Italy has been a major focus of my work for more than thirty years. It began with tracing my family roots in Sicily but then expanded to included many parts of the country. I have a semi-insider view on Italian culture through my family ties and my extensive studies in Italian language and history.

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On a 1996 trip my ideas began to coalesce into a conceptual framework: the disappearance of Italy. I was watching a significant part of Italy's historical patrimony disappear - both physically and culturally. The stresses of modernization, the market economy, globalization, and unexpected immigration were taking a toll.

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The series includes both metaphorical and highly objective imagery linked to the concepts of change and disappearance.