🎙️ Cheryle St. Onge – The Story Behind Calling the Birds Home
An SEO‑friendly deep‑dive into the latest episode of the 10 Frames Per Second podcast, featuring photographer‑educator Cheryle St. Onge and her moving photobook about caregiving, memory, and magic‑realist photography.
📖 Table of Contents
- Meet Cheryle St. Onge – Artist, Educator, Caregiver
- Rural New England: The Landscape That Shaped Her Vision
- Art + Science = A Unique Photographic Process
- Photographing Dementia: Turning Care into Conversation
- Inside the Book: Calling the Birds Home
- Key Takeaways for Photographers & Teachers
- How to Listen & Get the Book
- SEO Summary & Quick‑Copy Snippets
Meet Cheryle St. Onge – Artist, Educator, Caregiver
| Fact | Details |
|---|---|
| Background | Grew up in rural New England, daughter of a painter & a physics professor. |
| Education | MFA, MassArt; faculty at Clark University, Maine College of Art, University of New Hampshire. |
| Honors | Polaroid Artist Support Grant, Guggenheim Fellowship, Mass Exhibition Award, NH Charitable Arts Grant. |
| Collections | Polaroid Corp., UNM Art Museum, Museum of Fine Arts Houston, Guggenheim Foundation. |
| Latest Book | Calling the Birds Home (2025) – intimate portrait series of her mother, Carol, battling vascular dementia. |
Rural New England: The Landscape That Shaped Her Vision
- Nature‑first childhood: Walks in woods, bird‑talk from her mother, star‑talk from her father.
- Family “atlas” culture: Hand‑crafted linen atlases and guidebooks were on every coffee table.
- Quote (bastardized): “Wherever we’re born, the native landscape becomes part of our DNA.”
“I hope to one day die in New England, because that soil is in my blood.” – Cheryle
Key takeaways for SEO: “rural New England photography”, “nature influence on artists”, “childhood nature exposure and creativity”.
Art + Science = A Unique Photographic Process
- Early artistic training – drawing, printmaking, weaving, textiles.
- Transition to cameras – introduced to large‑format 4×5 by professor Ron Rosenstock at Clark University.
- The “black cape” method – covering the head with a dark cloth, looking through the ground glass, composing slowly.
“Large format forces you to think like a painter; the process becomes meditative.” – Cheryle
- Science angle: With a physics‑savvy family, she described photography as “fun physics” – proportions, chemistry, alchemy of fixer.
SEO keywords: “large format photography tips”, “4×5 camera process”, “photography as alchemy”, “art and science in photography”.
Photographing Dementia: Turning Care into Conversation
- Why the book? The camera became a substitute for conversation when words faded.
- Mother’s voice: Vascular dementia produced “Swiss‑cheese” thoughts; she would describe trees as “enormous birds taking flight.”
- Caregiving moments captured:
- Driving in spring: Leaves emerging, mother comparing feathered birds to budding trees.
- Playful scenes: Mother under a clear plastic umbrella, laughing with the family dog.
These images convey both humor and tenderness.
- Emotional balance: Cheryle navigated the tension between scientific rationality and the “magical realism” that surfaced in her mother’s perception.
SEO keywords: “photographing dementia”, “caregiving photography”, “magical realism photography”, “family portraiture dementia”.
Inside the Book: Calling the Birds Home
Structure – The monograph contains four mini‑books embedded in a larger volume:
| Mini‑book | Focus |
|---|---|
| Carvings | Carol’s hand‑carved bird sculptures. |
| Bird Nests | Nests built with horsehair from the farm’s horses. |
| Taxidermy Birds | Preserved avian specimens collected over decades. |
| Bird Skins | Detailed studies of feathers and texture. |
- Visual language: Quiet, light‑filled New England farm, interwoven with abstract close‑ups of feathers, wood, and hands.
- Design team: Designer Tessa, art director Jean‑Luc, and publisher Lattieri – praised for meticulous sequencing and production quality.
SEO keywords: “Calling the Birds Home review”, “photobook design”, “mini‑books within a book”, “New England farm photography”.
Key Takeaways for Photographers & Teachers
1. Let the Landscape Teach You
- Encourage students to walk outside and notice how geography imprints on perception.
2. Embrace the Process, Not Just the Result
- Large‑format work or any slow‑shutter practice builds mindfulness.
3. Turn Limitations into Creative Fuel
- Dementia’s loss of language sparked visual metaphor (“trees as birds”).
4. Collaboration Is Crucial
- Funding bodies, designers, and even family members shape a book’s final shape.
5. Fail Forward
- Re‑photographing, cutting 35 mm contact sheets, and playing “story games” foster resilience.
Quick bullet list for teachers:
- Ask students to keep a “light diary.” Record moments of unexpected illumination.
- Use film roll “games.” Cut contact sheets, shuffle, and create narrative collages.
- Promote cross‑disciplinary thinking. Pair physics concepts with composition exercises.
How to Listen & Get the Book
- Listen to the episode: Search “10 Frames Per Second Cheryl St. Olms” on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or directly at 10fps.net.
- Buy the photobook:
- Publisher: Lartieri (available through their website and select art book retailers).
- ISBN: 979-12-80978-25-7.
- Formats: Hardcover (standard), limited‑edition signed copy, and a digital PDF for classroom use.
- Follow Cheryle: Instagram @cherylestonge, website cherylestonge.com for exhibitions and workshops.
🎉 Final Thought
Calling the Birds Home reminds us that photography can be both a scientific experiment and a spiritual conversation—especially when the subject is a loved one whose voice is fading. This episode of 10 Frames Per Second offers a roadmap for artists, educators, and caregivers seeking to turn life’s toughest moments into lasting visual legacies.
Ready to explore?
- Hit play on the latest 10 FPS episode.
- Grab the book and let the images speak.
- Apply the lessons in your own creative practice or classroom today.
______
“Cheryle St. Onge photographer”, “Guggenheim Fellowship photographer”, “Calling the Birds Home book”, “photographer educator New England”.photojournalism, podcast, fine art photography, photo education, MFA, Polaroid grant, Guggenheim Fellowship, vascular dementia, rural New England, nature influence, magic realism, large‑format (4×5) photography, darkroom alchemy, Catholic upbringing, hospice care, caregiving, mother‑daughter collaboration, “Calling the Birds Home”, book publishing, grant writing, collaborative art, teaching creativity, high school workshops, running as coping, knitting, abstract photography, bird sculptures, horse‑hair nests, taxidermy birds, book design
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