Visions of Block Island

Block Island had a profound impact on my career choices: first as an aide to United States Senator John H. Chafee working on environmental issues; then as State Director of The Nature Conservancy in Rhode Island; and, as Executive Director of The Champlin Foundation, a charitable foundation whose areas of focus include land conservation and environmental education.

I was captivated in my youth by the light and the weather and how they change and interact with the sea and landscape. In high school I became interested in photography. The camera lens then and now concentrates my vision in space and time as I try to capture the feeling of connection and sense of well being that I feel in this special place. My primary avocations became photography and writing and led to co-authoring with Scott Comings, On This Island: The Block Island Trail and Nature Guide and the creation of a calendar, Visions of Block Island in Photographs and Words which is now in its eighteenth year.

Having recently retired, I live now on the island full time where I hope to continue to explore photography, writing and other artistic endeavors. 

While Block Island has changed over the years, its essential character remains and my great great grandmother would be able to recognize it were she to visit. As the number of such places in the world dwindles, it is a blessing and privilege to be in a place where in the words of William Butler Years, “peace comes dropping slow” and I can conceive the future in a spirit of affirmation and hope.