Title: CMN Park Artist: Curtis Neeley Medium: Photography Size: Height x Width: 15" x 20" Series of 10 Click on IMAGE for larger viewAbout the Artist: I was born in Kingsport, TN and at seven moved to Batesville, AR and grew up. Very early, photography made an impact on my life. My dad worked for Eastman Kodak - and some years the Christmas party included a multi-projector travel slide show. Growing up in the small town of Batesville, Arkansas - it was amazing to see such well-executed images from all around the world. Seeing us all enthralled with those photos, I recognized the power of visual communication and wanted to harness that power. I read everything about photography I could get my hands on. I soon realized photography is expensive! Everyone wants to do it. I turned to a 'normal' profession and went to school to become a Mechanical Engineer. I worked at TRW Vehicle Safety Systems - the world's largest manufacturer of seatbelt systems - and soon learned mechanical engineering was not for me. The USMC will change you. If you have not been there - I can't describe it for you. If you have - there is no need to. While stationed in Okinawa, Japan, I returned to my first love - got my first 'good' camera, and probably financed a Fuji film plant learning the ropes. I enrolled in NYI's photography course. I learned a lot that year. - By the year's end I was shooting cover assignments for "Okinawa Today", contributing to "Stars and Stripes", as well as working as a staff photographer on the USO "Exploring Okinawa" tour guide. I spent a lot of time behind the camera that year. {1991}. I made a lot of mistakes and a lot of progress. I am a soon to be ‘famous’ photographer. Ha! I had been a professional photographer since 91 until I was totally disabled in a car wreck. I broke both leg’s fibulas and tibias and my left leg’s femur. My pelvis was broken in six places. Every one of my left ribs was broken. My left arm and my left shoulder along with five backbones were also broken. When my ribs broke, they punctured several internal organs. The most severe internal damage was that my descending aorta was ripped away from my heart. When doing the surgery to repair my heart, blood vessels had to be clamped that supply the spinal column with oxygenated blood. The lack of blood flow caused me to be roughly paralyzed mid-back. During my surgeries, I suffered a hemispheric stroke that ruined much of the use of my left arm. I also suffered a severe traumatic brain injury and was expected to be lucky to have the mentality of a toddler. After several months in a coma, my wife did a Do Not Revive order and had the respirators removed. I was not supposed to be able to breath on my own and die. This did not happen. I responded to a verbal request to give a thumbs-up. My wife had the respirators returned as needed for the next few weeks as I slowly emerged from my coma. Memories of my first 36 years didn’t survive the accident. Due to my severe TBI, I communicate very ineffectively and am a bit more self-centered than the average artist. I have extremely limited mobility. After four years in a wheelchair, I lost both legs above the knee because of recurring infections. I still do photography that I consider art worthy. Several think it is only acceptable. I have shot one wedding from a wheelchair. Artist statement: I take time to call attention to and try to focus on the uncommon beauty that can often be found in the common things that surround us. |
|
| CMN ParkAdditional Size Available: Height x Width: 36" x 48" Series of 5 |
|