Karmatic Butterfly

The woman, the camera, and the luck of the button....

I am constantly taking pictures, if not with my father’s hand-me-down, 1979 Canon 35mm, then with my mind. I see photographs everywhere – from a child’s smile to a dimly lit alley strewn with debris. I’m inspired by the beauty around us, the simple play of light and shadow and the ability of a person or an object to shape shift right before my lens.  My children and their untarnished eyes have brought another kind of truth to my work and a willingness to submit to the purity of the unknown.

Before I was wholly obsessed with taking pictures, I dabbled with other outlets like music and spoken word, still creating a photo documentary throughout the process.  In 2004 I produced a cd with the band the Irritable Tribe of Poets and 6 female poets called Vital Signs: The Primal Sessions.  The cd was in heavy rotation on WMNF 88.5 after it's initial release and continues to still get airplay now. That cd opened up a window for me - I decided to plan an all women's art show around the release date, March 8th, International Women's Day.  The event was held at the Gold Dragon Gallery in South Tampa and was a total success.  This was where I first displayed my work, and sold my very first piece.  I also worked with a creative partner, Melissa Fair, in two different spoken word series - a monthly open mic event, Subteranean Digs, at the Silver Meteor Gallery in Ybor City and a quarterly event with featured poets, Sunday School, at the Globe Coffee Lounge in St. Petersburg. 

I've known for most of my adult life that I need to be creating something, so when it wasn't able to be photography, I channeled my creativity into other outlets.  Still, they led me back to my first love, photography. 

I have been very lucky in my quest for a creative outlet to have supportive and talented people in my life. I would like to take a line and say thank you to Stazja McFadyen, Susan Tyler, JoEllen Schilke, Micheal Murphy, and especially Melissa Fair. You have all be inspirations to me and I appreciate your support and push that I need more times than not.

 ~ Colleen

The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.~ Lao Tzu