Photographer Julie Blackmon’s works have been featured in art shows from New York to Paris, but her roots are firmly planted in the Queen City.
Blackmon, who recently sold photos to
New York Magazine for its January cover, was the featured guest this morning for Springfield Business Journal’s live monthly editorial series 12 People You Need You Need to Know.
Mostly capturing the activities of children - often three of her own and relatives - Blackmon’s work features familiar Springfield sites, including the Rountree and Phelps Grove neighborhoods, downtown corridors and the historic Pythian Castle near Evangel University. But the work itself transcends setting, largely focusing on family dynamics.
“I was looking at these paintings that were 400 years old and they were domestic family life scenes. As much as has changed in our world, there’s something about the craziness of these domestic scenes that seem really timeless,” Blackmon said. “So I thought, ‘What if I did something with that? What if I did something with current day, with photography?’
“That hybrid of influence with photography is probably when the work developed its own style.”
What results is a surreal portfolio of children and adults in uncommon but realistic situations, where realism and fantasy intertwine. Children might be floating in the air or in bed with snakes wearing a cape, but she said viewers often connect with the photos in a nostalgic way.
“With this work, I was able to look at dark things in a light-hearted way,” she said.
Blackmon may only release as few as four pieces a year, and her sales are intermittent, she said. Last Friday, for instance, she sold two large pieces after a few weeks with no sales. Her work ranges from $3,500 to $12,000 or more, with her midsize photos - at roughly 36 by 48 feet - being the most popular at around $6,000 each.
Her self-described homegrown venture hasn’t gone unnoticed. Celebrities including Reese Witherspoon, Elton John and Don Johnson have purchased her prints. Johnson even visited Blackmon’s Springfield home.
“That was a trip,” she said, before recounting her meeting with John and speaking to him on a first-name basis backstage at JQH Arena.
The connection with Witherspoon started with an out-of-the blue email with a subject line that simply read, “Just wanted to say I love your work.” They later met for lunch and the actress purchased one of her pieces.
Next month, Blackmon said she’ll visit Park Avenue Armory in New York City as it adds three of her pieces. Still, she doesn’t let her national and international contacts sever her ties to Springfield. In fact, People Magazine turned her down three weeks ago after learning of her Queen City residency.
“We almost settled in on doing it, and then (a representative) said, ‘So, are you in New York or London?,’” Blackmon said, noting when she reveled her location it was a deal breaker for the magazine. “I was kind of relieved actually. I’m happy working here in Springfield.”
While selling photos pay the bills, Blackmon rarely takes commercial jobs for fear of losing her passion for the work.
“I try to to not let the potential for sale direct what I do. I really want the work to be about the work,” Blackmon said.” I just want to say something about the times and culture we’re a part of like any artist wants to do.”
While she’s hesitant to label herself, she notes her work has ventured more toward the artistic side of the spectrum using photography as a medium.
“Style almost becomes something somebody else describes,” she said. “To call yourself an artist is kind of nauseating.”
