Jeremy Blair
Blair investigates the intersections of place and self by developing cameraless photograms that transform found materials into personal narratives. He creates photograms outside in rural settings in a custom-designed light-proof darkroom tent. Blair begins each photogram by arranging found items directly onto a piece of photosensitive silver paper, creating the initial composition. Next, he exposes the paper with quick flashes of light from a small flashlight, changing the composition with each exposure. Lastly, he soaks the paper in three different eco-friendly photo chemicals inside the darkroom tent. Developing photograms on-site forces him to embrace variables that add unique effects to each photogram. Through this process, he draws, collages, and paints with light, discovering patterns in nature that inform patterns in himself. Each work becomes a portal and crystalizes the people and materials he has encountered. Ultimately, he observes vital ecologies and documents experiences through light and chemistry, leading to an intimate connection with place, material, and self.
Jeremy Blair is an Assistant Professor of Art Education at Tennessee Tech University and a practicing photographic artist. Jeremy received his bachelor's and master's degrees from Miami University and his doctorate from the University of North Texas. Before coming to Tennessee, he served as a K-12 teacher in Savannah, Georgia, a visiting professor of art education at the University of Georgia, and an art museum curator at the University of Colorado Boulder. His art practice, teaching, and scholarship center on exploring art and science intersections, precisely nature, chemistry, and light. He participates in residencies and regularly exhibits his alternative process site-based cameraless photography.
