Based in Atlanta, Beth Lilly is a conceptually driven photographer whose work speculates on the interplay of choice, chance and circumstance. Her most recent body of work, “The Elements in Four Movements,” is a series of constructed landscapes created by combining multiple photographs in a grid exploring the Classical elements (earth, water, air and fire).

Focusing on how forms and lines on bordering images in the grid match up, Beth places each individual photograph to give the illusion of continuity across the multiple images. For each composite, she creates hundreds and sometimes over a thousand single images to work from. She feels there’s only one combination that “works” as a compelling composition and it is her task to intuitively discover that secret combination. In Photoshop, she alters the edges so that the transition is either barely noticeable or entirely seamless.

In ancient cultures, the Classical elements were proposed to explain the nature and complexity of all matter in terms of simpler substances. Through these constructed landscapes, Beth’s goal is to make herself and the viewer more aware of nature’s elemental materials and basic rhythms.

Beth’s work has been collected by the High Museum of Art, New Mexico Museum of Art, The Ogden Museum of Southern Art, Museum of Contemporary Art of Georgia, the Metropolitan Atlanta Arts Fund and many others. Kehrer Verlag published a collection of works from the Oracle @ WiFi project in 2012. She has received grants from the Society for Photographic Education and Atlanta Celebrates Photography and is a Hambidge Fellow. Lilly earned a MFA in Photography from Georgia State University and an ABJ in Media Production from the University of Georgia.

Instagram Live Artist Talk - Tuesday, September 28 at 11 a.m. via @spaldingnixfineart

Share this Story