WILEY SANDERSON FINE ART PHOTOGRAPHY
ARTIST'S BIOGRAPHY
©Wiley Sanderson
Wiley Sanderson at 10 with Kodak camera
| 1918 | Born August 26 in Detroit, Michigan to Wiley Dexter and Frances Benson Sanderson. |
| 1928 | Receives his first camera, a #127 Kodak Brownie Box camera. |
| 1937 | While a high school senior, studies professional color printing with Corey M. Van Fleet in Detroit. Makes wash-off relief color prints, the precursor of the Dye Transfer printing process, from his own four color separation negatives. Becomes an Assistant Instructor for Eastman Kodak's Professional Division, teaching a night class in four color separation and wash off relief printing to professional photographers in Detroit. |
| 1938 | Attends Olivet College in western Michigan for one year then transfers to Wayne State University in Detroit. |
| 1939 | Studies with Lazlo Moholy-Nagy and Georgy Kepes at the New Bauhaus summer program, held at Mills College in California. |
| 1940 | Is drafted into U. S. Army Air Corps, later U. S. Air Force, and stationed in Twenty Nine Palms, California, as an Instrument Flying Instructor. |
| 1944 | Marries, in Detroit, Rosella Nagle of Pomona, California. |
| 1945 | Receives an honorable discharge from the Air Force with the rank of Staff Sergeant. Re-enrolls in Wayne State University. First daughter, Sandra Sue, is born. |
| 1946 | Assistant, Audio Visual Services, Wayne State University. |
| 1947 | Receives B. F. A. in Industrial Design from Wayne State University, Detroit. Enrolls in a graduate program at Cranbrook Academy of Art in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. |
| 1948 | Graduate Assistant to Dr. Katherine Chamberlain of Wayne State University, in the Physics Department courses in Science of Photography. |
| 1949 | Awarded Silver Medal for Metalsmithing from Cranbrook Academy of Art. Receives M. F. A. in Metal Design and Fabrication from Cranbrook Academy of Art. Joins faculty of the Art Department at the University of Georgia as Assistant Professor of Art. Directs the crafts program, teaching Basic Design, Weaving, Textile Design and Screen Printing, Jewelry Design and Silver Fabrication. Second daughter, Janet Dee, is born. |
| 1952 | Is listed in Who's Who in the South and Southwest. Third Daughter, Fran Marie, is born. |
| 1953 | Originates the first course in Photographic Design, Pinhole Photography, with student built 4x5 and 8x10 pinhole cameras, using paper negatives. Subsequently develops both the B.F. A. and M. F. A. degree programs in Photographic Design. |
| 1955 | Studies silver raising at the School for American Crafts with Reginald Hill, the Director of Goldsmiths Hall in London. |
| 1964 | Is promoted to Associate Professor of Art. Appointed Area Chairman of Photographic Design, and is replaced by four full time faculty in the Crafts program. |
| 1966 | Is appointed University Research Associate Professor of Art. Designs and builds a 4x5 Tri-focal pinhole camera for use with the Joly Natural Color Process. |
| 1967 | Begins constructing the Diamond Joly Color Mosaic of 1800 red, green and blue diamonds. |
| 1971 | Designs and builds four unique pinhole cameras--360º six pinhole camera, Landscape, Panorama, and Rondo cameras for summer research in Italy. This research is continued during the summers of 1974, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1986, and 1988. |
| 1972 | The Museum of Modern Art in New York acquires "Manstone," a 360º pinhole camera photograph. Divorces Rosella Nagle Sanderson. |
| 1973 | Is awarded a Bronze Medal for 4 360º pinhole photographs exhibited at Europa "73 Biennial de Fotografia in Reus, Spain. Studies the Carbro Color printing process with Dr. Robert Green in Fort Wayne, Indiana. |
| 1974 | Exhibits 4 360º pinhole photographs in the 16th International Exhibition of Photographs in Sydney, Australia. Resolves the extensive research pursuit of combining black and white with color in the same image, using pinhole photography. |
| 1975 | "The Alternative Optic," a major article by Sanderson, with 12 illustrations and color cover, appears in The Photographic Journal of the Royal Photographic Society in London (June, pp. 254-59). 9 pinhole photographs are acquired by the Royal Photographic Society. |
| 1976 | Is awarded a Bronze Medal at "Phot Univers" Exhibition at the Versailles Palace in France. The American and Russian photographers are selected for participation by leading European Museum Directors, and the exhibition commemorates the Apollo-Souyez Link-up. Sanderson exhibits 10 pinhole photographs. The Musee Frances de la Photographie in Paris acquires 10 pinhole photographs. |
| 1977 | UGA's The Research Reporter publishes an article on Sanderson's creative research in pinhole photography (Vol. 10, no. 1, pp. 7-10). Six black and white photographs are reproduced with the article and 4 color 360º pinhole photographs are included in the cover design. Is promoted to Professor of Art. |
| 1978 | Studies platinum printing with Kipton Kumler at the Maine Photographic Workshop; begins printing his black and white rondo, panorama and landscape pinhole images in platinum. Studies salt printing processes with the directors of the Chicago Albumen Works. Is a participant in the RIT seminar in Conservation and Preservation of the Photographic Image, held in Rochester, NY. |
| 1981 | Pinhole photographs acquired by the Bibliothéque Nationale (Paris) and the Musee Francaise de la Photografie (Paris) in France, the Royal Photographic Society (Bath) and the Fox Talbot Museum in Lacock, England, and the American Academy in Rome, Italy. |
| 1983 | 2 pinhole cameras, a Rondo and a 6 pinhole 360º camera, are fabricated from Sanderson's prototypes by Ray Sexton of the University of Georgia Instrument Shop. Marries Mary Sayer Hammond. |
