WiLD
William L. Deaver
scientist, photographer, philosopher

Bio | Resume | VAF May Exhibition

I grew up in a family of artists, craftsmen, and teachers. Although surrounded by the arts, my interests drew me to science. By the age of twelve I chose to be an archaeologist and study the ancient peoples of the American Southwest. This dream stayed with me, and at the age of 17 I participated in my first excavation near Ghost Ranch, New Mexico, just a stones throw from Georgia O'Keefe's house. As the proverbial story goes, "the rest is history," or in my case "prehistory." I moved to Arizona after high school to pursue archaeology and I have worked as an archaeologist for more than 30 years, excavating in the American Southwest, Pacific Coast, and northern Mexico. Although drawn to science, my latent artistic yearnings carried with me and my first interest in archaeology was the study of the prehistoric painted pottery traditions of the Southwest.

My interest in photography developed alongside archaeology. Visual acuity is a gift for a dirt archaeologist. Photography is an important tool to record the finds. I found that the scientific application has a detached objectivity that often fails to express the full experience. Archaeological expeditions often took me to remote, rugged, and visually spectacular places. I soon realized that my desire was to capture the spiritual allure of these places, not simply record and document them. I wished to express the emotions and psychology of these ancient landscapes on which human history played out. I soon turned to myself as the landscape. My work became increasingly abstract, introspective, and psychological. My abstract photographs derive from my intellectual practice of looking at the familiar from an unfamiliar perspective. This is my conscious device to expand my perception, my knowledge, my understanding, and my humanity.

WiLD
Phone: 520-204-7522
Email: WiLDPhoto@cox.net