Biography
I grew up in Memphis, Tennessee where I was highly influenced by the work of William Eggleston, the father of my classmate at a private all-girls school. Watching him work, I saw how he transformed and elevated seemingly banal, every day subject matter, such as a white ceiling fan or a tricycle, into significant works of art through his compelling dye transfer prints. I interpreted his “democratic camera” as a metaphor for a way of living—being present, open, and fearless in the natural world. Today, my work in photography, drawing and painting, as well as experimental iPad apps, deploy similar concepts but for a new era.
After high school, I left Memphis to explore the country and earned my Bachelor of Arts in 1994 at University of Vermont with a major in Comparative Religion and a minor in Studio Art. I moved to New York City soon after graduating college and worked as an intern at SPIN magazine which lead me to design albums and CDs for musicians. During this time, I spent long hours in a dark room in Manhattan printing color photographs, many of which were used for CD artwork. In 1996, I became art director for an indie rock record label called Zero Hour.
Returning to my roots in Memphis in 1998, I worked as a designer and photographer for more indie record labels in both rock and blues music, such as Shangri-La Records, Rooster Blues Records, Bottled Magic, IKON Records (Ike Turner’s comeback label), and Royal Studios (where Al Green’s early work was recorded), all of which exposed me to a mix of southern heritage that influences my visual sensibility.
I spent years photographing Memphis and the Mississippi Delta—its landscapes, street scenes, and interiors, in addition to blues, rockabilly, indie rock, and folk musicians. Many of those images were used in CD artwork, posters, and ads. At Shangri-La Projects, we published book of photographs and interviews called Will Roy Sanders: The Last Living Bluesman. In 2001, I was awarded Best CD Artwork by Living Blues Magazine. During that time, I also studied photography under James Perry Walker, who published The Reverend (University Press of Mississippi).
Even though my photographic work became known in the indie music scene, I have always been a painter throughout my career with a love for drawing. For example, in 1995, I attended a month long residency at Vermont Studio Center for painting. Then, in 1996, I did a residency at Washington Studios to study under painter Hugh O’ Donnell in Connecticut. In 1998, I attended a summer residency at Marshall Arts Studios in Memphis. From 2002 to 2003, I returned to NYC to attend The New York Studio School for Drawing, Painting & Sculpture as a full-time student. There, I was able to hone my technical craft studying under John Dubrow and Graham Nickson. I attended weekly lectures on 20th century modernism given by art historian Karen Wilkin at the school. There, I also had exposure to contemporary working artists and weekly lectures with historians, writers and critics presenting on a range of art-related topics.
After my brother died in 2006, I became increasingly sensitive to the transience of life. To see the beauty within the mundane is to be fully awake in the present moment—to see the sacred in the every day. I have become ever more present to the intimacy in daily life, and I seek to capture this in my work.
While I continue to rely on my camera as a practice in seeing, I work most often today in drawing and painting. Attracted to the natural world, my paintings are an extension of this photographic note-taking. I take these ‘visual notes’ while walking to and from my art studio in Brooklyn, while absorbing my in-laws’ culture in the Appalachian Mountains of West Virginia, and while meandering through forests in the Catskills and Adirondacks. These places echo throughout my paintings. I am most interested in capturing magical moments in nature, such as the subtle shine of light passing through a lone leaf stuck in the snow, or the fearless play of young boys exploring the woods. I am attracted to the texture of dying plants, odd combinations of found objects, and vibrant colors.
