Cynthia Johnston

While You Sleep

My project sprang from an Atelier conversation assignment in which we students were to choose an artist in whose work we were interested. Like many, I have been a long-time admirer of Todd Hido’s work. His lovely, lonely landscapes and night neighborhood scenes resonate deeply with me.

Inspired by his masterful photos, I attempted to recreate his night scenes and create a few of my own. I found trailer parks as well as rundown motels that did indeed delight. But one night, I didn’t really feel like lurking in a nearby neighborhood so I went to a nearby open field instead. I was hooked.  With frozen fingers and long exposures in the cold night came unexpected colors and surprises of headlights flying through my compositions. Watching clouds float by and constellations rise in the winter sky recalled a childhood fascination with astronomy.  Hearing the yipping of far-off coyotes and the sound of wind in owl wings above me felt like medicine.

My project, While You Sleep, has been my conduit for rediscovering the natural world and reviving the enchantment I felt when I first embarked on my journey in photography.

Artist Bio

Cynthia Johnston is a fine arts photographer living in the metro Boston area.  An avid traveler, her photographic interests are travel, street and documentary work, and most recently, night photography.

A mid-career move brought Johnston to Montreal where she rediscovered her love of photography. Since moving back to the Boston area, she has participated in several workshops with Ernesto Bazan and Jeff Jacobson which were pivotal in forming her approach to image making. Most recently, she has participated in the Griffin Museum’s Atelier course under the tutelage of Meg Birnbaum and Amy Rindskopf.

Johnston’s work is exhibited in corporate and private collections in the US, Canada and Germany. She has recently exhibited her work at the Danforth and Griffin Museums. Johnston is currently working on a documentary project entitled “Notice: Mill Closed” which explores evidence of human relationships once a multi-generational place of work is closed.

http://cynthiajohnstonphotography.com

Contact Cynthia Johnston