Guelph artist Sue Richards has died. She had a huge impact on cultural life in Guelph, including myself. Sue’s initiatives in the 1980s helped start Hillside Festival, one of Canada’s most important summer music events.

In 2002, she launched Breast of Canada, an art calendar containing black and white images of women with breast cancer, to promote women’s health. The project lasted until 2007, when Sue was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease.

In 2006 Sue started Blog Guelph to chronicle life in the city and showcase the work of local photographers. Several sets of my photos appeared there. The poppy above was part of the first set in July 2008.

That was the first time anybody else published my images. It boosted my self-concept as an artistic photographer with a unique way of seeing things. I’m grateful to Sue and our mutual friend, Lynn Broughton, for the introduction.

Sue left the world a changed place. She died on Saturday, age 56. A tribute appeared yesterday in the Guelph Mercury.