Why Umbrellas?
My fascination with umbrellas began in the summer of 1999.
I lived in Japan and worked with children at the American
Embassy in Tokyo. Prior to those months, I had an aversion to
umbrellas. I didn’t understand the point of carrying one and
felt it was much easier to get a little wet. However, walking
several miles to work each day during the rainy season
required that I either change my ways or work in soaked
clothing. So I bought myself an umbrella…a pink clear plastic
one. I fell in love with that pink clear plastic umbrella. I started
to see the beauty in how each umbrella represented
someone’s story…like the story of the person who stole my
pink clear plastic umbrella outside a club in the Tokyo bar
district. I eventually let go of my bitterness and moved on.
Since those days umbrellas have been the highlight in
hundreds of my photos around the world, in sketches and
numerous paintings. They are among the details in life that
make me smile. I believe that the beauty of life is the details.