Mr. Stuart Allen Pearl » Ohio Artist Registry

Stuart Pearl – Artist Statement

What compels an artist to record the world around him? Is he a passive observer or an active
participant? Looking back on my work as a photographer there are times when I did both. Each
filled a specific need to record the world around me. I had no structured time in which to do
this over the past 50+ years – only a compulsion to interpret light, shape and action in unique
ways.

My father was an artist and I grew up surrounded by paintings and sketches. They covered
every wall of our house. Dad used brush and pencil to capture his version of the world but
sometimes he would grab his old Argus camera. That equipment fascinated me once I saw how
it could be used to freeze a moment in time. It was pure magic to a little kid.

I got my first box camera at seven and it quickly changed how I viewed the world. With a snap
of the shutter and a visit to the drugstore, an important event could be saved forever in a photo
album. The more I shot, the more I realized how much fun it was to record the activities of
friends and family. The photos showed siblings at play or my dad at his easel. To my child’s
eye, they were all perfect subjects and fulfilled a desire to be a storyteller. This was my start as
a documentary photographer although I didn’t realize it at the time.

In high school, I bought my first 35mm camera that had manual focus and adjustable exposure
settings. Far more advanced than the box camera, I now had a creative tool that offered more
control in manipulating light to make any kind of picture. This versatility fueled my desire to
experiment.

While attending college, I shot for campus newspapers where I developed my photojournalistic
style. It was exciting to document people like Leonard Bernstein, Elton John, Cheech and
Chong, Ted Kennedy and many others. Because newspapers run on deadlines, these
assignments taught me how to work fast and to quickly evaluate an event for the most effective
images. In news photography it is essential to pick shots with the greatest impact. They must
be compelling and composed in a way that immediately tell the story. These became guiding
principles.

As an Anthropology major I became the official site photographer for an archaeology dig
sponsored by Miami University in 1971. That work improved my eye for documenting events in
an organized and structured manner. Not only did I participant on that dig, it became my first
documentary project.

All of these valuable experiences made me an effective wedding and social event photographer
later in life. Most recently I have done PR photography for WVIZ/Ideastream, AAWR, and the
Cleveland Museum of Art. I have also provided nature and scientific photography for use in
publications of The Cleveland Metroparks, and Holden Forests & Gardens. Today I use the
camera to create visual narratives of NE Ohio’s transformation as well as other projects in
which I’m involved. These include interesting patterns and abstract illusions taken from
everyday life, which I compose in a way that challenges the viewer’s perception.