This past April, my friend Murray sitting on his deck observed that afternoon sunlight passing though his glass of water generated a series of white patterns. The following Sunday, we met to listen to Leonard Cohen; it seemed prophetic when he sang Anthem:

Ring the bells that still can ring
Forget your perfect offering
There is a crack, a crack in everything
That’s how the light gets in

Knowing my fascination with light, Murray brought his glass so I could attempt to photograph the patterns.
Over many years, I traveled extensively searching for endangered species, both plants and people, photographing them in their native habitats in natural light. During these travels, often by serendipity, light became the subject of my photography. My fascination with light translated into a special relationship with stained glass windows. Living in Europe for ten years, I saw some of the most amazing stained glass. Returning to Toronto, I kept this special relationship alive by collecting stained glass windows and hanging them in my house. A large beveled glass window was a dividend of this activity.
Hail, holy light! presents a collection of images celebrating my special relationship with light. First, a selection of early work: an Atlantic sunrise from the flight deck of London-bound airplane; early morning lights on Florence’s Ponto Vecchio; a diffuse colored pattern from a stained glass window on the floor of Florence’s Cattedrale di Santa Maria del Fiore; spheres of light suspended on the Toronto waterfront; morning light passing through a stained glass window caught on a shower tile; a stream of white light in a factory in Kunming, China.
The second section displays a number of stained glass windows; the third, colored patterns generated by my beveled glass window. The last section highlights a wide range of images inspired by Murray’s glass.