On Saturday, January 2, 1988, I awoke to another sunny cold winter day.  I was feeling depressed and alone.  I knew I needed to move and do something to brighten my internal bleakness. I was living in a small third floor apartment in Providence. I decided to go to Narragansett and be by the ocean. The spot I chose was one that was very familiar. When in school studying photography, we had a class trip to the spot.  I had returned there on occasion. Sometimes I was alone and sometimes with a friend. At this time this work was made, photography was a slow process. It was often weeks from shooting, to film developing, to printing. The world of instant digital photography had not arrived.

I went there alone. It was empty. January light is always interesting. The sun hangs low in the southern sky. It is warm and clear light. It was cold. I photographed for a couple of hours. My mood had improved as I photographed. I was excited about my vision that day. As soon as I arrived home I set about developing the film. By early evening I was in the darkroom printing the day’s work.  Before going to bed that night, the prints were all laid out to dry on screens that covered my floor. I was in full ecstasy because of the work was good. It released me from the sadness that began the day.

 The title, “Reflections in an Avoided Mirror” comes from a poem I read at the time.  It has to do with the realization that happiness comes from within. I was depressed with things that were external to my being. The joy of creating broke through that mirror that I did not want to face.  It is what was truly inside of me. I did not want to look inside that day, but when I did there was creativity, joy and happiness. I just did not know it. I learned not to avoid looking into the mirror. The reflections are amazing.

 I never really showed this work to anyone for over twenty-five years. The photographs have deep personal meaning to me. It truly was made by me, for me. I have gone back to the Narragansett rocks over and over again throughout the years. In later years my children would like to go and climb on the rocks. I enjoy visiting the rocks and photographing there. But the images of this day were special and different from all the others that would follow.