Linda Purdom is an artist and educator. A life-long resident of Ashland, Oregon, Linda has exhibited watercolor paintings, photographs, and her story telling skills across the Rouge Valley. Today she shares her work with family and friends.
Artist Statement
As a child my best Christmas gift ever was a Brownie Box camera. For the 20 years I taught preschool, I put books of pictures together at the end of the school year. There was a book for each child to give to their parents. I kept one photo store alive with my processing fees alone. Then digital cameras arrived. Now I've taken enough photos to fill a hard drive, or even two.
Looking with an eye to light and shadow, color and story gives me the confidence that I will find great photos almost anywhere. It usually isn't the first or even the tenth photo taken, but if I'm persistent, one shot will jump out. If I believe a good picture is there then I will find it.
Once the photos are in the computer then the winnowing begins. I get "gee-whiz' moments when photoshopping turns a good shot into an excellent photograph.
When I'm done playing on the computer I get to print and frame, make greeting cards and thematic calendars. This is my way of sharing with family and friends the fascinating world I see through the lens of a camera.
Linda