Today we’d like to introduce you to Greg Lawson

Hi Greg, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?

Growing up in a home of independent artists was a wonderful influence in promoting the values of being a self-starter. Paint, bolts of cloth, design elements, music appreciation, furniture restoration, love of nature, nurturing animals, gardening, writing, and performing were so ingrained they were like ritual. In my teens, I spent a few years away from such immersion in creativity, and it was like going through a drought.

I received a camera as a gift from my mother in New York City when I was fourteen and immediately bonded with its potential. Photographs are the foundation of my 2D creations. Oddly though, I have never been a commercial photographer and really don’t see myself as anything but an artist with a camera, painting with light. My capture methods and instincts are based on personal learning rather than having outside teachers or mentors in the field advise or mold me.

Because of creating wall decor, I have a history of using large-format film cameras and even today many of my clients acquire work originating in this medium.

I love the arts community and publish other people’s work in ways that allow me to support the arts. I’ve done this in touring art shows, publishing magazines, and broadcast interviews.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?

Any time you’re off the beaten track you will run into obstacles. But those obstacles are part of the track I chose so I’m not put off by them. Sometimes they can be larger than you can handle though, and I’ve certainly had some of those to contend with.

Independence is the thing that has helped me stay the course, but I’m independent to a fault, and anyone who leans into independence will have some disdain coming their way. However this is to be expected from the angle of view observed from narrower social and entity perspectives. Framework lies beneath the skin of virtually every social construct so we are culturally guided and prodded into conforming places throughout life. So, even though I’m a soft rebel, I’m a bit of a rebel nonetheless, which means that some conflicts are inherent. To surf the ocean, you must be willing to swim against the tide.

These little opposing tides have mostly been manifest in three areas: Photography, Publishing, Sociology. I’ll briefly explain.

Photography in the sense that I am, as they say, ‘self-taught’ and what I’ve learned is not necessarily what the instructors, advisors, and experts in the field would advise their students and followers. So I practice outside their sphere, and that will bring a degree of criticism by default.

Publishing, from the standpoint that I did not seek assignments or employment from the big publishing houses noted for photographic essays or for having powerful distribution channels. Rather I engage in publishing, and that makes me a comparatively weak sidestream from the perspective of the big river, and this brings some inherent consequences.

Sociologically, because I am a practical naturalist first, and through an elected odyssey have acquired certain global sensitivities. These traits have persuae a moderate position on issues where more stringent positions are often embraced, and that can sometimes put a person at odds with popular or even entrenched views.

So, while I’m not trying to be a splinter in society, independence comes naturally to my makeup, and that may brand me as a maverick to some, which is OK, but is sometimes peppered with contrarian reactions. Still, I’m of the mindset – “Can’t we all just get along?”

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?

Stylistically my work has not changed across the many decades of its creation. The body of it has been lovingly collected from fifty states in the USA and seven continents of Earth. It has been created in all still camera formats from large-format film through to modern digital. My family has operated fourteen galleries in three states; some of these have been awarded with wonderful recognitions. We have also published over fifty editions of collectable image books; a timely example is that the last time the summer Olympics were held in Los Angeles, 1984, we published a book about the city to welcome global visitors. It enjoyed two editions and three printings and was translated into several global languages.

It is not the science of photography that appeals, but the privilege of pursuing creativity while honoring our collective home. Sharing the fleeting personal glimpses of magnificence with others is what has kept me behind the lens across these many decades.

Since I do not follow fads and really don’t keep up with all the advances in the field of image making, consistency is a hallmark. A common thread of recognizable realism is woven into the entire collection, even abstractions contain that thread. I do not use AI in creativity. Though such machines have validity in refinement and production spaces, I am a creative and it is human intelligence that I honor and employ.

I believe that every artist has a need to be true to themselves, and therefore for me it has never been important to enter contests, or seek accolades of approval. This keeps me content and non-competitive. It is a great joy to know that literally millions of prints have resonated enough with people to motivate them to acquire them and to enjoy them in far-flung global places.

What would you say have been one of the most important lessons you’ve learned?

That Love is the most valid of all pursuits.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://greglawson.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/greglawsonimages
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/greg.lawson.5667/
• Twitter: https://x.com/GLIntelligence
• Other: https://greglawsongalleries.com/ or https://greglawson.one/

Image Credits

Greg Lawson
Kristina Gabrielle