A–List

The photograph was taken in my studio in March, 2009.

Jay Hirabayashi is a Butoh dancer and the co-founder of Kokoro Dance. I originally met Jay through Barbara Bourget, who is his wife as well as a choreographer and dancer for Kokoro Dance. If Barbara is an outwardly passionate person, then Jay is her opposite.  He keeps his passion locked inside.

Their personalities may be on opposite sides of the creative pole, but their goals are the same. Jay and Barbara met in 1979 and together they founded Kokoro Dance in 1986. They also started the Vancouver International Dance Festival in 1999.

These two people who have strong, opposite personalities share a married life as well as their creative lives.  

I admire their commitment to each other.  Together they are quite a team.

Many years ago when I first saw and read "Griffin & Sabina", written and illustrated by Nick Bantock, I was so fascinated that I wondered what kind of person could put together a book like this.  The book was about the strange and intriguing correspondence between Griffin and Sabina who never met or knew each other.  After this book, he wrote and illustrated many other books and sold altogether more than five million copies worldwide.

About a year ago I found out by accident that he lived on Salt Spring Island and had his own gallery called The Forgetting Room.  Shortly after that discovery, one of my girlfriends told me that his wife was an old friend of hers.

I sent him a letter and a book wiith my portfolio asking if I would be able to photograph him.  Thanks to my girlfriend's help, he agreed to sit for me, but did not want to come to Vancouver. 

When Martha Sturdy sat in front of my Mamiya RZ medium format camera, she looked nothing but glamorous. She looked like a graceful, strong and comfortable lioness.

She wore black riding pants, a pair of black knee-high flat boot and a Swakara short coat. Her makeup and hair were freshly done. Her face had lines and wrinkles, but they did not diminish her attractiveness. They added depth to her beauty.

What fascinated me most, however, were her hands. Although she was wearing stunning rings that she designed herself, her hands were quite a contrast to the rest of her appearance, being wrinkled and rough with many spots. They were the kind of hands that belong to people who work with them all the time. Martha has been a fine designer for many years. But not only has she designed bold jewelry, unique home accessories and stylish furniture, she actually made some of things herself, like ceramics, sculptures and jewelry.