My name is Laura Imhoff and I am the owner and photographer of Perception Studio. I graduated magna cum laude from the Myers School of Art, University of Akron in 2006 with a BFA in photography, and minors in painting, art history, and professional photography. While in school, my goal was to practice as many disciplines and approaches to art as possible so that I could gain a true understanding of what it meant to be an artist. But what did that require? It meant, “eat, breathe, and sleep” art. So, that is exactly what I did. While my classes offered technical advice for each discipline I tried, I learned the most from the artists of past decades and my colleagues. Sharing my life and art with them, and vice versa, showed me a world of possibilities and gave me a real appreciation for art in all its forms (and people, too). I decided that art school really wasn’t about learning how to BE an artist, but instead about how to defend why YOU are an artist. Being an artist isn’t about being techinically the best, which is what I had always strived for...its about the ideas behind the art - about being disciplined - being devoted -but most importantly, about being able to communicate. Why are some people “better” artists than others? Because some are more effective communicators. Why do people not agree about what is good art? Because we all comunicate differently. Why can everyone be an artist? Because we all can communicate. For me, art is about beauty. For me, art is about specifics and details. For me, art is about capturing a specific moment, emotion, or sense of mood. I am inspired by the beauty and unique character found within every individual, and my art relects that. My goal is to communicate who every individual is that I photograph or paint. Art is essentially about the reality of who every individual is. Ansel Adams once said, “There are always two people in every picture - the photographer and the viewer.” I operate my studio according to these beliefs. With every snap of the shutter or stroke of a brush, I give a piece of my reality to you, and take a bit of yours. The product of this relationship becomes art that is about Perception. ...