Images by René Sheret

Many years ago when I was in the seventh grade, I discovered the darkroom magic of a photograph slowly appearing in a tray of developing solution. Ever since, images have been my passion. This passion took me to the Art Center School in Los Angeles (now, Art Center College of Design, Pasadena) where I studied photography and graphic design, graduating with honors in 1954. Today computer technology has replaced the darkroom giving me seemingly endless possibilities of discovery. The photograph is the starting point. My goal is to interpret the photograph as a unique image that makes a more dramatic statement about the subject and an image that can stand the test of time. I often enhance the color, eliminate unwanted distractions, restyle the image replacing the photographic quality with a unique drawing style that I coach from the computer. Hopefully I achieve an image that is unique and can be enjoyed for generations. Now it seems that I have become more the printmaker. I have become very aware of the relationships of color, space, composition, texture and size. I love experimenting—what are the possibilities? What if I combine this image with that one and then invert the colors? Or? Perhaps? It goes on and on. It is a great adventure of discovery. When I’m successful, I hope that I have created an image that is worth putting up on the wall to enjoy for many years.