Raymond G. LaVoie
For some, a life-altering event can be a serious wake-up call that helps them find their purpose. This is true for Roberta Kayne, who decided to pursue photography after she found its therapeutic properties during her battle with breast cancer.
Kayne plumbing to name a few – for over 30 years, but once she reconnected with her hobby of capturing photos, however there was no going back.
For the past 40 years, Kayne has been taking her camera across the world and sharing her experiences through her photos. She shares her artistry through social media, art shows and exhibitions as she published a book of her photography with the hopes that her images will leave a lasting impact.
Growing interest
Growing up in Cleveland, Kayne fell in love with photography at a young age watching her father behind the camera.
“My dad had cameras on him all the time. If it wasn’t a regular (one) it was a video camera,” Kayne says.
Though her dad eventually passed his equipment down to Kayne so she could follow in his footsteps, she didn’t get serious about photography until she was diagnosed with breast cancer in her 30s.
“Walking, hiking, being around flowers and parks, and taking pictures just was really therapeutic and it’s been that way ever since,” Kayne says. “I’m really grateful for every day I’m alive because you just don’t know when you get a diagnosis of cancer. So I really love sharing the beauty of what I see in the world.”
After recovering from her cancer treatments, Kayne signed up for her first photography workshop in 1989 and has slowly honed her skills through additional classes and experiences. Over the years, her passion has brought her as far as Israel, but it has also helped her see the beauty of life in her own backyard.
Change in Ohio
After moving around a few times, Kayne returned to Ohio in 2003 and planted roots in Dublin where both her professional and personal lives have blossomed.
Her work has been featured in countless shows, including the Dublin Area Art League spring and fall shows and the Ohio State Fair, as well as several exhibits and galleries around the state.
In 2020 she received funding from the Greater Columbus Arts Council to help put an exhibit together for the First Unitarian Universalist Church, which compiled more than 60 photos.
Throughout her two decades in Dublin, Kayne has been a part of the Dublin AM Rotary and volunteered with LifeCare Alliance’s Meals-on-Wheels and Dublin Food Pantry, where she has made lasting relationships.
Lasting legacy
Although she once dreamed of having her own gallery to showcase her work – perhaps in a warmer state like South Carolina – Kayne says she could never leave Dublin and has instead turned her attention toward creating a second book.
Through a workshop with photographer Steve Simon, Kayne is working on a book that will share a large collection of roughly 150 to 200 photographs, ranging from 2006 to present day.
As she looks back on her life and her work, Kayne says that without children or grandchildren, she was unsure of what impression she would leave on the world, but now hopes that her art becomes her legacy.
“I always wondered what kind of legacy am I going to leave, other than the stuff in my house, and so my pictures are a way to leave a legacy for me,” Kayne says. “Whether it’s the framed stuff or the exhibits or that I touched somebody’s life by sharing my photos.”
Rachel Karas is an editor at CityScene Media Group. Feedback welcome at rkaras@cityscenemediagroup.com.
