Artist Spotlight: Midori Evans, Photographer and Creative | Groundwork Art Space

At Groundwork Art Space, we love getting to know the humans behind the work we share with our community. Midori Evans, a photographer, writer, creative coach, and community project coordinator whose creative life has taken many forms over the years. Midori’s photography is grounded in curiosity and a deep appreciation for nature, light, connection, and the passage of time. Her work in the upcoming Creative Catalysts exhibition grew from a conversation about Khalil Gibran’s The Prophet and the different stages of a sunflower’s life, opening up a thoughtful exploration of growth, release, and becoming. We asked Midori to tell us a little more about her creative practice, what inspires her, and how she makes space for art alongside all of the other work and responsibilities that fill her days.

What materials do you work with?

I am a photographer and I work with a Fuji digital FX series camera and a variety of lenses.

Tell us about your current body of work. What motivated it?  

For the upcoming Creative Catalysts exhibit at Groundwork, I took photographs of sunflowers in different stages of their lifecycle. My creative partner and I chose The Prophet as our thematic work of literature to use for thought-provoking questions. This helped us open ourselves up to the creative process in whatever way it worked through us.  We talked about the part of the book where children are set free from their parents the way an arrow flies from a bow. That led me to think about the stages of life for the sunflowers.

Do you work full-time as an artist or do you wear other hats?

I wear lots of hats! I work full time as a creative coordinator of community projects, a writer, a photographer, and a creative coach.

How do you integrate art into your life and other responsibilities? 

As I have gotten older, I have found it easier to say – here’s this little block of time that is important for my art. I use a LOT of practiced self-talk to essentially make boxes of time in my day, creating space both for the day to day life responsibilities to be taken care of but also for my creative self to flourish. 

How has your art practice evolved over the years? 

One of the best things that happened to me when I was a teenager was the opportunity to live in Japan for a year with my family. Early in that year, my birthday present was a small Konica camera and I spent the year learning photography through immersion.  What a landscape to learn amongst!

What or who inspires you? 

Nature definitely inspires me.  The ocean.  Light and shadows.  And the desire to spend my time meaningfully inspires me to do my creative work!

Who are some of your favorite artists?  

I love a lot of the famous older photographers like Dorothea Lange, Henri Cartier-Bresson, and Edward Weston.  I also love the black and white landscape photography of Fay Godwin. 
https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/gallery/2023/oct/03/fay-godwin-britain-scenic-beauty-in-pictures

How is community important to you as a practicing artist? 

Community is the foundation – the threads that keep our world together. We CAN create alone and we CAN think our own thoughts but those subtle resonances that can be so hard to see and sometimes to experience are actually the best impetuses for growth. 

What is the biggest challenge you face as an artist?  

Time.  

What are your goals for the future?

To continue making meaningful work and connections. There are all sorts of projects that are always in my head – projects that have been started but not yet completed and projects that are still in the dream phase. I’m looking forward to the publication of my chapbook of writing and photography sometime in the near future!

Where can people find and connect with you (in person or online):

• Photographic work: cedarlightimages.com
• Creativity work: midoricreativity.com
• Writing non-profit: writewithcommunity.org 
• Email: info@midoricreativity.com

Midori’s work is part of Creative Catalysts: The Lens of Literature, an exhibition exploring the ways artists can find new ideas and connections through literature and creative exchange. The exhibition opened with a reception on Saturday, October 3 from 4 to 6 pm at Groundwork Art Space, and will remain on display through Sunday, November 29. The exhibition is open to the public for free, self guided visits during Groundwork’s staffed hours, Monday through Friday from 9 am to 2 pm. Come by, take your time, and see what connections you discover for yourself.