Memphian Houston Cofield has the ability to make time stand still. A photojournalist by trade and artist by design, he spends time between commissions for the likes of The New York Times, Oxford American, Vice and Garden & Gun Magazine and creating artwork for museums, galleries and collectors.
In the tradition of Southern storytelling, his work explores the mythology, fiction and folklore that embody the American South. It's more than just "little scenes in a rectangle," he muses.
"I've been thinking more lately about the content in my imagery and why I'm drawn to what I photograph. I think the subjects in my pictures are a glimpse into a sort of timelessness that the universe offers up if you're looking for it," Houston explains.
"I consider myself an observer and have been a visual learner since I was a child. In the process of training my eye to see a certain way I am simultaneously training myself to react to a specific internal logic or narrative. What I love about photography is that every picture presents a fiction. The image is a reflection of the person making the image, their beliefs about the world, photographic influence, and the internalized, sometimes subconscious, fictions we tell ourselves," says Houston.
See more of Houston's work @houstoncofield @houstoneditions
To order artwork, visit houstoncofield.com/prints
Mark your calendar for a group show with fellow Memphis artist Nate Renner (@naterennerart) on July 26th from 5- to 8 p.m. at 11 West Huling Avenue in Memphis.