November 2012
Artist’s Statement
This self-portrait is a reckoning of Christmas memories with my dreams and aspirations. How I see Christmas has not changed much through the years; however, my wish list has changed because I am just a child grown older. My earliest Christmas experiences shaped me into a dreamer. I have such happy holiday memories: squinting at pretty lights, seeing cluster raisins for the first time, making a mess with glue and glitter, smelling clove-covered oranges, dog-earing pages of the Sears catalog, singing Away in a Manger and believing. There were no rules on wishing.
Inevitably with the dawning of Christmas morning came sheer excitement. How my parents managed with six children is a miracle. There was always something unexpected under the tree. Selfish lists were forgotten because a surprise makes nothing else matter. I recall that same Christmas joy when something good and unexpected happens in my life. I embrace Christmas as a blissful state of mind rather than a particular time of year. When you hear me proclaim, “It feels like Christmas!” I am having a perfect day.
Biography
Jo Lynn Still loves home more than anyone you will meet, and her connections to the South are deep. Born and raised in Sandersville, Georgia, she continues to live there with her family. Her love of photography is the impetus behind her knowledge of the art – she is self-taught and a self-directed emotional shooter. The majority of her work is regional, and many of her photographs were captured a stone’s throw from her house. Her curiosity and heart-felt respect for people put her in the role of active observer of her subjects. Although her photographs of Southern landscapes are often void of people, they are known for transporting the viewer into the scene. Her approach allows a connection with subject and viewer simultaneously. The subject teaches. The viewer reaches. Jo Lynn deliberately invites the viewer to connect. Her portfolio of photographs is described as calm, illustrative, and happy.
Jo Lynn Still’s photographs are gaining recognition through several sources including: John A. Bennette’s Southern Memories exhibition, Hanging with Mr. Bennette – Blogspot, The New Yorker magazine’s “Photo Booth”, Elizabeth Avedon – Blogspot, and La Journal De La Photographie.
