Picture of the Week #348 "Ladies Man of Lisbon" Lisbon, Portugal 1965 Signed & Stamped

Yes, 1 9 6 5, fifty years ago I took this picture. I was on my honeymoon with my first wife Wendy. We had gone to Paris, then Madrid, Barcelona and on to Lisbon before we took off for Tangiers. I also made a 16mm film of our travels that I called "Improm-2". I'm not sure as my memory isn't what it used to be, if that film was shown in the Museum of Modern Art in New York when we returned. I know that another documentary I made called "The Empty Hand" was shown along with some of my earliest music videos, including the one I did of the Beatles singing "I Feel Fine" and Barbra Streisand singing "My Coloring Book". Even though this picture sat in my files, I always remembered it. Yesterday I pulled it out, scanned it and printed it on archival paper. Vintage Verona as it's very best and obviously one of my favorites.

Picture of the Week # 347 "THE New L.A. Landmark" Los Angeles, 2015 Signed & Stamped

BONUS: "Petersen Pattern" Los Angeles, 2015 Signed & Stamped

At Wilshire & Fairfax, Los Angeles now has a real landmark. Move over Watts Tower and the Santa Monica Pier & Disney Hall. Thanks to the late Chris Burden and his lamppost installation we have an artistic achievement that brings visitors to a place that many may not have gone. Across the street the Petersen Automotive Museum in coming along and is looking to attract tourists while the new Academy of Motion Pictures Museum is being built next to LACMA. An incredible destination corner of Art that adds a vibrancy to Los Angeles's multifaceted landscape.

Picture of the Week #346 "Sneek Peek" Venice, Italy 2011 Signed & Stamped

This is from my "Pictures That Make You Smile" series. I took it four years ago but it still gets a reaction. I was in Venice for the Carnivale and happened to see this group standing and looking at the backside of a mannequin. SNAP I caught it and moved on. It wasn't until I was back at the hotel reviewing the days catch that I realized that I had this fun image. I'm starting to brand myself with these "Pictures That Make You Smile" as I love taking them and seeing the reactions from the viewers. Next up a gallery exhibit.

Picture of the Week # 345 "Man of Mystery" Portofino / Santa Margherita, Italy 1971 Signed & Stamped

I found this image when I was rummaging through my vault of pictures. I had to clean it up a little as the dust & hairs were all over the transparency. But other than cleaning it up, there was no photoshop or manipulation. What you see is what I took. Today his hat is back in fashion, and for some reason it reminds me of a Mafia movie scene.

Picture of the Week # 344 "Free" Shanghai, China 2015 Signed & Stamped

Walking through Shanghai's French Concession streets I looked up and saw this sign. I don't think they intended to refer to the obvious. I presume the "CK" stands for Calvin Klein and the "FV" for another fashion provider. I didn't see any Tattoo parlor but then again I will admit that I didn't look that hard as I was on a mission to keep walking and just see if I could add to my "Pictures That Make You Smile" catalogue. This one brought that smile.

Picture of the Week #343 & Bonus "Terra Cotta Warriors Mandala 1, 2, & 3 Signed & Stamped

Needless to say this is a Special Picture of the Week. I thought that taking the images of the "Terra Cotta Warriors" and turning them into Mandalas was the way to present these 2,210 year old sculptures. As getting close up or even to eye level is strictly regulated, all tourists must observe from the platform above that encircles the excavation. Even though I was told you'll only need two hours to take it all in, I spent 4 and a half. Rather than being bothered by a guide I rented a cassette so that I could go at my own pace and take photos. It wasn't until I was back home in L.A. that I came up with the concept of making them into Mandalas. A Mandala represents the Universe, and Emperor Qin who ordered the mausoleum built for his afterlife, is also credited with creating the Great Wall of China. That was power.

Picture of the Week # 342 "Cooling Her Feet" Xi'An, China 2015 Signed & Stamped

After the extraordinary experience of seeing the "Terra Cotta Warriors" which are housed over an hour outside of Xi'An, I figured I should see what else there is for outsiders to see inside the city. The next day I took the harrowing cab ride from the new 5 Star Angsana Hotel, (all taxi's are scary as they text, talk on the phone, don't obey lane markings or speed limits) into town. I was told that the Muslim streets would be ideal for picture taking. Not sure about the safety, or about being a white American, I threw caution to the wind and went off armed with my cameras. Walking through the narrow streets I encountered this woman soaking her feet in fish tanks. Having been a decent world traveler, this was a new occurrence for me. I had never even heard of doing something like this. I snapped my pictures and continued on to find there were more places like this. I walked and took many images, sometimes the people would shyly turn away or hide behind something. But by and large there was no danger or hostility when I raised my camera. Most gladly allowed me to capture their image. It reminded me somewhat of a friendlier version of the souks in Morocco.