Today we’d like to introduce you to Venetia Dearden.
Venetia, please kick things off for us by telling us about yourself and your journey so far.
I left university early, for Peru, where I wanted to go and paint and explore the world. Whilst there living in a village near Machu Picchu, I met a photographer and spent a few months traveling with him and his friends all over Peru. I loved the approach to life of being a photographerx – getting up and going to bed with the light. The waiting, and being. Whilst I was there, I met some French winemakers who lived near Perpignan and returned to spend the summer with them helping them with the harvest.
Here in 1999, I discovered the Photojournalism festival, Visa Pour L’image. I returned annually for this festival and the harvest. Each year an opportunity seemed to come my way. A place on a postgraduate course in Photojournalism, an apprenticeship with a National Geographic Photographer, the invitation to join my first photo agency. I look back at the hard decision to quit a good university place but follow my instincts and I am grateful I did as in many ways, I found my path… and thats the short version!
Can you give our readers some background on your art?
I am essentially a documentary photographer. I don’t manipulate my images or set them up. I watch and observe and above all, I wait. My studies in art and art history have defined my passion for compositional harmony, colour and form. I am fascinated by light and narrative. It is a meditation in many ways, waiting, for what might seem the perfect moment to press the shutter! I am inspired by people, how we work with the land, carve out our dreams. Our relationships. My message is quite simply, would be that we love and respect each other for all our differences. That we are all equal, all experiencing the same things, I hope people who see my work fall in love with my subjects as I do, or are inspired, by something they see and feel.
What would you recommend to an artist new to the city, or to art, in terms of meeting and connecting with other artists and creatives?
I am always looking for ways to connect – photo festivals are a brilliant opportunity to gather and meet. This year I am going to https://www.rencontres-arles.com/. It can be a lonely path and its important to meet others on it!
What’s the best way for someone to check out your work and provide support?
I have a website, www.venetiadearden.com. My work has been exhibited and published internationally.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.venetiadearden.com
- Phone: +447775690837
- Email: mail@venetiadearden.com
- Instagram: @venetiadeardenstudio
- Facebook: Venetia Dearden
Image Credit:
Venetia Dearden
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