Photography
Underwater Baroque Photograph shot in Hawaii by Christy Lee Rogers ...
See More“The Innocents” Underwater Photograph
at Private Residence, Florida, Belle Isle, FL
Interior by John McClain Design
Christy Lee Rogers
Nashville, TN, United States
"Underwater Renaissance"
Christy Lee Rogers is a visual artist from Kailua, Hawaii. Her obsession with water as a medium for breaking the conventions of contemporary photography has led to her work being compared to Baroque painting masters like Caravaggio. Boisterous in color and complexity, Rogers applies her cunning technique to a barrage of bodies submerged in water during the night, and creates her effects using the refraction of light. Through a fragile process of experimentation, she builds elaborate scenes of coalesced colors and entangled bodies that exalt the human character as one of vigor and warmth, while also capturing the beauty and vulnerability of the tragic experience that is the human condition.
Rogers’ works have been exhibited globally from Paris, London, Italy, Mexico City to Shanghai, Sao Paulo, South Africa, Los Angeles and more, and are held in private and public collections throughout the world. She has been featured in International Magazines, including Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar Art China, Elle Decoration, Global Times, The Independent, Casa Vogue, Photo Technique, Photo Korea and others. Rogers’ “Reckless Unbound” is currently housed at Longleat House in the UK; the stately home, which is the seat of the Marquesses of Bath and also home to Renaissance gems of the Italian masters, like Titan’s “Rest on the Flight into Egypt.” Rogers’ art has been featured on several album covers, and her images were selected for the 2013–2014 performance season of the Angers-Nantes Opera in France. She mainly shoots in Hawaii, and currently lives in Nashville, TN, where she also spends her time as a mother, filmmmaker, and musician.
Rogers’ works have been exhibited globally from Paris, London, Italy, Mexico City to Shanghai, Sao Paulo, South Africa, Los Angeles and more, and are held in private and public collections throughout the world. She has been featured in International Magazines, including Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar Art China, Elle Decoration, Global Times, The Independent, Casa Vogue, Photo Technique, Photo Korea and others. Rogers’ “Reckless Unbound” is currently housed at Longleat House in the UK; the stately home, which is the seat of the Marquesses of Bath and also home to Renaissance gems of the Italian masters, like Titan’s “Rest on the Flight into Egypt.” Rogers’ art has been featured on several album covers, and her images were selected for the 2013–2014 performance season of the Angers-Nantes Opera in France. She mainly shoots in Hawaii, and currently lives in Nashville, TN, where she also spends her time as a mother, filmmmaker, and musician.
What is your favorite material to work with?
"I love working with humans underwater. There's a vulnerability and sense of freedom that never ceases to inspire me."-- Christy Lee Rogers
What do you want people to do or feel when they encounter your creations?
"What I want more than ever is to express and inspire hope and freedom, a sense of wonder and tranquility, to create a safe place to dream wildly, and most importantly to inspire the idea that there are still mysterious, impossibly beautiful things on Earth—not solely in our imaginations."-- Christy Lee Rogers
What motivates and inspires you?
"I wake up each day knowing I have to make a new world where everything is soft and beautiful, colorful and magical. That brings me peace."-- Christy Lee Rogers
What makes a space special?
"You know when someone's put their heart and soul into a space; you can just feel it in."-- Christy Lee Rogers
What’s unique about your work?
"Water is my main creative source."-- Christy Lee Rogers
How do your pieces come to life? Tell us one interesting thing about your creative process?
"It can be dangerous at times because the water is unforgiving; it seeps in the nostrils, it’s cold and has a life of it’s own. For the models, being under water shuts off the excessive thought process that we all have going on in our heads, which is wonderful because it allows them to really be themselves completely."-- Christy Lee Rogers
What funny moments, unexpected surprises, or obstacles have you encountered?
"I've kept one of my most popular prints with no glass in my sons room since he was born. He's now 4 and there's not one finger print or scratch on it. I've always been stunned at how much respect he's shown the artwork in our house."-- Christy Lee Rogers
Meet Related Creators
Find more local artists, designers and studios
Keep Exploring Photography
See more photography created by new artists, local designers and studios