Water works

The enchanting images created by Christy Lee Rogers underwater are often compared with the work of the Old Master painters. Niall Hampton finds out more

- Niall Hampton

Art has long been a refuge for humanity to escape to, even during the best of times, and Covid-19 has made escapism something we need more than ever. Taking her viewers to a different world is a key objective of Christy Lee Rogers, a US-based visual artist whose aesthetic is often compared with that of Renaissance and Baroque painters. Having grown up in Hawaii, Christy’s development as an artist owes a lot to having been surrounded by water for most of her life, and the influence it has had on her.

First coming to prominence in 2010 with her Siren collection, Christy has gone on to win Open Photographer of the Year at the 2019 Sony World Photography Awards, and has created commissioned work for the global brands Apple and Lavazza.

A signature Christy image features a group of female models floating just underneath the surface of water. Clothed in flowing dresses or wrapped in fabrics, Christy’s subjects float in a dreamlike world, where the texture of richly coloured billowing fabrics comes to life via a delicate use of refracted light – an effect that magically highlights and lifts the models from the shimmering or rippled water. Ahead of her appearance at The Photography Show and The Video Show virtual festival in March 2021, we caught up with Christy to discover more about her influences, and how she plans and executes her beautiful and distinctive body of work…

Renaissance woman