I'm a collector. But I don't like to collect rare or expensive items. I like common stuff. It's all about seeing the beauty in small things forgotten — about getting a glimpse of some tiny, everyday moment that lives on. With these photos, it's the simple fact that someone was here before you were, and they had something to say. For one reason or another it got said in spray paint, or scratched or scrawled into something. Then it got left behind.
It's not so much vandalism as thinking out loud. Well, in many cases it is vandalism. We see these public displays of affection every day. “I love Sue.” “Amber loves Sean.” “Led Zeppelin rules.” We see them so often that they're easy to ignore.
But the great thing is that when you do notice them, they can set you to thinking. When I see them, I think that if someone's going to say something for all the world to see, it's great that they chose to say “I love you.”
— Published in the Everyday section of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, February 8, 2004 (Someone at the Post saw these photos and thought they'd make a cool features page for Valentine's day. So they asked me to write something and I said OK.)
St. Louis, Missouri (2011)
added 20 Mar 2011
Valparaiso, Chile (2010)
added 20 Mar 2011
Pichilemu, Chile (2010)
added 20 Mar 2011
Valparaiso, Chile (2010)
added 20 Mar 2011
Valparaiso, Chile (2010)
added 20 Mar 2011
Valparaiso, Chile (2010)
added 20 Mar 2011
Valparaiso, Chile (2010)
added 20 Mar 2011
St. Louis, Missouri USA (2008)
added 4 Jan 2009
St. Louis, Missouri USA (2008)
added 4 Jan 2009
St. Louis, Missouri USA (2008)
added 4 Jan 2009
St. Louis, Missouri USA (2008)
added 19 Jul 2008
St. Louis, Missouri USA (2008)
added 19 Jul 2008
St. Louis, Missouri USA (2008)
added 19 Jul 2008
St. Louis, Missouri USA (2008)
added 19 Jul 2008
St. Louis, Missouri USA (2008)
added 19 Jul 2008
St. Louis, Missouri USA (2008)
added 19 Jul 2008
St. Louis, Missouri USA (2008)
added 19 Jul 2008
St. Louis, Missouri USA (2008)
added 19 Jul 2008
St. Louis, Missouri USA (2008)
added 19 Jul 2008
St. Louis, Missouri USA (2008)
added 19 Jul 2008
St. Louis, Missouri USA (2008)
added 19 Jul 2008
St. Louis, Missouri USA (2007)
added 26 Oct 2007
St. Louis, Missouri USA (2007)
added 26 Oct 2007
St. Louis, Missouri USA (2007)
added 26 Oct 2007
St. Louis, Missouri USA (2005)
added 30 Oct 2005
St. Louis, Missouri USA (2006)
added 25 Jun 2005
St. Louis, Missouri USA (2005)
added 30 Oct 2005
St. Louis, Missouri USA (2005)
added 20 Aug 2005
St. Louis, Missouri USA (2005)
added 25 Jun 2005
St. Louis, Missouri USA (2004)
added 15 May 2004
St. Louis, Missouri USA (2004)
added 4 May 2004
St. Louis, Missouri USA (2004)
added 4 May 2004
Patterson, Missouri USA (2003)
added 19 Oct 2003
St. Louis, Missouri USA (2003)
added 17 Aug 2003
St. Louis, Missouri USA (2003)
added 17 Aug 2003
St. Louis, Missouri USA (2003)
added 6 Apr 2003
Cannon Beach, Oregon USA (2002)
added 25 Sep 2002
St. Charles, Missouri USA (2002)
added 7 May 2002
Near Easley, Missouri USA (2002)
added 7 May 2002
Near Easley, Missouri USA (2002)
added 7 May 2002
St. Louis, Missouri USA (2001)
added 3 Mar 2002
Alley in Syros
The Cyclades, Greece (2000)
added 3 Mar 2002
Mill Creek Park
Youngstown, Ohio USA (1991)
added 3 Mar 2002
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