During the 1970's I began taking portraits of people I encountered in daily life; friends, acquaintances, people I met in restaurants, in the street and in work situations. In those days you could stop people almost anywhere and ask if you could take their portrait at Îtheir' place, and most said yes. People were less guarded then. Most of the 65 portraits in the Toronto Portrait Series were taken in my subject's homes, apartments or one-rooms flats.  I was inviting myself into living museums and photographing my subjects in those revealing yet mystifying biographical narratives.  This all began a few years after Diane Arbus died; her vision influenced me.

Seventeen years later in 1993 I began looking for the people I had photographed years before.  I could find only a few; some had died and others were untraceable.   After many months of searching  I found 18 people from the original 65.  Some declined because they said they were too old.  There I was again in the presence of the same individuals with whom I had shared moments from the past.  We were again passing through time, face to face, giving, receiving, without presumption, without expectation.