Kate Russell Jones
Chilcoat Lane Project
This ongoing photographic essay began in 2004 in response to the question I dread: Where do you live? When asked where I am from, I am hesitant to identify myself as a Bostonian. When I was a teenager and it came time to fly the nest, I wanted to reside beyond parental reach, but not so far that I couldn’t return when homesickness hit. I have set up house in Boston for nine years now, but I cannot, in my heart, call it home.
My favorite place on earth is the yellow farmhouse on Chilcoat Lane. I grew up there building secret forts in the woods, cross-country riding, and exploring the neighboring fields, usually unsupervised. The area is serenely beautiful, and I have developed a strong connection with my parent’s house and its surrounding countryside.
When I pick up my camera in Maryland, I am motivated by memories - of hunting for treasures in the attic, spying on the farmers, or being alone in a field and hearing the dinner bell calling me home. I am once again exploring the dusty quarters of the house and uncharted corners of the cornfields, filing away memories and sifting through history for identity. Even in the new and changed I find familiarity, and at times I wonder if I ever actually left.
I am documenting my childhood after the fact and coming to terms with the reality that one must move forward in life, both physically and mentally. I have physically moved eight hours away to Boston, however I am still mentally moving out of Chilcoat House.
Biography
Kate was born in 1976, and while her father drove to the hospital, the radio reported that Chairman Mao had passed away. Kate narrowly averted the nickname “East Shines Red”, only to be nicknamed “Foobie”. She spent much of her childhood wondering about identity and intensely studied family photographs, slides, stories and memorabilia. Maintaining the family tradition, she knew she would be an artist one day and concentrated her studies on painting, sculpture and mixed media.
In 1998 Kate graduated with a degree in studio art with a concentration in photography from Skidmore College. Since then she has been a constant photographer, shooting everything from private gardens to primary rainforests, and sporting events to wedding events. Ever since her first job in a camera store, Kate has realized the importance and need to involve photography in her daily routine. This dedication has resulted in her freelancing, assisting commercial studio photographers, and to her current employment at the Massachusetts College of Art. In 2006, with the creation of Kate’s Eye Photography, Kate has kept her focus on incorporating photography into her everyday life.
www.kateseye.com
