Canadian born photographer, painter and teacher Sally Davies is resolute when she states: “you must always own your story”.
She has used that telling and poignant viewpoint throughout her work as a painter and a photographer.
Born in Winnipeg Canada, Sally Davies moved to New York from Toronto at 21 in the 80’s. New York at that time was in a rich vein of creativity and Sally Davies absorbed that.
Here we talk to Sally about falling out of love with painting, her debut photographic book New Yorkers 2022 and her follow up latest project California Dreamers 2023 both published by Ammonite Press.
3 min read but enjoy the images!
I went to school to study painting, but I always took photos. My father (a weekend photographer) gave me a camera when I was fourteen; it was something we shared.
sitting down in front of a giant white canvass lost its appeal. The last two or three paintings I did there was no joy…….I realised I could not imagine doing something for the rest of my life that was so stressful.
20 years later and I am not sorry-I love it. Every single day of my life no matter where I am I must do something about photography be that taking a picture or processing images. Photography is instant gratification a connection that is very fluid.
New Yorkers was my debut book and much to my surprise it was so successful. So, I approached the publishers for California Dreamers, and they loved that idea too!
My advice to people starting out-take a little time in the beginning to understandwhat you have to say. If you stick with whatever you are doing at some point it is your story, so you better make fucking sure that story is true and that you have made the decision to own that.
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