Letha Wilson: Abstract Photography and Textures

Letha Wilson, born in Honolulu, Hawaii, in 1976 and raised in Colorado, launched her artistic career with a BFA from Syracuse University in 1998 and an MFA from Hunter College in 2009. Her breakthrough Concrete Forest series in 2015 fused landscape photography with sculptural elements, establishing her unique voice. Now based in Brooklyn, her work features earthy tones like dusty browns and sky blues, paired with tactile textures from materials like concrete and steel.

Primary Genres: Fine Art, Conceptual
Primary Photography Style: Experimental – Combines traditional landscape photography with physical manipulation, using materials like concrete and steel to create sculptural, textured works.
Key Message: Wilson’s art examines the tension between nature and human intervention, transforming flat photographs into three-dimensional pieces that challenge the medium’s norms and reflect on humanity’s environmental impact.

Wilson’s photography often captures vast landscapes from the American West, Iceland, and Hawaii, shot with a large-format 4×5 camera for precision or a Canon 5D for adaptability. Her aesthetic stands out with its muted palette—browns, blues, greys—enhanced by physical textures from folded C-prints or concrete embeds.

She uses natural light to frame scenes authentically, supplemented by studio strobes for detail, and her editing blends analogue techniques like emulsion lifts with minimal digital adjustments for contrast. In her studio, she spends days bending, cutting, or embedding prints into steel or concrete, creating pieces up to 5×7 feet. These hybrid works, displayed at venues like Mass MoCA and GRIMM Gallery, merge the organic with the industrial, offering a raw, physical experience.

For intermediate photographers, Wilson’s style is a lesson in pushing boundaries. Her large-format film work demands patience and planning, teaching precision in composition and exposure, while her digital shots show flexibility in adapting to sculptural needs. Unlike classic darkroom purists, she treats prints as raw materials—folding or pairing them with metal or wood—encouraging learners to experiment beyond the screen. Her minimal post-processing keeps the focus on physicality, urging restraint in digital edits to let texture and form shine.

Accolades:
- New York Foundation for the Arts Fellowship (2014)
- Jerome Foundation Travel Grant (2016)
- Named in Artsy’s “20 Female Artists Pushing Sculpture Forward” (2018)

Trivia:
- Hikes remote regions like the American West for inspiration.
- Draws influence from Robert Smithson’s land art.
- Casts concrete in her studio to fuse with prints.
- Began merging photography and sculpture during her MFA studies.

Lessons from this Photographer:

Wilson’s innovative approach inspires photographers to rethink prints as sculptural objects, adding depth through texture and form. Her use of natural light and sparse editing highlights authenticity, while her hands-on manipulations—like folding or embedding prints—push for bold experimentation. Intermediate photographers can apply her techniques by pairing images with physical materials or refining their process to balance film’s precision with digital’s versatility, fostering a mindset that breaks traditional moulds.