Water works
The enchanting images created by Christy Lee Rogers underwater are often compared with the work of the Old Master painters. Niall Hampton finds out more
Christy Lee Rogers
Visual artist
Christy was raised in Hawaii and took up photography as a teenager. Having established herself as a photographer and video-maker, her works have gone on to be exhibited around the world. Christy won Open Photographer of the Year at the Sony World Photography Awards 2019, and has shot commercial campaigns for Apple and Lavazza.
www.christyleerogers.com
‘Riders of the Light’, 2020.
Christy Lee Rogers
Art has long been a refuge for humanity to escape to, even during the best of times, and Covid-19 has made escapism something we need more than ever. Taking her viewers to a different world is a key objective of Christy Lee Rogers, a US-based visual artist whose aesthetic is often compared with that of Renaissance and Baroque painters. Having grown up in Hawaii, Christy’s development as an artist owes a lot to having been surrounded by water for most of her life, and the influence it has had on her.
First coming to prominence in 2010 with her Siren collection, Christy has gone on to win Open Photographer of the Year at the 2019 Sony World Photography Awards, and has created commissioned work for the global brands Apple and Lavazza.
A signature Christy image features a group of female models floating just underneath the surface of water. Clothed in flowing dresses or wrapped in fabrics, Christy’s subjects float in a dreamlike world, where the texture of richly coloured billowing fabrics comes to life via a delicate use of refracted light – an effect that magically highlights and lifts the models from the shimmering or rippled water.