Extraordinary Vision

Jun 15, 2010 by Laura Greb

Posted under: blog

Brian Leighton has what it takes to capture beauty. After bouncing around on his website for a while, he really does have his hands dipped in various parts of the industry from fine art photography to nude portraits to blogging about his sessions. I find it fasinating when photographers (or any kind of artist for that matter) blogs about their experience on a photo shoot or documenting their day for others to read and perhaps find some enlightenment or bond.

It takes extraordinary vision and creativity to look at an everyday object and find the magnificence that no one has seen before. For Brian Leighton, finding beauty in the details of things is the focus of his exceptional photography. His celebrated work in nudes, for example, encourages his viewer to take a closer look at his unique perspective.

In recent work, Leighton moved from exploring the anatomy of the human form to the anatomy of flowers, drawing distinct parallels as he captured the macro details of nature’s most extraordinary shapes. This body of work, which he refers to as “Mesh Screens”, explores the vibrant colors and exquisite contours of flowers while revealing nature’s most hidden detail: movement. The actual textures of his flowers come to life through a unique process of printing the images on archival screen material. When combined with light the result is an iridescent, almost plasma-screen effect which imitates the graceful and subtle movements of the flowers themselves.

His most recent work has Leighton moving from exploring the anatomy of the human form and flowers to the observation and abstraction of horizon lines. This body of work, which he refers to as “Bleu, explores the panoply of colors and emotions evoked by the study of the horizon with its myriad forms and representations.

The work was conceptualized on holiday in the Caribbean by capturing the horizon line over the sea from the same spot over the course of a week, and has since grown beyond that original representation to include horizon lines over water features of varying source and color. The results soothe and engage the viewer with their Rothko-esque seams between subtle yet distinct variations in shades of both water and sky, magnified by printing on watercolor paper.

“Leighton has risen to the fore in New York City with art photography that has captured the attention of the media, gallery owners and collectors throughout the world.”(Jean McKig, The Desert Sun).

Leighton’s sensual and graphic work has been exhibited in select galleries, including Yossi Milo (NYC), Holden Luntz Gallery (Palm Beach), Lana Santorelli Gallery (Southampton and NYC), The Pearl Gallery (Stone Ridge, NY), The Whole 9 Gallery (Los Angeles, CA); and is regularly included in group shows and designer show houses in New York City and across the country. Additionally, his work is part of many prominent corporate and private collections; and of several museum collections, including the Museum of Modern Art (MOMA) in New York City and the Contemporary Museum of Baltimore in Baltimore, MD.

Leighton has been featured on ABC Eyewitness News, Fox News, CNNfn and 1010 WINS Radio. His award-winning photographs appeared regularly on the HBO series, Sex and the City and have been the subject of articles in The New York Times Sunday Styles, New York Magazine, Time Out New York, Domino, Vitals Woman, More; and, internationally in Dutch and both the British and Greek editions of Grazia magazine.

Leighton’s work can be found through select galleries, art dealers, interior designers, and direct from the artist’s studio in NYC. His bodies of work can be previewed at www.brianleighton.com and www.yournudephoto.com.

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