Growing up in Israel in the ’60s was a blessing for me. At that time in history the young state was a true melting pot for millions of immigrants from all around the globe. Surrounded with such a colorful collage of ethnicities, languages, nationalities, cultures and religions made me realize from an early age that the world beyond me was a rich and complex place. This revelation opened my eyes to the exotic, and made me extremely curious about people and their religions, customs, costumes and histories.

Fortunately, from the age of fifteen, I have been able to realize that desire, and have been traveling extensively throughout Europe, Asia, Africa and the Americas ever since. Every journey has brought with it a whole new set of inspirations and a fresh need to create. I responded to my creative urge by sketching, illustrating and studying human and architectural forms, but from the moment I discovered the power of camera and film, l was hooked on that medium.

Working for a couture fashion house in the mid-80s opened a new door for me, a door into the world of fashion. While working there as a designer, l began photographing fashion models for magazine editorials and ad campaigns. Shooting fashion was exciting and lucrative but not as satisfying artistically. However, with access to all the modeling agencies, I could easily cast models and find subjects for my real passion: my art. Indian, Asian, Hispanic and Arab beauty is in abundance in New York. With each exotic face in front of my lens, a new art image emerges in my mind.

In the early ’90s, with the introduction of digital software, I began combining my photography with elements of art and texture. Suddenly, photographs I had taken while traveling in faraway destinations had new potential. Patiently I have been merging those travel images with my conventional photography, creating a medium which is somewhere between a photograph and a painting. This is my life and my art.