Heather Evans Smith
I’m still learning and hope that it never stops. Again, I’m lucky to have the time to investigate the work of photographers and the themes and concepts they embrace with their work. When Heather Evans Smith received the CENTER’s 2022 Me&Eve Grant for her series, Blue, I once again was introduced to something I was previously unaware of. The not-so-unusual topic of mid-life depression in women is given attention in Evans’ work and done so masterfully. Now, many creatives know what things like depression and anxiety are, myself none withstanding, all too common, but coupling this with a condition that hits far too many women, you can have effects that are downright crippling.
I’m certainly no expert, but I know that for myself and others, getting out there and making the work and keeping the mind active can help distract from negative feelings. Not always the easiest thing to do, but something that simply works for many people who suffer needlessly. What a body of work like Blue does, though, is to spotlight the idea and give it attention so that, hopefully, more people will take notice and discuss the condition. With that might come suggestions, support, and care that could guide a loved one. A body of work like this has the potential to help people in profound ways, and for that, I give Evans high marks. On top of that, she does so with dignity and grace and makes photographs with an excellent command of composition and light. So please enjoy the images and words presented here, not simply for enjoyment but also in the effort of holding up your fellow human being and recognizing and providing encouragement and support. My thanks go out the Heather for her efforts here, above and beyond making the photographs. I look forward to where this work takes her.
Navigator, 2021
Bio -
Heather Evans Smith is a photo-based artist whose work reflects her southern roots, motherhood, womanhood, and a whimsical imagination she relied on as an only child in a rural town. Her photographic imagery explores the ideas of memory, loss, and family in conceptual settings. Smith’s work has been exhibited in both solo and group exhibitions at venues, including the Fox Talbot Museum in Lacock, England, the Nasher Museum of Art at Duke University, NC, and Leica Galerie Milano in Milan, Italy. She is a Critical Mass 2014, 2018, and 2021 Top 50 recipient, as well as a 2022 Silver List artist. Smith is also a CENTER 2022 Me&Eve grant recipient. Her first monograph, Seen Not Heard, was published by Flash Powder Projects in 2016, followed by her self-published monograph, Alterations, in 2020. She will release a monograph of her Blue series in summer 2022. She resides with her family in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.
Interview -
Michael Kirchoff: Looking back to your earliest memories of creativity and image-making, what do you feel directed you to make photography such an integral part of your life? Was there a specific person or event that prompted this?
Heather Evans Smith: I fell in love with photography in college but ended up with a career in graphic design. I missed photography and wanted to get back into it but had no intention of making it a career, more so for taking pictures of family and friends. One day I decided to take a self-portrait while dressed up for an event. I took the picture sitting next to the window, my tripod just at arm’s length, with a piece of black foam core and balanced behind me using my other hand. I pressed the shutter and realized what I could do at that moment with just my two arms. The experimentation took off from there, eventually evolving into a career.
MK: What is it that you get out of creating photographs? Is there an overriding theme in your work that you feel best represents you as an artist?
HES: Photography is therapy for me. It’s a way to pull back the curtain of my relationships and memories and dive deeper into those thoughts. I started out shooting images that I thought looked cool and eventually moved into themes of family, memory, and self. I don’t foresee leaving that genre any time soon, as those themes best represent me.
MK: Your photography is not just conceptual but theatrical in nature. Much of this I would attribute to the lighting and attention to detail. There is a comfortable precision behind the construction of every image. How much planning goes into a photograph, and do some happen more spontaneously, or are they all thoughtfully planned out?
HES: Everything is thought out in advance. I build small sets around the house to match my vision. Since much of my work revolves around memory, I’m on the hunt for vintage items that I might have had or a family member may have had at that time. I collect rugs, wallpapers, clothing, housewares, and fabrics and shoot all over my home both inside and out, with the majority being inside. Some ideas simmer in my mind from 6 months to a year until I’m ready to shoot. Others might be relatively spontaneous, with maybe a few weeks prep.
Veneer, 2021
Conservatory, 2022
Paint It Blue, 2021
Vessel, 2021
If You Sit Still Too Long, 2021
MK: You are the recipient of CENTER’s 2022 Me&Eve Grant for your series, Blue. My congratulations on the recognition. Do you have plans for the work and what this grant might be able to do for it?
HES: I am using the grant to create a monograph of the series Blue. I knew while working on the series that I wanted the work to be in book form. I received lots of responses online from other women who had gone through mid-life depression and really responded to the work, so put out a call to include these stories in the upcoming book. The subject is bigger than me, and want to share this work as a collective.
MK: Topics like loss, grief, and depression take center stage in your collection, Blue. You’ve been very clear about this in both the images and your statement. I’m wondering if the creation of this body of work has been cathartic in some way and helped you regain a sort of balance that I’m assuming had been thrown off, starting with the unfortunate passing of your father.
HES: This body of work has been very cathartic. Unfortunately, when I started shooting, I wasn’t emotionally ready. Then the pandemic hit. I knew I wanted to create the series, but 2020 was not the time with all of us adjusting to our new normal. I shot two images and then had to take a pause, but continued to collect props and jotted down ideas but mostly spent that year busying myself with other things: reworking my website, making cyanotypes, etc. When 2021 began, I felt ready and shot the series consistently over that entire year (with a few at the beginning of this year as well). It felt satisfying to finally get the ideas out.
