Diane Blazy
DIANE BLAZY, 54
Photographer and professor
Posted on Mon, Oct. 08, 2007
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BY JENNIFER MOONEY PIEDRA
jmooney@MiamiHerald.com
Diane Blazy was not an ordinary photographer.
She was an artist who turned everyday items -- like flowers in a vase or a statue of an angel in a cemetery -- into visual masterpieces, using a camera, pastel oil colors and her keen eye.
Blazy, a longtime professor of photography at the Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale, died Friday at her Davie home after a two-year struggle with cancer. She was 54.
Until a few months ago, Blazy continued doing what she loved best -- shooting photos and teaching.
''She had a special talent,'' said her husband, Bob Eighmie, a retired Miami Herald staff photographer of 38 years.
Born in Woodstock, N.Y., Blazy spent most of her childhood in Lexington, Ky., where her father worked for IBM.
She attended the University of Kentucky, where she studied painting and photography. After graduating in 1976, she held a few jobs, including one researching data and developing it into charts for the Tobacco and Health Research Institute at the University of Kentucky.
But photography was her passion, and she wanted to continue studying it.
Using her savings, Blazy enrolled in the Rochester Institute of Technology. She made ends meet by working as a waitress.
After graduating with a master's degree in fine arts, she moved to New York City. There, she worked as a photographer for three years, assisting on commercial shoots, including one for St. Pauli Girl beer.
Tired of the hustle of big-city life, Blazy was ready to move to Florida when she accepted an offer from Newsweek to shoot a six-page photo spread on AIDS. She was treated like a star, her husband said, with limo service to the magazine's New York City office, a studio to work in and access to top-quality equipment.
But after finishing the assignment, Blazy relocated to South Florida and landed a position as a photography professor at the Art Institute.
Using her own work as teaching tools, Blazy inspired her students.
''She was so passionate about what she was teaching, and she was so talented,'' said Emily Michot, a Miami Herald staff photographer who studied under Blazy in 1994. ``What she taught helped me establish a really strong foundation for my everyday work.''
The Art Institute also brought love into Blazy's life. In 1991, she met her future husband, Eighmie, a fellow professor.
Soon after, the two went on their first date to a photography lecture. They quickly grew inseparable and were married on June 20, 1993.
''We always felt that we were soul mates,'' he said. ``It just felt so right.''
Blazy continued her career at the Art Institute, but occasionally freelanced for The Miami Herald Neighbors section.
And like many professional photographers, Blazy had her favorite subjects to shoot: angels and flowers.
Blazy was known to arrange flowers in vases and photograph them using Polaroid cameras. Then, she'd transfer them to watercolor paper, making the images look like paintings.
During trips with her husband to Europe and throughout the United States, Blazy shot photos of angel statues.
Using Photoshop, she'd create images of the angels at landmarks, such as Vizcaya, the Spanish Monastery and Canterbury Cathedral.
Last month, some of her creations were on display during a show called Divas of Photography, at the James Schot Gallery and Photo Studio in Fort Lauderdale. Despite her failing health, Blazy was able to attend.
''She was thrilled to be there,'' Eighmie said. ``After all her work, she was able to put it out there for others to see.''
Away from work, Blazy enjoyed traveling and spending time with her husband. Though the couple had no children, they doted on their dog, Sadie.
They spent much of their time at their Davie home, sitting on rocking chairs on the back porch. The view of nearby Pine Island Ridge always put a smile on Blazy's face.
That panorama was one of the last Blazy saw before dying, her husband said.
''We walked into the grass because she liked the feel of it on her bare feet,'' he said. ``She stood by the fence, opened her eyes and looked at the ridge. Her face lit up.''
In addition to her husband, Blazy is survived by a brother, Kent, and stepmother Eloise Blazy.
The family requests donations in her memory to VITAS Hospice Charitable Fund, 5420 NW 33rd Ave., Suite 100, Fort Lauderdale, 33309.
