Letter From The Editor -- Back In The US of A

During the nine-hour flight I watched a fascinating short film documentary called A Portrait of a Lady. It documents the day in October 2006 when Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor posed for six hours to have her portrait done by the 25 members of The Painters Group in New York City.

The idea was this... what if 25 artists all painted the same subject, at the same time, same context, a prominent public figure, what would their 25 different impressions be? And the answer is... very different indeed. As one of the painters put it, "Every portrait involves three people: the subject, the artist, and the viewer." Very interesting thoughts about subjectivity and impressions, and you can read more about the documentary here.

Then it made me think, I was on a nine-hour flight remember, and had lots of time to think, about everything I had just seen during my time in Italy, all the hundreds of photos I've taken. And how, of course, what I see in them are my impressions and mine only. Maybe that's what makes other people's photographs so interesting... a glimpse at something we overlook even while looking at the same thing, like looking through their eyes.

So with all that in mind, I hope you continue to enjoy the photos I've taken and that I share here, and my observations. But I know you'll make them your own. My goal isn't to make you see what I see... but rather, to make you look...

Okay. So I think deep thoughts on long flights. But then my thoughts had to turn to more practical matters. I had an extra suitcase with me (lots of souvenirs), my cell phone was completely uncharged, and while I had many euro in my wallet, I had exactly 2 U.S. dollars. And that's why I found myself renting a luggage cart for $3.00 with a credit card and sitting next to it on the floor of the airport talking on my phone which was plugged into an electrical outlet, with my $2.00 in my pocket, eating the chocolate Easter eggs I had bought in Italy, while I waited for a ride home, and thinking what a great holiday I had...