Joss/Hong Kong Photograph

Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, based out of Paris, France, for twenty years and now residing between Paris and New York when I am not in other countries working on new exhibitions and books... "As art is a representation of human awareness, may we, both individually and collectively, take the time to recognize the beauty of our HEAVENS ON EARTH. My life's work is titled,"Heaven On Earth/Paradis Sur Terre", describing a philosophical and artistic ideology that embraces the simple and positive message of beauty. In my work, I seek to present a unified vision of world cultures as disparate as Paris, Hong Kong and Manhattan. My focus on the elements of day-and-night living, explores the human similarities yet cultural nuances that both color our lives and tell a collective story of humanity...In practicing pure photography, shooting Ektachrome 100ASA and Tungsten 160ASA films, none of my images have been altered by computers, filters, flashes or multiple exposures. I prefer to effect "seconds in time or fractions thereof" through imaginative observation. Combining diffusion of detail, manipulation of film, spontaneity and the elements of nature, I attempt to capture my subjects in the time period that each culture evokes, be it 50, 150 or 200 years ago, yet are veritable images of today. The method of framing my images, hand-printed Ilfochromes, in actual wood windows and doors taken from the streets that produce my subject matter is embedded in my quest to find and reflect the identity of each location. After being restored to its original wood base, each window and door is then burned, treated, stained and branded(SRA). Hence, each piece has not only an historical value, as many of the frames date from 50 to 100+ years of age, but each window or door represents a tangible portal combined with an image to transport the viewer to that culture and period in time. In essence, each piece inevitably becomes a unique entity fortifying my insistence that there only be one window or door for each image in the accompanying books. Each body of work spans two years involving research, one year of photography, editing, finding and refinishing the respective windows and doors for the original art pieces, printing, assemblage of the original art pieces, amongst a multitude of other tasks, and culminating with the respective publication accompanying the opening of each exhibition in the respective culture.