Duchess, II Print

1952, Brooklyn, New York, USA NYC based painter/sculptor/performance artist/and now photographer. Have travelled in some 90 countries in search of adventure and inspiration for my work.

Ive been taking photos almost all my life I took my first lessons with Alfred Eisenstadt, a family friend, when I was 15 -- however until fairly recently, it was painting, sculpting and performance pieces that spoke to me as an artist.

My work had always revolved around religious themes, and I have had a fair amount of renown in that field. (The work I did immediately prior to photography is in the permanent collection of The Jewish Museum, The Yeshiva University Museum and The Hebrew Union College, in addition to many other museums.) About 4 years ago, I picked up a book by Taschen, entitled, "Early Erotic Photography," nude photographs from the 1800's. I was so taken by the images that I purchased a large format camera, built a set in my studio, hired a model and took some photos. I was so pleased with the results, and the reaction of others to the images was so swift and strongly positive, I became hooked on photography. It felt as if I was doing exactly what I was meant to do. I have never looked back. In 2005, my first book of photographs, Erotic Flashback was published internationally by Goliath Books. I am currently working on a second book.

At first, my sole intention was to enjoy myself simply by creating a beautiful image. Once I had a handful of photos, I created a website. Within a few months, women from all over the world were discovering my site and offering to pose for me, without pay -- in exchange for prints. Women came from as far as Iceland and Italy to work with me.

Seeing how powerful the models desire to expose and exhibit themselves made the process more complex and compelling. Time and again, the women expressed gratitude for the opportunity and explained how liberating and empowering it felt to pose nude.

Recently, Ive been combining some of my experience and skills from my days in sculpture and performance with my photography. Ive begun creating elaborate costumes and jewelry for each model. Most of the models love the dress-up aspect of my work. It connects with their early experience and helps them feel comfortable in exposing themselves. I want to push this aspect of my work even further.