Artist Statement
I seek to challenge our understanding of the relationship between human development and the natural world by documenting the way we use the land.
As a geologist, when I fly over the high plains of eastern Colorado, I look at the many, overlapping layers and how the land has been modified by a combination of processes, both natural and manmade. The lowest layer, the land itself, has been created over literally millions of years and forms the foundation. Draped on top of that is what mankind has imposed in various ways; activities and structure that are collectively called “progress.” While my main interest is the subtle beauty of the landscape itself, I also like to tease out what man has done with that land, and make the viewer wonder what is going on and why. The images are fundamentally aesthetic, but leave you questioning the subject matter.
Process Statement
I have chosen to concentrate on the Eastern plains of Colorado because their subtle beauty illustrates global tensions on a local scale. They are sparsely populated regions of Colorado that are subject to a diverse mix of land use. Vast expanses are given over to raising crops or grazing cattle, which if not carefully managed can decimate the landscape. The newest layer is the energy business, which until recently had only a small presence in the area. But it has been expanding rapidly, encroaching on or even overlaying the agricultural spaces. It is yet unclear if they can all co-exist and how these changing dynamics will impact the land(scape).
Evan Anderman is a Denver based social landscape photographer who seeks to challenge the intricate relationship between human development and the natural world. His aerial and terrestrial photography endeavors to bring into focus the difficult to see wide-spread elements of the way our society uses the land. His work can be found in the collection of the Denver Art Museum and many private collections across the country and has been exhibited at institutions nationally and internationally. He received a BSE in Geological Engineering from Princeton University and a MSE and PhD in Geological Engineering from Colorado School of Mines. He has served on numerous non-profit Boards and is currently the President of the Board of CENTER in Santa Fe, NM.
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Click on any of the thumbnail images to launch the viewer. You can then navigate forward and backward within the portfolio by clicking the left or right side of the enlarged image. Click the add to collection checkbox to automatically add an image to your collection. Image tags or search engine keywords appear below the collections' checkbox and each word or phrase is a link to potentially more image matches.
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