“Smoke / Break” is a study in fragments, begun accidentally. One day, stopped in traffic, I noticed an arm and hand holding a cigarette, visible from behind a marble column. There was real beauty and elegance in the way the hand held the cigarette, the shape of the smoke, and the way the column created a frame. That was my first image. In the opening words of On Certainty, Ludwig Wittgenstein wrote ”If you do know that here is one hand, we’ll grant you all the Rest.” But we never know exactly what the rest is. A tattoo, a wedding ring, rugged hands, manicured nails; these fragments offer windows into a kaleidoscope of personas who have momentarily stepped outside the brisk pace of a chicago workday. Smoke is the elusive thread that binds them. The act of smoking is partially obscured by elements such as poles, columns, foliage, and blurred foregrounds, as if to avoid discord. Thereís something intimate and personal in these private moments, and they deserve to stay that way. These images are a tribute to their intimacy, anonymity, and grace.