Infinity in the details
Seeing the nuances, the details in landscapes, interactions, mathematical solutions ... is what provides the links between my passion for education and photography. Born in Canada I was raised in an Eastern European household. The few times I visited Poland and Ukraine in my childhood, there was always a familiarity. Lwów felt like home to me. I felt I did not require a map to navigate her beautiful streets.
After completing a degree in engineering I moved to Western Canada which has a proud Eastern European heritage. Immigrants from the turn of the century farmed the vastness of the prairies. Although most do not speak the language anymore, their pride was shown in the energy and dedication of their dancing. I loved capturing the spinning and jumping of the Ukrainian Hopaks as well the beauty of the Rocky Mountains. Soon after I began my second career teaching Physics and I realized my passion for education. I would use my photography to link the sciences to the arts, history and show their interconnectedness. I always recall seeing a quote on a Fuji billboard: “Art vs. Science, it’s a tie”. The photo was of an iridescent butterfly. It simply and elegantly summarized my philosophy.
On a whim in March of 2012 I decided I must return again to Poland where I had not been for over 20 years. On a cold, rainy day my uncle and I explored Piotrkowska Street in Łódź. Over the course of 2012 and 2013 I explored Europe in both summer and winter. I tried to capture as much as possible of her beautiful detail and essence and finally decided it was Paris where I felt most at home.
The past six years have flown by. I have had the opportunity to experience and appreciate living and working in France. Two vastly different International Schools, vernissages in France and Poland, travel, la vie quotidien - with outdoor markets and walking or using public transit. For a while I have been thinking about the how my European journey, my photography have shaped my approach to education. I am hoping you will enjoy my sharing my journey into the nuances.