Artist Statement – Beth Sheridan

I began my love of photography as a young child.  My father was a photography enthusiast and I became enthralled with the idea of capturing a story through images when he would photograph me as I would tell him stories that I would make up – you could almost see the imaginary worlds through his lens in my facial expressions. I was hooked. Telling stories through my lens has become the hallmark of my creative process, be it in a series of images or in a single landscape.

My choice in subjects for my art is often greatly influenced by my health and my need to social distance, even long before the coronavirus pandemic. In 2016, I was finally diagnosed with a genetic immunodeficiency related to Bubble Boy Syndrome, called Common Variable Immunodeficiency. Though happy to have an answer to my life-long struggle with illnesses, injuries and arthritis it also means that I now must replace my immune system with an infusion of blood-plasma antibodies every few weeks to stay healthy.

My photography provides me with meditative healing through affording me a creative and contemplative outlet for the stressors of daily life, the intensities of chronic illness and my day job as a rocket engineer. Much of my landscape work seeks to tell the story of calmness and serenity as I envision it while allowing me to photograph in an environment that is safe for my immune system.

My day-job also greatly influences my art. I utilize processes I have derived from my engineering skills to enhance the details of my photographs, drawing my viewers into the image and telling exactly the story I want to tell. Though I am not married to any one photographic style, my art is recognizable through the detail, story and my love of all things technology to bring the image alive.

My goal for my art is to ultimately bring the mission of restoration and healing to others. I want people who view my art to also find that art can be healing for them as well – be it through the enhancement of their environment, the story it tells or inspiration to be creative themselves.