Statement, Restaurant Series

I began photographing restaurant interiors after seeing the inside of Caruso's Pizzeria. I had driven by the restaurant many times, and the loud signs and red, green, and white awnings always caught my eye. The facade seemed so out of place within its conservative New England surroundings. I remember going inside for the first time. The interior, complete with a pizza man statue and plastic grapes, was even more fascinating. The walls were loaded with photographs, most of which had the same smiling man, posing with customers, friends, and family. The objects and decor exuded an overwhelming human presence. The restaurant appealed to my subconscious need for a comforting environment.

I began to find and photograph other similar restaurants. I was initially attracted to these places because of the mixture of personal items and kitsch decoration. Upon closer inspection, I consciously began to notice the intimate details that show the humanness within these created environments. Once I started noticing and photographing these details, the photographs started to reveal a drama; and I started to see the beauty in these objects that could be called kitsch. I had read modernist theory against kitsch. The arguments, although valid, sounded elitist to me. I want my photographs to reveal another way of seeing kitsch.

Eventually, my fascination transcended into a reverence for the places and the people who created them. I hope to show the human quality that can exist in something seemingly artifical.

In Print

Texas Monthly Magazine, September, 2002, "My Kind of Town".

Boston Magazine, November, 1999, "Last Suppers".

Boston Magazine, May, 1999, "Rear Window".

Boston Globe, April 15, 1998, "You can buy into MassArt's future"

Sextant: The Journal of Salem State College, Volume VII, No. 2, 1997, "Created Environments: Restaurant Interiors"

Boston Globe, May 13, 1996, "New England proves its talent"

Upcoming Shows

Photographs, Summer, 2004, Winfisky Gallery, Ellison Campus Center, Salem State College.