About
B. 1979, Nashville, American artist Amanda Lomax lives and works in Nashville, TN. Ms. Lomax holds a degree in Communications from Boston University, completing coursework in darkroom and digital photography. She was selected as a Teaching Assistant at the Santa Fe Photographic Workshops and Maine Media College, and studied under photographers Cig Harvey, Sam Abell, Ron Haviv, and Aline Simpson, amongst others. She is a recipient of the 2020 Tennessee TriStar Arts Award, a graduate of the 2018 Periscope Arts Program, and has been working with the photographic medium since 1998.
Artist Statement
In an age in which increased human sensibility has become such an obvious need in all areas of human involvement, color sensitivity and awareness can constitute a major weapon against forces of insensitivity and brutalization. - Interaction of Color by Josef Albers
My work exists on two levels. First, it is about playing with Color. I deconstruct my own photographs in order to harvest the fields of color within them. Going deeper (and referencing the Albers quote above), my work is designed to transform humanity through a greater sensitivity to Color. Driven by our natural tendency towards fear-driven hatred, I believe that Humankind is at a crossroads - evolve as a species, or perish. Greater Awareness of ourselves, one another and our world is vital; a shift in perspective is requisite. I encourage us to begin with increased awareness of Color. If we become more sensitive to Color, we might then raise our awareness (and acceptance) of others. We could see things differently. In other words, I hope for nothing short of an awakening for Humankind through my artwork.
To put it another way, I want my art to inspire people to look at the world differently, specifically, through the framework of color fields. I want my art to prompt the following questions: what happens if we look at the world through the framework of color fields? How might it change our perspective? What other perspectives might change? And ultimately, if we see things differently, how might we, as humans, change?
Color fields are my chosen framework for a few reasons. First, as a highly visual and sensitive child, I found comfort in distilling the world around me into fields of color. It was a simple way to organize a sometimes chaotic world. Now, as an adult, I use color because it is universal. As a language, it speaks in ways that words cannot - in fact, without words. Closely kin to feelings, it is a cousin of beauty and a sister of truth. Timeless, infinite and with endless possibilities, it is both of this world and beyond it. For me, it is the perfect vehicle to shift perspective.
A note on process…
My chosen medium is photography, but my goal is not a finished photograph. A finished photograph is actually the beginning of my art-making process. Like paint or clay, it is the raw material I use to derive meaning in my work. But, photography remains vital to my process for a few reasons. First, it offers endless ways to manipulate an image at various stages: in the camera, through the editing process, and through printing technology. Each technique is a fascinating way for me to excavate meaning. Photography also puts me in direct contact with the natural world. Although much of the process is digital, my true source, Color, is captured in real time, in the real world through my camera lens. Finally, photography allows me to work directly with light, the purest source of color.