Photographer and professor
Posted on Mon, Oct. 08, 2007
Diggdel.icio.usAIMreprintprint email
BY JENNIFER MOONEY PIEDRA
jmooney@MiamiHerald.com
Diane Blazy was not an ordinary photographer.
She was an artist who turned everyday items -- like flowers in a vase or a statue of an angel in a cemetery -- into visual masterpieces, using a camera, pastel oil colors and her keen eye.
Blazy, a longtime professor of photography at the Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale, died Friday at her Davie home after a two-year struggle with cancer. She was 54.
Until a few months ago, Blazy continued doing what she loved best -- shooting photos and teaching.
''She had a special talent,'' said her husband, Bob Eighmie, a retired Miami Herald staff photographer of 38 years.
Born in Woodstock, N.Y., Blazy spent most of her childhood in Lexington, Ky., where her father worked for IBM.
She attended the University of Kentucky, where she studied painting and photography. After graduating in 1976, she held a few jobs, including one researching data and developing it into charts for the Tobacco and Health Research Institute at the University of Kentucky.
But photography was her passion, and she wanted to continue studying it.
Using her savings, Blazy enrolled in the Rochester Institute of Technology. She made ends meet by working as a waitress.
After graduating with a master's degree in fine arts, she moved to New York City. There, she worked as a photographer for three years, assisting on commercial shoots, including one for St. Pauli Girl beer.
Tired of the hustle of big-city life, Blazy was ready to move to Florida when she accepted an offer from Newsweek to shoot a six-page photo spread on AIDS. She was treated like a star, her husband said, with limo service to the magazine's New York City office, a studio to work in and access to top-quality equipment.
But after finishing the assignment, Blazy relocated to South Florida and landed a position as a photography professor at the Art Institute.
Using her own work as teaching tools, Blazy inspired her students.
''She was so passionate about what she was teaching, and she was so talented,'' said Emily Michot, a Miami Herald staff photographer who studied under Blazy in 1994. ``What she taught helped me establish a really strong foundation for my everyday work.''
The Art Institute also brought love into Blazy's life. In 1991, she met her future husband, Eighmie, a fellow professor.
Soon after, the two went on their first date to a photography lecture. They quickly grew inseparable and were married on June 20, 1993.
''We always felt that we were soul mates,'' he said. ``It just felt so right.''
Blazy continued her career at the Art Institute, but occasionally freelanced for The Miami Herald Neighbors section.
And like many professional photographers, Blazy had her favorite subjects to shoot: angels and flowers.
Blazy was known to arrange flowers in vases and photograph them using Polaroid cameras. Then, she'd transfer them to watercolor paper, making the images look like paintings.
During trips with her husband to Europe and throughout the United States, Blazy shot photos of angel statues.
Using Photoshop, she'd create images of the angels at landmarks, such as Vizcaya, the Spanish Monastery and Canterbury Cathedral.
Last month, some of her creations were on display during a show called Divas of Photography, at the James Schot Gallery and Photo Studio in Fort Lauderdale. Despite her failing health, Blazy was able to attend.
''She was thrilled to be there,'' Eighmie said. ``After all her work, she was able to put it out there for others to see.''
Away from work, Blazy enjoyed traveling and spending time with her husband. Though the couple had no children, they doted on their dog, Sadie.
They spent much of their time at their Davie home, sitting on rocking chairs on the back porch. The view of nearby Pine Island Ridge always put a smile on Blazy's face.
That panorama was one of the last Blazy saw before dying, her husband said.
''We walked into the grass because she liked the feel of it on her bare feet,'' he said. ``She stood by the fence, opened her eyes and looked at the ridge. Her face lit up.''
In addition to her husband, Blazy is survived by a brother, Kent, and stepmother Eloise Blazy.
The family requests donations in her memory to VITAS Hospice Charitable Fund, 5420 NW 33rd Ave., Suite 100, Fort Lauderdale, 33309.
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