Pearl Cherrington

        I am fascinated by light. Photography allows me to capture an image with that light, in the moment, not earlier, not later. When the shutter snaps, I feel as if time stands still. 

      Growing up in the rolling hills of Eastern Kansas and by a lake, I used my mother=s Brownie twin-lens reflex camera to examine the grasses, trees, and the water in those first photos I took.  I received my training at the University of Kansas School of Journalism, but was more attracted to the Schools of Fine Arts and Architecture. A general studies degree allowed me to create my own curriculum with emphasis on photography.

     My first love was the black and white image, and I was and still am influenced and inspired by many of the great photographers of the time, particularly Edward Weston and Ansel Adams. I started out using film and only started using digital about five years ago.

     Presently, I am interested in alternative methods of using my photographic images, such as photo image transfers, cyanotype and brown-tone photographs.  Sometimes I print images on artist's papers which allows me to use various mediums on my photos like colored pencils, gesso, pan pastels, charcoal, watercolor and acrylic paints. I also use transparent papers to add texture and layers to the image.

       These alternative methods create an element of surprise for the viewer.  An image that I have used before can become something entirely new. Unlike a repeatable photographic image, my created pieces are one of a kind and reflect my examination of what a photographic image is and can do.  Like the way the light strikes the environment uniquely in a single moment, the pieces I create are unrepeatable, separate and distinct--no two are alike.  I want my viewer to enjoy the surprise.