Colorful, Honest Love... and photography... i adore photographing people and spirits... I grew up in a very small village off the coast of Bahia de Banderas en Mèxico with my mother, sister Sapphire and my step dad. One could only reach my sacred childhood village by panga (boat), the remoteness cultivating such quiet peace while the absence of cars and electricity supported a delicious tranquility. Random awkward and sunscreen-drenched gringo tourists would make their way to my village, who as i walked home from school with my compañeros, would point at me like i was a wild animal and yell "are you American?" with a ridiculously huge smile. I would yell "no!" and run away as fast as i could from such horror and embarrassment. I didn't realise i had blond hair, blue eyes and stood a good 2.5 feet taller than my village classmates 'till i move to Arizona when i was 13. It was a difficult reality... It's strange how as children we are whoever we want to be.... when is it we loose the ability to have such magic? i live to dance and dance to live. I live to love and love to live. i live to laugh and laugh to live... I would have liked to have met you when you were 10 years old.
i returned to guinea last month for 5 weeks... i went to dance, but more than that i went to feel the raw joy that penetrates my soul and every pore on my body when my feet are planted on the red earth of Africa. This trip i was honored to bring a bunch of medical supplies that my friends and family and dance community donated for me to take. i traveled to several incredibly remote villages in guinea to bring the supplies to people who were so excited to receive them... i met and photographed hundreds of happy people, i had to keep cleaning the eye piece on my camera 'cause i kept crying from witnessing such beauty thru my lens... i hope you can catch a glimpse of what moved me so deeply... we are so blessed...
What you think? African and Mexican, of course. and my sister Sapphire...I grew up in a JAZZ family, my parents were musicians, and played clubs where i would fall asleep on the couch in the back office, listening as i dozed in my innocent sleep to jazz, bassa nova, and the sounds of spanish being spoken all around... how i miss my childhood...
"Like Water for Chocolate", "Landuma Fare", "Into the Wild", "The Never Ending Story" "The Waitress" ( i know!)
I don't own a TV, but i'll watch a sunset anytime.
"Eat, Pray, Love", "The Hummingbird's Daughter" -"The Guru Papers: masks of Authoritarian Power" - "A Long Way Home, Memoirs of a Boy Soldier" Ohhh.. reading is when i get to relax... gimme a book, any book!! (except sci-fi, don't gimme no sci-fi.)
My Mother and Sister who live thier inspiration every day. My auntie Jetta for her strength to LIVE... auntie Joan for loving me so deeply all these years and making chicken soup by the river in Yelapa. auntie Denise for her wild blond hair and long legs walking the paths in Yelapa, healing all the animals... what women i have in my life....