Just behind

Often people ask me to explain what my work means.  I try to avoid answering. I want the viewer to answer that for himself to tell me what it means to him.  That is what good art is supposed to do to make you to think, to make you feel.

But, there is something to be said for opening up about your own work and sharing with the viewer why you took that shot and what you wanted to capture in that moment.  The viewer can take it from there, using your explanation as platform to beginning thinking about what the photo says to him.

In that spirit, I have decided to write a little something about a past work of mine every Wednesday.  Each photo carries a special meaning for me and I hope a few carefully selected words will push the viewer to find meaning in it as well.

"Looking Out My Cell"

The photo was taken while looking out the bathroom window of the religious boarding school I went to for the year after I graduated from high school.

The days were long: seven in the morning until eleven at night.  Now don't get me wrong, all-in-all I had a great time.  But still, in many ways the building was my prison.  Plus there were no girls.

When I tell people I spent most of my year in Israel in a prison cell...well you can imagine their reaction.  All I wanted to do was explore a new world, hike in the desert, climb the hills, and get lost in the streets of Tel Aviv.  And, of course, photograph all of it.  The room kept me locked up, when all the artist in me wanted to do was break free.

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