Bio

Biography

Jerrie Hurd took up photography later in life after working as a novelist (Simon Schuster/Pocket Books) and teaching writing (mostly freshman composition) at various community colleges. Her photographic work, which is almost exclusively figurative, has shown in juried shows from Florida to California for the last fifteen years.

She grew up in rural Idaho, got a BA degree from the University of Colorado and an MFA from the University of Oregon. After living on both the east and west coasts of the United States, she returned to Boulder, Colorado where she now lives with her husband and his dogs.

She has served on the board of several arts and writing organizations including The Western Writers of America and the Autry Museum. She was one of the founders of Women Writing the West. She has won awards for her writing and her photography.

She has a son and two granddaughters living in southern California.

Her writing website is www.jerriehurd.com

What's Really Important About Me

Photography is my fun thing.

I'm serious about photography as an art, but art isn't serious. Art happens during play, which means it's important to remember how to play; how to appreciate the value of play.

In other words, I can't get embarrassed when I'm rolling around on the ground or the studio floor trying to get my camera into just the right spot to get the perfect shot. Or when I'm climbing over rocks or wading in ponds. Getting cold, wet, sweaty, mosquito-bitten, and tired is just part of the game.

And when I download the images, a different kind of fun ensues. This time it's like playing dress-up in grandma's attic. I get to try out different looks. What if I increase the contrast, change the crop, adjust the color, or switch to black and white? This kind of play can take hours and hours and hours. I don't know where the time goes until that perfect moment when I get everything just right. Then time stops while I glimpse magic.

Fun isn't frivolous. It's fun. I wish every bio started with what's fun in that person's life. That's all anyone really needs to know.

PS: I enjoy my writing, too. It's a different kind of fun--rarely any mud or mosquitos.

For writing see www.jerriehurd,com