West Chicago Gallery 200 Artist 'Bitten by Shutterbug'

West Chicago, Illinois: September 11, 2007 - Forty years ago, after watching the first image appear on a piece of paper in a makeshift photo lab, Jerry Fikar admits to being "bitten by the shutterbug." Installed as a featured artist at Gallery 200 in downtown West Chicago since September 6, 2007, Fikar recently reflected on his evolution as a photographer in the years in between.

After a period of believing his pursuit of photographic equipment was the key to success, Fikar soon learned to recognize these as simply the tools to transfer the mind's eye to the paper. "Though technology has brought about many changes over time, it does not change what the photographer sees through the viewfinder and pictures in his imagination," he explained. Fikar's work includes images of people, places and things that no longer exist; bridges that have collapsed, ports that were taken by storms and many barns that were bulldozed over the years. He feels grateful to have captured these images through the lens of his camera.

Fikar admits to embracing new technologies to enhance his art after a period of resistance. He has come to view the computer file as "that strip of celluloid." He goes on to say, "The digital age is upon us now with changes in photographic tools coming too fast for us to keep up with. The fact that it has exposed more people to photography and that freezing of a moment is its virtue." For Fikar, the excitement of watching that piece of paper emerge from the printer today generates the same enthusiasm as that piece of paper developing in a tray in his makeshift photo lab some forty years ago.

The work of Jerry Fikar and Friends will be on display at Gallery 200, located at 200 Main Street in historic downtown West Chicago through September 30, 2007. Gallery hours are Thursdays, 4:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.; Friday's 4:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.; and Saturday's and Sunday's 12:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. Admission is free. For more information, call (630) 293-9550.

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