Kay and Jake

Kay and Jake, 2007

It turns out photographer Kay Westhues lives about 20 miles from where I grew up in Indiana. She's been photographing rural Indiana for the last few years. Check out her daily blog here.

While I was in town I met with Kay and her boyfriend Jake. Over dinner they told me some great stories: Kay spoke of the days when she would "take the train" to Cuba to give aid and take photos. Fascinating stuff! Jake is a sculptor and spoke about his time in New York and at Cinque Gallery in the early 90's. He also had some fun stories about New York's elite artists from the 80's and 90's. Check out his sculptures, they're amazing - Here and Here.

Photos of Jake's enormous studio below. He's got a showroom, a work space, a kitchen, a bedroom, another workspace, another showroom; It doesn't end. The best part is he pays his landlord with one sculpture a year!