Biography   (Scroll down for Artists Statement)

A native Californian, Terry Sutherland is an avid gardener, fly-fisherman and traveler.

As a youth, he was fascinated by the play of light and color through prisms and lenses. He planned to pursue a career in optical physics, until he stumbled into a photography class in high school, and something “clicked”. Terry discovered that he could capture infinite aspects of light on film, and he displayed a natural aptitude with a camera. Recognizing Terry’s potential, his photo instructor, Ed Bogenschild, urged him to enter his work in local photography contests.

Terry’s early images garnered gold and silver medals at the Los Angeles County Fair, and earned him First Place in Kodak’s National Scholastic Photo Competition. He then submitted a portfolio of his work to a contest co-sponsored by United Way and Art Center College of Design, the premier college for commercial photography and design in the country. He was awarded the Sweepstakes Prize: a scholarship to Art Center. He graduated with honors in 1973.

While at Art Center, Terry participated in several Ansel Adams Workshops in Yosemite and Carmel. The seminars afforded him the opportunity to work directly with Ansel Adams and other noteworthy fine art photographers, and to benefit from their critiques of his work.

After several years of assisting a variety of commercial photographers, Terry opened his own studio. As sole proprietor of Sutherland Photo Design for the past 25 years, Terry has achieved national and international recognition for his product and industrial design photography. During that time, he also produced an extensive portfolio of images, which he recently began exhibiting at fine art shows.

Terry seeks the extraordinary within the ordinary. Focusing on details which are often overlooked in daily life, Terry’s luminous fine art images express his positive perception of the world, and reflect his passion for the elements of light, color, texture and design. His work evokes a variety of responses from his audience, as people are often moved to share memories, dreams, and great travel stories - and that’s his favorite part of all.

Terry lives with his wife and daughter in Southern California.

Artist's Statement

My eye is drawn to details – the curl of old paint on a rusted metal sign, the ragged edge of a leaf gnawed by a caterpillar – and I often perceive those details in an abstract form. Ever inspired by the play of light in combination with color and texture, I seek to reveal the radiance that exists within everything – especially that which, at first glance, appears to be opaque.

In our busy, over-stimulating world, many people do not take the time to look so deliberately, to focus so piercingly. My job, and my joy, is to bring both the subtle and intense beauty of ordinary things to the awareness of my audience, and to remind them of what they have forgotten. When the response is a double-take, a deep breath, a smile, then my mission has been accomplished.