Linda Domek has been a fine arts photographer and teacher for over twenty years. Her teaching focus for many years has been developing unique photography and art projects for youth from inner city and underserved backgrounds. She has traveled extensively to many countries, and has frequently reflected her curiosity of diverse populations, through her intimate photographic portraits.
Domek's most recent photographic work is an exhibit in-progress on women and children surviving cancer titled Healing Journeys. Her portraits of survivors who are beating the odds are revelatory in their candor and optimism, and deeply personal, as she herself is a breast cancer survivor of seven years. Linda has an art studio in downtown St.Cloud in which she paints, photographs, and designs atypical art workshops. You may contact her at 320-255-1555.
Healing Journeys is an exhibit I have been developing on women and children with cancer since 2002. As a seven year breast cancer survivor, I wanted to use my photographic skills to create a visual testimony of strength and perseverance to help other individuals going through the cancer experience.
I do believe that pictures can speak a thousand words—at least they can touch on deep emotions we often find incapable of finding words to express. For this exhibit, however, I felt the words of each cancer survivor and their families, were important supplements to the photographs, so accompanying each photograph is a statement from the individual in the picture. Many of us find the topic of cancer a scary, taboo topic. Even to the person having the cancer, it can be a scary, taboo topic. One of my intentions in creating this exhibit was to take away some of the fear and pessimism surrounding cancer, and bring this illness into the light—through compassion, humor ,sharing of honest emotions, and success stories.
Beginning in the late 1980's, I began photographing outside of my commercial portrait studio in San Antonio, Texas. Equipping myself only with a lightweight Rolliflex, I began approaching strangers that I encountered walking around the streets of San Antonio and other cities I visited. In retrospect, I believe I was searching for an honesty in portraiture that I could not developing a studio setting, and maybe an excuse out of my own settling boredom with commissioned portraiture.
I was drawn towards individuals who had what I call "a look" about them. Something beyond their physical appearance I found intriguing and perhaps revelatory about this thing we call humanity. For over ten years I worked in this manner, and the portraits you see here are some of my personal favorites from this period of work.
Photography, for me, has always been about a journey of discovery and learning something new about something unknown and inexpressible through words. I express myself best through images. Honest pictures can reveal truths that often have no words. I believe a powerful portrait is like a map of the human spirit.
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