Today, on Substack, I explain the relevance of the “115 Seen” Portfolio: Here is a quick, spontaneous update to the notion of an exile upon an exile to “take stock” discussed late last week, and the “let’s say” route to place immersion in New Mexico put forth last year. I […]
This Journal was essentially an exercise launched during the pandemic, and as a marketing tool for my third book. After my return to Seattle in 2022 and 2023, I wrote a few additional posts. In the interim, my writing (other than some third-party articles) has been based on Substack, at […]
How familiar settings suggest the universal while reawakening who we are. Tonight, from Mercer Island, two light paths cross the water, forming gateways to my hometown. To the left, a bright streak travels east, and to the right, a more subtle, staccato pattern moves west. Together, these beacons are […]
On the evening of November 17, 2021, I stepped onto the pier at Yarmouth, on the Isle of Wight. I walked to the covered area at the end, the evenly spaced lights showing the way. Oliver and David returned to the shore and I stayed behind with my camera. On […]
How experiencing things left behind spurs a diverse understanding of places, and human nature. Safe harbor for pirate ships, a bustling multi-use harbor today in St. Julian’s In August 2006, I traveled to the islands of Malta and Gozo in the Mediterranean Sea. I arrived after some research with an open mind. […]
Sometimes, many years later, we understand why certain images remain indelible. On April 22, 2004, I took a picture of a ruined stone house — or some form of granary — on Il Sentiero degli Dei (the “Path of the Gods”), while walking from Positano to Amalfi. The house was abandoned, but the view […]
Sustaining a City’s Culture and Character (American release, February 22, 2021, UK and European release, Spring 2021) focuses on how to understand the innate identity of an urban place. The book provides a catalog of techniques that emphasize “bottom up,” resident-based input. Such input includes local history, building forms, natural and […]
I bet a lot of us have complained to our neighbours about our local areas losing their “character” or signed petitions against new developments we consider to be “inauthentic”, but why? What do these terms mean and why do we care about them so much? Urban redevelopment often stirs deep […]
Why respect the distinctive character of cities? We invariably are products of our upbringings, which in my case has led me to write a third, well-illustrated book on understanding city life and form. The focus on sustaining culture and character has become even more relevant to me after moving abroad and […]