MK: In Blue, is there one image that stands as a signature photograph or one that speaks loudest?
HES: For me, it’s the image The Air In The Room, where I’m marking my daughter’s forehead with blue paint. I’m curious to understand how depression affects the people around us. Are we marking them for a future of fighting depression as well?
The Air In The Room, 2021
Until There Is Little Left, 2021
Timekeeper, 2021
Maybe It’s Been There All Along, 2021
MK: I’ve noticed that butterflies are often found in your photographs in one form or another and in multiple bodies of work. I wonder what the meaning or attraction is (beyond the obvious) and why they frequently find a home in your projects.
HES: I am attracted to butterflies because they are a perfect metaphor for many of my themes: beauty, fragility, loss. They live for such a short time, much like fleeting moments in our lives.
MK: Thinking back to the grant you received from CENTER, I’m wondering if applying for grants, awards, exhibitions, etc., is a common practice for you? Do you find that doing so helps strengthen both the work and your resolve in finding the correct type of attention necessary to move your projects forward?
HES: My approach to submissions has changed in the last 10 years. In the beginning, I applied to as many calls as possible, particularly group shows. It was a great way to get my work in front of certain jurors. Now I apply to only a handful of calls, looking for just the right fit. I look at expenses involved (shipping, framing, etc.) and how might this help my career. Aline Smithson once said, “You don’t have to be invited to every party”. I took this advice to heart, making sure each call is worth my while. Applying to calls has really forced me to look at my projects and write about them in ways the viewer can see the work and statement, getting a clear picture of the project.
MK: Do you have any advice for others looking to do the same for themselves?
HES: I read an article by a writer a few years back that stuck with me. He strived for 100 rejections a year. I liked that approach. While I don’t submit to even close to that amount each year, I’ve found that the more you put your work out there, the greater chance an opportunity will come your way. And always remember, when looking at others’ social media, they are only sharing the highlights. Artists don’t announce their rejections but trust me, we all have them. Just keep at it.
MK: Over the years, the tools we use to make photographs have changed dramatically, not to mention the vehicles we use to promote the final works we produce. How do you keep up with these changes, and do you see there being any further significant change as lens-based media continues to progress?
HES: When I got into photography seriously around 2007, social media was already a growing place to share work. The main site for that at the time was Flickr, through which I found many opportunities for sharing. Eventually, platforms changed, and I feel Instagram is the biggest online tool for sharing. One never knows who will see your work and what connections you might make. For example, an embroidery artist with a big following shared my Alterations series, and this led to a big feature in Embroidery Magazine. This kind of opportunity would not have been possible without social media. Of course, it has its downsides, and there is a sea of images floating around to wade through. But it’s the best way to reach so many people around the world.
Heavy Is The Lightest Thing, 2021
Keeping It All Together, 2021
Soak, 2021
You Are Not The Only One, 2021
This Too Shall Pass, 2021
MK: Anyone working in an artistic field has matured and grown over time. Is there anything you’ve discovered lately that you’d like people to know about you or your creative process?
HES: I’ve become much more of a researcher than in the past. I take quite a lot of time jotting down ideas and may write about the series before even picking up the camera. I ask myself questions such as, “What do I want to say with this body of work?”, “What will the mood and color palette be?” “What props will best convey the message?” Thinking it through in advance seems to lead to a more cohesive story once I begin shooting.
MK: Is there another artistic medium that informs your work and process? Music? Film? Literature?
HES: Much of my earlier work was inspired by music and film. Some of it directly inspired - my first series was based on Beatles songs, for example. I have a more subtle approach now; perhaps a cinematography still or sound of a specific instrument may spark an idea. I became interested in sewing in the past five years, which was extremely helpful for my series, Alterations, but also found it to be a wonderful tool for prop making. I’m also a life-long dancer, which often influences how my subject or I move within the composition.
MK: How do you know if you’re ever really done with a specific body of work? Do you ever go back to revisit images or collections to improve upon what you felt was previously finished?
HES: When I don’t have the desire to keep shooting the subject matter or when my ideas start repeating themselves, then I know it’s time to close the series. Once, in a previous series, I went back and reshot some images that I didn’t feel were strong the first time around but still loved the ideas behind them and was glad that I did. This isn’t the norm for me, though. Typically, by the time a series is out in the public, I’m ready to move on to the next idea.
MK: Thank you so much for your time and efforts here today, Heather. One last thing – how do you see your work progressing into the future? Do you have anything new you are currently working on that we should be on the lookout for?
HES: I see myself continuing to work on projects that are personal to me: memory, family, relationships. I enjoy these types of series because it allows me to look within and think about my life in ways I haven’t before. I just finished creating a monograph of my Blue series that will be available in late Summer, and also in the beginning stages of researching a new project.
You can find more of Heather’s work on her website here.
All photographs, ©Heather Evans Smith
