Catherine Fairchild
Member Spotlight - May 2019
Portrait by Jim Caldwell
- Where did you grow up, and where do you live now? Thank you for choosing me for the Member Spotlight. I was born and raised in Fulton, Missouri, and my original training was in classical music (flute). After attending the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, I graduated from North Texas State University with a music degree. From 1973 to 2016, I worked as a manuscript editor at the Texas Medical Center, in Houston, but my heart remained in the arts. I took up jazz and performed with several local musical groups. I also became seriously interested in photography.
- Why did you join TPS, and how long have you been involved? After learning the basics of photography, I was extremely fortunate to do a four-year mentorship with Arthur Meyerson. At his urging, I began to join photography organizations, submit my work to competitions, and attend portfolio reviews. I joined TPS in 2008.
- Why did you become a photographer, and where do you find inspiration or motivation for your work?
In 2001, I bought a small camcorder to document my mother's birthday. I soon became more interested in shooting still images than in making movies. Before long, I decided to buy an SLR and learn to use it. My first instructors were David Alan Harvey and Raul Touzon, under the auspices of Santa Fe Workshops. After gaining experience with street photography, I wanted to find a subject that would rely more on my imagination and inner vision. For inspiration, I began looking not only to great photographers but also to modern painters. Now, instead of going out in search of photo subjects, I try to see with a fresh eye whatever is right at hand.
The hardest thing to photograph is said to be one's own back yard. I've narrowed that down to whatever happens to be within arm's reach. For instance, I discovered the aesthetic properties of sticky notes during my career as an editor. In an idle moment, I began to play with some accordion-fold notes sitting on my desk. They had a remarkable visual poetry, akin to that of flowers, leaves, wings, and other natural objects. I brought a handful of the notes home and began to photograph them. The resulting images have been included in many group exhibitions throughout the United States. The series title, Nota Bene, is a Latin term that means “note well” or “take note.” It's used by editors and proofreaders to mark passages of text that deserve special attention.
- How would you describe your photography and/or working process? All of the images shown here were photographed from my living room couch, without any special equipment except a macro lens. I don't have a studio, own a tripod, or use any type of flash. The sticky notes are typically handheld over a piece of background paper that's positioned on my lap.
- Please tell us about your most recent photographic work. My favorite subject continues to be paper in all its forms. I love the sticky notes but don't want to “get stuck” on them. My current major project, called Card Games, involves adding my own touches to antique photo portraits. Over the years, I've collected many such portraits, some of which date back to the 1860s. A few of them have beautiful engravings on the reverse side that give information about the photographer's studio. I sometimes blend portions of the engraved side into the portrait, often with surprising results. Alternatively, I superimpose elements of my own photographs, written materials, or both. This series is now represented in a number of group exhibitions. I like giving the photographers and their sitters a new life―and a new audience―more than a century after the original portraits were made.
