Debbie Bridges is a third generation photographer currently living in Galena, Missouri with her husband and their three cats. Originally from Brockport NY, Debbie has lived in several states including New Jersey, Florida and Colorado. But she has found her present home in the Ozarks to be a perfect blend of beautiful old mountains, waterways and down to earth people. Debbie was about 8 years old w
hen she received her first camera (a Kodak Brownie) and has been capturing the world around her ever since. Debbie holds an AA in Liberal Arts and a BS in Business Administration. Other than one course in Photography in collage Debbie is mostly self taught. Although always taking pictures she didn't actively start pursuing art until in her thirties. Responding to an ad in the paper to submit pictures for a contest through International Library of Photography, she submitted a total of five pictures and was surprised when they were chosen to be published in their books. Encouraged by this she continued to pursue her dream and joined the Business Art Center in Manitou Springs, Colorado, where several of her pieces were accepted for display. Recently she had several pieces shown in a gallery in Queens New York as well as a show on Times Square presented by YouPic.com. She is a member of Table Rock Art Guild and her work is on display at their gallery, Table Rock Art Gallery located in Kimberling City Missouri. A connoisseur of nature and beauty Debbie attempts to share God's beautiful creations as she envisions them. The camera doesn't always show things in the same way that the human eye perceives them; the colors may not be as rich or the eye may focus on just a certain piece of the picture. She is not afraid to create a sense of how she sees a scene in her soul. Debbie loves history and telling stories with her art. Her work was recently described in a gallery press release as often having “subtexts that tell intriguing stories and challenge viewers to see ordinary objects in new ways.” She focuses her camera on a wide variety of subjects, but always tells a story. Whether it be a landscape, an old barn or scenes from a Civil War Re-enactment. A fan of classic artist such as Ansel Adams, Monet and Van Gogh; Debbie is inspired to discover what story is yearning to be told. What would the walls of the old dilapidated trading post divulge if they could? What stories and adventures does that old rusted pickup truck hide within it's frame? Although she creates many scenes in color, she like Adams, often reverts back to black and white and sepia. These variations bring her back to the time in history where her pictorial stories originate. Sepia , like the protective secretions from the octopus of which it originates, seals in and protects the history of the scene being shared. She also brings a sense of other worldliness and softness to her landscapes created with shadows and highlights. Debbie relies on natural lighting and creates the mood she feels when taking the picture through shadows, highlights and textures. Bridges work can be presently viewed at Table Rock Art Gallery in Kimberling City, Missouri near Springfield, MO. You can also view her photography on see.me.com at https://debbiebridges.see.me/ , youpic.com at https://youpic.com/user/debbiebridges391 , flicker at https://www.flickr.com/photos/jazzycat/ , and on facebook https://www.facebook.com/JazzyKatPhotography?ref=hl .
