the following is my artist statement from my solo exhibtion "family, friends & strangers", purchase NY- febuary 12-17, 2003

"It's as though there's a wonderful secret in a certain place and I can capture it. Only I can do it at this moment, only this moment and only me". ----Walker Evans

I am making a series of portraits within forgotten spaces and trying to capture this time in my life. So in making these series of photographs I am exploring the concept of the self-portrait, using these people as extensions of myself. I am trying to capture what makes me the person I am, since you are so influenced by the people that surround you.
I look for places that appeal to me, and those places are usually forgotten, lost places. I have always been interested in the quiet spaces in and around large cities. Among the crowds and the noise we can find small forgotten places. These are the places that people walk by everyday and ignore. Within all of this, I believe there is a hidden joy that people tend to overlook, and it’s something I am interested in capturing and exploring. I think it's hard to find, pure joy that is, and it's not just a person smiling or laughing, it's a feeling, an emotion, a state of being. It's hitting that winning homerun in Yankee stadium, or something as simple as walking home from work with a good friend, It's the feeling that reminds you that you're alive, and that you are in the moment