OncoLink - Abramson Cancer Center of the University of Pennsylvania

I try to photograph landscapes of exquisite beauty that may calm a person's fears: sunsets, views of water or flowers. The intention is to make the viewer feel in harmony with nature. This might let us forget for an instant the rude intrusion of illness into our lives.

For this exhibition, I also chose to include two photographs which are more direct metaphors for the experience of cancer. Up Close and Dangerous depicts the surface of a cactus with its perfectly menacing display of rhythm and line. The dangerous spikes keep out intruders that might harm the delicate flesh within. In The Red Hat, the person has reached the end of the wall and leans into it for protection and stability. Yet the untraveled desert vista beyond is what holds his focus. It is a hopeful vision -- one journey ends and a new one begins.