Cheryle St. Onge
Calling the Birds Home, 2018-2020, Diasec, Dimensions variable. Courtesy of the artist. © Cheryle St. Onge.
Sunshine sparkles across strands of silver hair. Looking almost like a playful child, or perhaps a shy young girl, the figure of an elderly woman is burnished by the warmth of the artist’s gaze. Photographer Cheryle St. Onge’s mother was diagnosed with vascular dementia in 2015. As the mother-daughter bond nurtured over decades spent together on their farm began to gradually fade along with her mother’s memories, the artist stopped taking photos altogether. But then one afternoon, as sunshine gently filtered through the window, she found herself looking at her mother — and became determined to capture these light-hearted, lively moments of her mother’s life, going on to do just that with whatever camera was at hand. A former birdwatcher and artist in her own right, the artist’s mother continued to show a keen interest in birds even after the onset of cognitive impairment, making bird nests out of horsehair. Based in New Hampshire, USA, Cheryle St. Onge (b. 1961) explores family relationships through long-term projects.
