Who inspires you in your photography?
Alfred Stieglitz, Georgia O'Keeffe's husband, inspires me a great deal. He did, however, say crazy things like "don't ever sell your artwork". He was considered the father of modern art photography. Walt Whitman also inspires me. And, Chris Kohli…Chris taught me how to see things.

When did you take up photography?
When I was eighteen or nineteen, I was dating someone by the name of Cornflake. He was a semi-professional photographer and full time con artist. He was the first person I ever met with a 35mm camera. Once, when we were out and about, he handed me the camera. It was much better than the old brownie camera that I was using. A brownie camera was the type that you look down into and click. It used large negatives, and was a very inexpensive point and click camera. At the time, I was also working at a Fotomat, so developing and printing was half price for me.

When did you start entering photo shows?
I didn't start entering shows until I [got a studio] up to the Jones in 2000. I had been coming to the Jones Building Artwalks and met (the late) Chris Kohli, another Jones building artist. He was so smart and so beautiful, so talented, and very funny. I discovered that it was exciting to get in the shows and hear that people liked my work.

How did you discover hand tinting?
I had seen it in some old family photos so I decided to give it a try. There are many techniques for hand tinting black and white photos. I started using photograph pencils, but the type of photo paper needed was hard to find. I like using oil because it is easier to blend, you can make up your own colors and you can tint the entire photo. The other nice thing with oil is if you make a mistake you can start over.
You have a definite style, how would you describe it?
Urban and rural decay. My photography has almost turned into a weird documentation thing. I'm documenting these places that will disappear and no one will ever know about them again. I find places by driving around. Sometimes people tell me about them. I find other places on the way. I once met the owner of a house I was photographing. The first thing he said was, "You're not who I thought you were." He assumed I was a vandal, but we ended up talking and he told me all about the house. He was a marine biologist who was a fish counter back home from Alaska.

What has been your most interesting find?
Interestingly, 4 of the last 6 houses had shot-out televisions. As I was walking around one house, I saw that someone had pushed a television to an upstairs window with the screen side out. The television screen was shot out, so when you look up at window, you see a shot out television.  You know, Elvis used to shoot out the television if he didn't like the show. I think that Elvis is here and alive and on the "I shot the TV" tour of Northwest Ohio. I also found the "bathtub graveyard" behind the French building near Dillon's in downtown Findlay. The owner was remodeling and temporarily dumped old bathtubs and radiators. And then there's the "Volkswagen graveyard" at my mechanic's. The "random acts of furniture" are just lucky shots. The photo of the easy chairs in the field has made my career as a photographer.

Does your photography impact your writing?
It didn't used to, but it does now. My poetry is very visual poetry, so the photography complements it. After the "Diner Waitress Series" I began the "Apprentice Photographer Chronicles". They are pretty funny. This December my book comes out. It is called "A Memento Sent by the World". It's pretty much everything that I have written since I moved into my Jones Building studio. I'm very excited, it's my first book.

Read Hofer's poem "The Futility of Martyrdom" and view her photography at http://www.uglycousin.com/page6. Hofer's studio is open during biannual Artwalks, which occur in May and November, as well as by appointment. To view Hofer's artwork, contact her at 419 788-5044 or studio13girl@gmail.com.