Known best for her enchanting nature images, Lou Ann Goodrich became the featured artist of Issue No. 12 of Living the Photo Artistic Life and won the hearts of readers around the world. Her photographs alone are magnificent, and what she does with them …
Q: Images of wildlife have very much come to predominate in your work. Any particular reason?
Lou Ann: I have always been a creature of the outdoors and possess a strong love for wildlife and the wilderness. With today’s pressures on our diminishing wild lands and the frightening collapse to near extinction of numerous species, I feel compelled to act. By observing and photographing wildlife, particularly those species most threatened, I feel I can help to bring greater understanding, awareness, and support to the fight for their survival. I know I am but one very small voice, but enough small voices gathered together can carry real power. And I hope that perhaps mine will be heard and acted upon before it is too late.
Q: How do you approach your work? What’s your method of sitting down to create?
Lou Ann: My time to prepare for the creative process occurs at dawn and dusk. With my dog as companion, I walk the woodland trails of my home delighting in the sights and sounds of nature. With a background of birdsong, I may encounter and enjoy the scream of a hawk, the sudden flushing of a covey of quail, or a transient glimpse of a coyote pup. Problems and distractions fade, replaced by peaceful serenity. It is only then that I can return to the computer and begin to create.
Q: What does living the photo artistic life mean to you?
Lou Ann: Being new to the artistic lifestyle, I think for me it is about change, transition, and growth — all particularly important to me. I retired from a career in emergency medicine which required a very different set of parameters than I now find in art. There it was all about structure, teamwork, standardized procedures, not to mention mental and emotional toughness and the ability to act decisively and tolerate stress in critical situations. Rather different from peaceful morning walks and hours spent creating art.
Finding AWAKE, learning the techniques of photo artistry, and gaining confidence and inspiration from the amazing and talented artists in the group … all this has given me the courage to immerse myself in the world of art, and for that I am so very grateful.
Q: You’ve come so far in such a short time. What was it that made the biggest difference?
Lou Ann: I feel I have learned to put aside the self-imposed constraints and self-doubt that once held me back …
As a predominately visual being, I seem to retain memories as if they were strong visual entities, and I am able to draw upon them when composing my art. And by assuming a more relaxed approach to the artistic process I am able to reach a more imaginative state of visualization and creativity.
Most of all, I suppose through this I’ve learned to open my mind to playful artistic experimentation. It’s quite wonderful.