BLUE: Photography of Heather Evans Smith

“Some say my dad’s death was the spark that ignited my depression, but this feeling has been brewing for a while. I started to notice a sadness creep in a few years into my 40s. I searched ‘depression in women’ and stumbled across articles stating women are the most depressed at age 44. I was at that very moment 44.
“Loss during this time in a woman’s life can weigh heavily. Children are getting older and need the comfort of a parent less; the health of one’s own parent(s) is starting to fail, and hormonal shifts begin.
“Using the color blue, which for hundreds of years has been associated with melancholy and sadness. These images evoke this period in my life and how it affects those around me. A mid-point, as I am stripping down, taking stock, and finding a new place amongst the loss.”
Heather Evans-Smith is a photo-based artist whose work reflects her southern roots, motherhood, womanhood, and a whimsical imagination she relied on as an only child in a rural town. Her photographic imagery explores the ideas of memory, loss, and family in conceptual settings.
January 14-March 6
Opening Reception Jan. 23 at 5:30 p.m.
Into the Blue: Breaking the Stigma Around Depression – Artist Presentation & Panel Discussion March 6 at 6 p.m.