After people see the photograph of me and Man Ray together, they always ask, “How did you meet Man Ray?” I’ve told the story many times. Now I would like to use Awesome Project funds to produce a small, elegant book about this special meeting so that it can be enjoyed by many others. The book will include 18 black and white photographs and a short memoir that I wrote about “MY DAY WITH RAY”.

Back in 1972 I was on Christmas break from Tyler School of Art in Rome. One my of my dreams was to meet an artist I admired greatly, and I was lucky enough to be invited to visit renowned artist/photographer Man Ray at his studio in Paris. I had my trusty Pentax around my neck, and Man Ray suggested I take some photographs. So with a young man’s enthusiasm and innocence, I got off 18 shots, including a portrait of the two of us with a self timer.
When I came back to the United States, I wrote up my memories of that magical day and put together a homemade book which I sent to Man Ray. Months later he sent me a thank you note on a postcard. I’ve shared the little homemade book with friends throughout the years, and they’ve always encouraged me to publish it.

More than 40 years later, I am ready to do it. I have everything in place to start the project except for funding. I have partnered with an Oahu-based project manager and chosen a local printer capable of turning out a museum-quality edition. The book will be around 32 pages and priced affordably at around $15.00. It will include correspondence I had with Man Ray’s wife Juliette Man Ray after Man Ray’s death, and a forward by prominent Man Ray scholar Francis Naumann.

Last summer in NYC, I showed my memoir and photographs to book buyers at the Museum of Modern Art and the International Photography Center. Both felt that, if made into a book, it would be a good seller in their stores. Man Ray is one of the most important artists of the 20th century and interest in him continues to grow.