| 1985 | Sanderson's "Visionary Ceiling," the world's largest pinhole camera photograph (14' x 48') is featured as a billboard over Atlanta for 7 months with 5.5 million viewers. |
©Wiley Sanderson
"Visionary Ceiling" Billboard over Atlanta
| 1986 | Sanderson' right eye is removed due to a rare form of cancer; the eye is replaced with an artificial plastic one with his logo painted on it. |
| 1988 | Johnson Matthey Corporation acquires 4 of his pinhole platinum prints for its international collection. |
| 1989 | The Corcoran Gallery of Art in Washington, DC acquires 3 of his black and white pinhole photographs for its museum collection. Retires after 40 years at the University of Georgia as Professor Emeritus of Art. |
| 1990 | His first retrospective exhibition is shown at the Carroll Reece Museum of East Tennessee State University. Is one of three Americans selected to participate in the 128th International Exhibition at Edinburgh, Scotland. Begins working on the Joly Natural Color Process, making his first successful photograph "Caladium" September 18. Constructs a second Joly mosaic in a linear pattern. |
| 1991 | "The Charm of Pinhole Photography," an article by Duke Liao about Sanderson's pinhole work, is published in Chinese Photographer (No. 3, 1991, Beijing). "Go Van Gogh, " is published in Chinese Photographer (No. 4, 1991, Beijing). Constructs a third Joly pattern mosaic of random dots. One of his Joly pattern florals is published in Robert Hirsch's second edition of Exploring Color Photography. |
| 1992 | Invited by the University of International Business and Economics in Beijing, China to lecture on his work on pinhole photography. While in Beijing, he completes 200 Joly Process color photographs using the random pattern. Presents a lecture "The Joly Screen Process: A 20th Century Interpretation" at the Annual Symposium of the History of Photography, held at Ohio State University. Receives the Distinguished Alumni award from Olivet College, where he presents the new library with a 17" x 50" color 360o pinhole photograph, "Surreal Palazzo." |
| 1993 | Co-exhibits in "Beijing: Two Views" at George Mason University and Southwest Virginia Community College. Lectures in conjunction with both exhibitions. A series of Joly photographs of China is published in Chinese Popular Photography. Takes his first cruise to the Greek Isles, where he makes several hundred Joly color photographs. "Cortona Girl," a Rondo pinhole platinum print, is published in The Pinhole Journal, and "Prow Menace in Venice," a five foot long 360º pinhole photograph is included in an exhibition at the Georgia Governor's Mansion. Completes 10 15" x 48" color enlargements his 360o pinhole photographs. A Joly color photograph, "Summer Palace Orchard," is published in Dazhong Sheying (Vol. 189 no. 6) in Beijing. |
| 1994 | "Bromeliad II," a Joly color photograph in the Georgia Botanical Garden exhibition, receives an award and is selected for publication in the Botanical Garden calendar. Completes "Color Before Color", his first formal written statement on the Joly color process. Cruises to the Black Sea and Greece where he continues to make Joly color photographs. Sends additional work on the Joly process to The Pinhole Journal, to France and to China where it is acquired by the Chinese Photographic Institute in Beijing. "Dragon Prow" is published in the Chinese Photo News. "Dawn Cactus," a 15"x48"360o color pinhole photograph, is one of 43 works selected from 536 submissions to the annual Lyndon House exhibition. Gives the Lyndon House 1993-94 Class of Athens Leadership lecture. Is diagnosed with Hypertension. |
| 1995 | Presents a portfolio of Joly Natural Color photographs at the National Conference of the Society for Photographic Education in Atlanta. Participates in the Athens exhibition "Helios I." Tours China in May and June, making Joly photographs throughout the trip. Publishes an article on his Joly color photography in the October issue of the Mid Atlantic SPE Newsletter. Participates in an artists' panel and exhibit, "China Impressions: Eleven Photographers," at George Mason University. "Prow Menace in Venice" is published in Eric Renner's Pinhole Photography Rediscovering an Historic Technique (p.53). |
| 1996 | 4 pinhole photographs are included in the international exhibition of pinhole photography, "Gleaning Light," held in Dallas; the show begins a travel schedule to various U.S. sites. Becomes a Lyndon House Foundation Member and appointed to the Advisory Board of the Cortona Center of Photography (Italy). Is diagnosed with inoperable advanced prostate cancer, and undergoes two months of radiation treatments. |
| 1997 | Is included in a photography exhibition of China held at the Kathleen Ewing Gallery in Washington, DC. His first solo exhibition of Joly Natural Color Photography is held at the Lamar Dodd School of Art. Has pinhole photographs exhibited at the Washington Center of Photography in Washington, DC. Is diagnosed with senile dementia. |
| 1998 | Travels to Venice, and Cortona, Italy, making his first Joly photographs of Cortona. Is diagnosed with blocked carotid arteries and begins taking a blood thinner. |
| 1999 | Begins preparing work for a group exhibition and publication of photographs of Cortona, Italy. His web page appears at www.pinholehotography.com. An article on Sanderson's pinhole photography is published in Photo World (Feb.1999, pp. 52-52) in Beijing. |
©Wiley Sanderson
Wiley Sanderson with Trifocal Pinhole Camera
Rondo Pinhole Photographs
360 Degree Pinhole Photographs
Joly Natural Color Process Photographs
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