Elizabeth O’Connor
Maker Monday - May 2023
About the Artist
Name: Elizabeth O’Connnor
Medium: photography
Years creating: since childhood
SCAA member: 2011
Based in: Rhode Island
Website: elizabethoconnor.photography
Instagram: @elizabethoconnorphoto
Click an image to view slideshow
Elizabeth first became a member of SCAA in 2011. She has been participating in group art shows throughout New England for the past 10 years, including one of our Member's Invitational exhibits in 2018 and a solo exhibit at Block Island Airport in 2019. These days, you can find her attending gallery openings, enjoying a hike with camera in hand, or taking part in art festivals. Visit Elizabeth at this year's Virtu Art Festival in Westerly. - SCAA
Where are you from, and what do you make?
I grew up in Connecticut and moved to Rhode Island after attending college here and earning a degree in Computer Science. I am a landscape photographer artist and the camera I most often have with me is my infrared converted 2012 Fuji X-Pro1.
How long have you been seriously pursuing art?
I have always had a camera since I was a kid, but I became serious about it when planning my first trip out of the country to Ireland. I wanted to make good pictures, so I took a series of film photography and darkroom printmaking classes at CCRI. I became so obsessed with the darkroom printing process that I became the lab monitor by default! Fast forward a few years to 2003 and a trip to New Zealand inspired me to pursue the latest digital photography technology and a Continuing Education certificate from RISD in 2017. For me, being a photographer artist is not just about using the camera as a tool to create a beautiful picture, it feels like I have developed a unique connection to the world through the camera that allows me to experience emotions that can hopefully be conveyed from my mind’s eye to the viewer's eye.
What inspires you to create?
The natural world is my inspiration. I feel the desire to capture the beauty in everything that I see. Nature is not trying to be something that it is not. It is perfect just the way it is. I want to share my vision that the perfect and beautiful is all around us, you just need to take a moment to stop and look.
Which artist outside of your chosen medium has had the most impact on your art? What do they do and in what way do they influence you?
My father was a watercolor artist and he also enjoyed figure drawing. He enjoyed art his entire life and only pursued it for the pure joy of it. He also had a day job that had nothing to do with art. He showed me that you can pursue your interests in the arts in addition to having a fulfilling career in a non-artistic field.
Is there a work of art that has changed your life or how you view the world in some way?
I attended a photo lecture at the Newport Art Museum and the presentation included work by Minor White. One of the photos that was discussed was his infrared film photograph “Road with Poplar Trees” created in 1955. When I saw the photograph, I remembered that I had developed a few rolls of infrared film while attending classes at CCRI and I had thought that it was so mystical and otherworldly looking! I knew at that moment that I wanted to explore the digital form of infrared photography. The Minor White quote that resonates the most with me is “one does not photograph something simply for what it is, but for what else it is”.
As a member of SCAA, what do you like most about us?
Oh, my goodness, everything! My father, William O’Connor, was a member for a very long time. He took classes, participated in the shows, and went to the events. He seemed to enjoy himself so much that I knew that this place was great! When it came time for me to bravely present my photography to the world for the first time, I choose a SCAA juried show. I got in! But I knew that either way I would be treated with respect and kindness.
-Open to new ideas. I am an Argentine Tango dancer and I asked if it was possible to have a dance there and well yes, they tried it!
Beautifully displayed exhibits.
Tons of classes
Accepting and welcoming staff and volunteers.
Support for the local art community.
Elizabeth O'Connor Rocks and Clouds
Rocks and Clouds
Tell us a joke.
What kind of photos do lobsters take the most? Shellfies!