In 1999, while living in Michigan, I began the "Over 40" project. At first, the project was intended to enable women to tell their story, through words and photographs, of how they have triumphed over life's challenges and in doing so, reveal the universal nature of those challenges and how we can all find the strength to overcome our own.

The following was written by a good friend who is much better than I am at putting this part of the project into words. Mary and I have known each other for many years and she is a very dear friend and muse. She was kind enough to convert our many conversations into this beautifully written piece.

Possible titles
Images of the Spirit: Photographs of Women Over Forty
Redefining Beauty: Images of Women Over Forty
Reinvention: Stories and Images of Women Over Forty
Triumphs: Images of Women Over Forty

"In the dark time, the eye begins to see". Theodore Roethke - Poet

The stories told by each woman in this photographic project reflect their ability to see through their own darkness, to attain a heightened understanding and appreciation for who she is and her own potential for continued growth. This project is about the strength of the spirit and how this spirit is reflected through visual and written images. This project redefines beauty in a way that defies the traditional cultural definition and presents each woman's unique beauty through the telling of her own story, the lessons she has learned, and her personal, spiritual and emotional evolution.

Demographically, woman over forty is in the age group which leads the United States in the number of divorces and personal tragedies such as breast cancer, the death of parents or spouses and depression. Also, as children leave the home a woman's role and responsibilities change giving her greater freedom to evaluate their lives and where the future may take them. These understandings are manifested by a greater spiritual awareness, the strength to build a path through life's challenges or, at best, an exhilaration of being able to grow through conflict and insight. The path to this awareness is as unique as each woman telling the story and although each path has been different, they reflect universal themes, which we can all identify with. Women over forty are the focus of this project, but this is about any human being and the evolutionary stages of her or his life.

As a photographer, I try to pursue truth in my images. I have been a professional photographer for over 30 years and have had been published worldwide. In every situation there has been a client, an art director or stylist whose personal vision was the driving force behind the photographs. For this project, all of the women involved have developed their own approach to the images as they reflect their life, and I have become responsible for making each woman's individual statement a reality. The process involves a lengthy interview
to better understand the person and what she wants to communicate and how she wants the image or images to look. When the photographs have been produced, each woman submits a written piece, which reinforces the image. Together, the image and the written material create a synergy, which guide the viewer into a greater understanding of the individual, her statement and how she has embraced the changes in her life

There are currently 12 women in the project with another 8 committed. The goal is to have 40-50 women over the age of 40 of diverse ethnic heritage, from various regions of the country.

This photographic project about women who have reached their middle years and have embraced life's challenges and found new insight. It is a microcosmic example of people's desire to know who he or she is and where this road may lead them. This 5 year effort is a work in progress, which reflects every participants search for truth and meaning in a world, which, to many, lacks both. It is my hope that through this visual display of images of such triumph, like Roethke's poem, the "eye begins to see"

Mary Pierce Northern Michigan College

As more women have become involved, told their stories and created their images, the project has evolved to include all aspects of our personal growth. These new energies have transformed this from stories of survival into a collection of stories and images that are a celebration of life and spirit in all of it's forms.

My personal and professional goal was to create images that challenge this culture's commercialized perception of beauty and show that beauty comes in all ages, shapes and sizes. The pursuit of the “perfect” woman has created a mythical image of the female form that is virtually unattainable and has been a devastating burden for so many of our youth and an issue of all of us as we grow older.

Sashana and I worked together in Dec. 2006. Thank you for your kind words, the beauty of your intent and the clarity of your vision...Glen

January 10, 2007

Dear Beautiful Ladies,
Some of you have already heard me talk about Glen Graves and his photographic project. His vision is that women over 40 are beautiful, that society's pursuit of the perfect woman has created a mythical image of the female form that is virtually unattainable and has been a devastating burden for so many of us as we grow older. The book he is creating is medicine that challenges this culture's commercialized perception of beauty. As women over 40, we have the opportunity to contribute, to help our culture re-member what beauty is about. We have been told over and over that our bodies are not beautiful unless they conform to a strict code that has more to do with control and deprivation than celebration of life, embodiment and spirit. At whatever age we are, it is not too late to learn to celebrate the bodies we live in, to honor them for the wonderful houses they are and to see their form as what makes us beautiful creatures of nature. When we are deep within our own psyches, connected to all those who have come before us and those who will follow, we have a deep knowing of beauty and it transcends the body. Looking at each other through these eyes can only bring healing.

I know that aging women are beautiful. Glen is a bridge between this knowledge and society's vision of beauty. He is a skilled, sensitive photographer with an eye for the link between inner and outer beauty and because of this he is able to produce images that will jar the memory of all who look at them so that they remember the knowing they have inside about the truth of beauty.

Glen is highly professional. If you are interested in participating in this book project, he will meet with you to find out what it is you want to say with your portrait. You are welcome to bring a woman friend along when he photographs you and he has also said he would welcome women who would like to be photographed in groups. If you are worried about anonymity, he can preserve it by how he shoots the photos and no names will be used in the book. I have had pictures taken by Glen and found him easy to work with.

Below is a copy of Glen's statement from his website (www.primostella.com <http://www.primostella.com/> ). I encourage you to check out the website, as he has many of his photographs there, as well as the statement. If I can answer any questions, please give me a call or email and of course, you can contact Glen directly. I am in the process of working on my statement and am looking forward to stepping out into nature for photographs hopefully when it warms up a bit! I see this as an opportunity to make a difference, to fight society's warped image of aging and women. It has been really surprising to me how much healing of my own personal warped body image has happened because of my photographs. I''ll be glad to hear what you think. Some of you receiving this letter are not yet forty but you may know women who are and maybe you will consider passing the information along.

Love,

Sashana

The number of sample images for this project that are on the web site is intentionally limited because I want each statement and their image(s) be unique to that person and their lives - I do not want an existing image to influence the statement or artistic vision of the individual. These are some that illustrate their survival and celebration