cancer emblem circling his wrist in admiration of a friend battling the disease. His body is a collection of art and a statement of respect.