Local photographer opens ‘Black Sheep’

Whether students are looking for original artwork to color an office, home, or business, the Black Sheep Photography Gallery has a lifetime of photographs from around the world and even right here in Toledo from the camera of one local artist.

With the click of a button and a snap of her Canon 40D, a love of photography turned into a professional business for one aspiring woman.

"This gallery was always my dream," she said. "But you have to have enough good photos to start one. And I have finally been doing it long enough to have enough good photos."

Cheryl Hardy has been taking pictures all her life and like others, she would share them with friends and family. Now she is going one step further and sharing them with the public.

Hardy welcomed family, friends, and guests to the grand opening of her Black Sheep Photography Gallery in Levis Commons Plaza in Perrysburg, Ohio; amid wine, fresh fruit, and enticing desserts, her photographs from far-off vineyards to animals down on the farm hung from the ceiling.

"Black Sheep Photography actually started as a hobby," Hardy said. "It was a way for me to share pictures. I get to go to a lot of really neat places, just by will or by luck. What started as a personal sharing of photos with my family and friends turned into a semi-professional hobby and a website, and that turned into an art gallery."

Hardy originally grew up in Port Clinton, Ohio and moved to the Toledo area about 20 years ago. She has attended the University of Findlay, Arizona State University, and Baldwin-Wallace College. Hardy is heavily involved in community and was the creator of the Mud Puddle in support of the Toledo Mud Hens' opening day.

Upon visiting the gallery, Hardy is willing to explain the story behind every photograph.

Although she has no formal education in photography, her marketing background helps bring her passion for pictures to life. Hardy has been in the marketing business for 15 years and currently owns a marketing and public relations firm at Levis Commons, which she started at 21.

"We study the big guys, the good guys, the great ads, and the bad ads. So you develop an eye, you develop what's good," Hardy said. "You study the best of the best. And I think that is what taught me to see what to look for."

She believes that education is not a barrier and encourages anyone with a creative idea or hobby to pursue it. Just like the black sheep with a touch of pink on her business cards, Hardy knows the possibilities for a great picture are endless.

"For me, photography is a creative outlet," she said. "In my day job, in the real world, I have to walk a straight and narrow line. I don't dress outside the lines, I don't talk outside the lines, I don't market outside the lines. This creative outlet allows me to be a black sheep. I'm going to crawl out on a limb to get that great picture or I'm going to do whatever I want."

Not only are the pictures captured by a local artist, but the picture itself is also produced there.

In a partnership with Form and Function, a computer software design firm, and SFC Graphic, a large scale print shop, the Black Sheep prints are produced on a hard board that allows the customer to hang up right after purchase and guaranteed fade resistant.

Most of the pictures are displayed without a frame, but aesthetically grouped together to illustrate a particular theme from rustic vineyards to a recent visit to Switzerland.

Over 200 photographs are on exhibit in this brightly-lit gallery that also shares half its space with Hardy Communication.

Every photograph is for sale and completely up to the customer's preference. Customers can also choose to purchase a frame or the unframed photograph. Hardy wants to accommodate whatever people want and the wall art starts at $35.

"This is really a test," she said. "I hope we have priced it right for the market. We have kept that in mind, certainly. We want to keep a low price point."

The Gallery is open Monday thru Thursday 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., evenings and weekends by appointment, and is located in Levis Commons at 4185 Chappel Drive. Black Sheep is in the last building on Chappel Drive and easily recognizable by black and pink pinstripe awnings alongside C. Sterling Jewelers and Fiddlestix.