Perhaps the most important thing Civitella provided me was the uninterrupted time to produce my work, which despite my efforts, is nearly impossible to make happen in my normal life in New York. While in Italy, I focused on staging and photographing still lifes and reflections. At first, finding the right light in the castle was challenging, but eventually I was able to locate the perfect set of windows. Each day, I gathered fresh cut flowers, fruits and leftover wine bottles to include in the shots I set up. There was never a shortage of subjects to shoot. Although Morandi was on my mind, the surroundings evoked a light more characteristic of Caravaggio, something I unexpectedly found myself indulging.