09 Linda Connor, Independent Tree, Utah 1982

Linda Connor
American, b. 1944

Independent Tree, Utah 1982
1982
Contact print
Museum Purchase with the Charter Member Endowment Fund, NEHMA
1986.119

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Born in New York in 1944, American artist Linda Connor began working in photography when she was 17 years old as a way to explore her interest in spiritualism. Connor attended the Rhode Island School of Design and received a BFA in photography before continuing on to receive her MFA from the Institute of Design, Illinois Institute of Technology. In 1969 she began teaching at the San Francisco Art Institute and continued there as a professor of photography for over 40 years.

In this photograph, Independent Tree, Utah, Connor captures the symbolic relationship she believes exists between humans and nature. With her signature photographic style, she alludes to something more than meets the eye. The central focus of this picture, the tree, is treated preciously. The viewer is a quiet observer in a vast place. This emotional representation of nature is typical of Connor’s work which uses landscape photography to explore to cultures and spiritualism.

Known for her landscape photography, Connor has traveled to a multitude of countries throughout her career including: India, Mexico, Thailand, Ireland, Peru and Nepal. She received 11 awards, had over 40 solo exhibitions, was featured in over 20 group exhibitions and collected her life’s photographic projects into two books.