Art teacher Kyla Jenkins recently had a solo art show that ran December through February at the Leesburg town hall. She has also entered five pieces in the Chelsea International Photography competition. Now, she’s been recognized with a display in front of the school.
Jenkins said that what she likes most about photography is being able to concentrate on tiny details, which is what she loves to photograph most. That makes people stop and slow down and take time to look at the small details and that’s what makes it fun.
Even though AI is popular today, Jenkins works with 35mm film and unedited digital photos. Instead of using digital editing, Jenkins uses handmade filters and lens attachments. She displayed some of these filters to faculty members during a reception held during school on March 20. At the reception, she said that some of her new techniques came as she researched lessons for her Photography students. To Jenkins, AI and pre-made filters built into editing apps are things everyone can use, but handmade filters create unique works of art that cannot be duplicated.
Jenkins also works in the darkroom, experimenting with “film soup,” a technique where film is exposed to household ingredients and temperature changes to create beautiful, unpredictable results. She’s also exploring “solarization” in black and white photography, which alters the images in interesting ways using light and exposure during its development process.
While Jenkins’ artwork is on display for everyone to view, she does not consider it easy.
“Being an artist, when you’re a professional artist, is very, very difficult. And it’s also a little scary because you don’t know if people are going to like what you photograph and create,” Jenkins said.
Jenkins said that her nerves prevented her from sharing her artwork until she met an artist in Charlestown. “He kept pestering me to join his gallery and be part of his artist group,” Jenkins said. Doing so helped her get over fear and she accepted the opportunity. In addition to her artwork being featured in the Leesburg Town Hall and here at the school, she is featured at the Firehouse Gallery in Charles Town, West Virginia.
