Ila Fern Guthrie

“A picture is a secret about a secret, the more it tells you the less you know”~ Diane Arbus

I lost my mother a few months ago.
Ila Fern Guthrie.
“Fermie”, as she was known to those who love her, was a consummate artist. At different times of her life she was an avid writer, painter, seamstress, cook, taker of photographs, and more. I say “taker of photographs” because I’m not so sure she would have characterized herself as a photographer, even an amateur one. However when clearing out my parents home I found no less than 60 cameras. None were expensive. Fermie was certainly frugal. There were ancient Polaroids & 35 millimeters undoubtedly procured at “the gettin’ place” by my junkman daddy, “Mr. Larry”. There were disposables, a few old school digital cameras, and a staggering assortment of undeveloped film.
I debated just tossing the film out of some misguided attempt at being respectful to her memory, arguing with myself that if she wanted me to see the photos she would’ve developed them & given them to me, right?
But the truth of the matter is that Mom would have wanted to share them, just so long as she looked “presentable”. And so I will.
I will develop the film little by little here and there & share when appropriate. She and I talked often and seriously about writing a book together.
Some days we imagined it to be a children’s book full of her life lessons & drawings.
Some days it was a memoir juxtaposing our wildly different experiences of growing up in Missouri.

We just ran out of time.

And so begins Fermie’s Photo Project. I hope it will be a restorative if not joyous place we can share memories and stories of my mother, and yours too.