The other day I went to the JCC in Manhattan where Larry Fink was giving a lecture. I couldn’t miss that. Years earlier, during the summer of 1989, I did work study at the Maine Photo Workshop where I first met Larry Fink.

That was a grand summer of experimentation, jumping off the local quarry with my rubber ducky for protection and falling in love with photography. It was on a lark that I even managed to go to the interview for the highly desired position that coincided with my first ski trip with college friends Jim and Liz. Hey I’m a city girl, we don’t usually get out of the concrete jungle.

I didn’t mind sweeping floors and taking orders, for a short time, as long as I could spend time shooting and printing. It was one evening where we were encouraged to approach artists that I first spoke to Larry and asked him for his opinion on my images. I shot nude self-portraits using infrared film. Larry spoke of my images in such a seductive way that my creative juices began to flow, I was captivated by his critical descriptions. He gave me the confidence to pursue photography, to follow my love with fearless abandonment.

When given the opportunity following his lecture I jumped at the chance to speak with Larry once again. I told him my story and expressed how he deeply influenced my life. He told me that I looked familiar, held my hands firmly in his own, then gave me his card and told me to contact him and send some images. My work is so different now; I really want to get back to that place of free association and off the cuff shooting. There is no time like the present.

Hello, my name is Ilona, I am a photographer based in New York City. My interest in photography is the depiction of the human spirit and to capture moments in time honestly and poignantly. Recently, I have been exploring themes of decay and rebirth on the urban landscape in New York City. My aim, as a creative principal in Flowers In The Cracks, is to develop a visual style that will allow me to incorporate both my personal interest in beauty as well as the address themes of joy and renewal that are the core of this project.

Peter Corless and I have known each other for almost three decades. As our lives have crossed paths once again, I have come to both appreciate and respect Peter as an artist, philosopher and overall decent human being. I look forward to the continued growth of our project, Flowers In The Cracks, as well as working with you all in this artistic collaboration.

Cracks On The Wall, Rockaway Beach

I'm a Rockaway girl, born and raised, the blend of a Brooklyn father and a Manhattan mother. Third generation New Yorker, eldest of three, back in my home town after ten years on the West Coast. I love California, especially LA, full of ex-patriot, ex-cranky New Yorkers who love the sun, fresh produce and freedom from winter.