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By Emily Greffenius
Hometown Weekly Intern
“I’ve always liked photography, even as a kid,” Colleen Sullivan says.
Sullivan’s work, currently on display in the Dailey Room at the Medfield Public Library, showcases this lifelong passion. Photos of landscapes, birds, flowers, picturesque New England, iconic shots of Boston, and even snapshots of Sullivan’s local town of Medfield adorn the walls.
“A lot of my photos are places I frequent around town,” Sullivan explains. “I always carry my camera with me. But some places are more beautiful in different seasons, and I want to capture that.”
One photo of which she is particularly proud frames the Peak House, an iconic, historic house in Medfield, against a deep blue sky in winter, snow still resting on the steep, slanted roof. Because of the angle of the roof and the winter sun, the snow often melts quickly off of Peak House, but Sullivan managed to photograph the house enveloped in its wintry coat.
“I had to plan a lot for that one,” Sullivan says. “In fact, I often have to go to some locations multiple times before I get the right shot.”
Sullivan’s photos, ‘Cedar Wax Wing’ and ‘Chickadee.’ Photos by Emily Greffenius
Sullivan likes to schedule much of her photography around the seasons and finds herself drawn to nature and historical aspects of her local surroundings. “Nature in New England has offered me the opportunity to find some of my favorite subjects to photograph,” she writes in her artist’s statement. Recently, in the past five to ten years, Sullivan has enjoyed photographing birds, as well, capturing them as she gazes out her window at home. In many of her photos, they appear to be posing for her.
Having practiced photography for so many years, Sullivan continues to return to the art form because of how it manages to freeze a moment in time forever.
“The same scene, the same location, would appear different from one day to the next,” Sullivan says. “Photography captures a moment in time that you can’t repeat.”
Several of Sullivan’s photos have been turned into a collage and used as a poster for Medfield Day; the original collage can be seen on a canvas print on the walls of the Dailey Room. This and others of Sullivan’s photos are on display and available for purchase at the library, and will be for the rest of the summer.
