Jerry Park
Jerry began seriously pursuing photography in 2007 after a career in corporate America. Drawn to photographs since childhood - waiting for the mailman to deliver the latest issues of Look, Life, or National Geographic - he finally jumped into the pool and hasn't looked back.
Landscapes were his first love and continue to be a frequent subject. In addition, he’s enjoyed building a portfolio of the interiors of all sorts of workspaces, from a shoe-shine shop to Nashville's water filtration plant, from a car seat recoverer to a pristine Purity Dairy, from an artist's studio to the shop of a third-generation luthier. For the past few years, he’s concentrated on photographing the backroads of the US, first of his home state, Tennessee — which produced 2 books of photographs and short stories — and currently of all 50 states in the union. His third book, Slow Roads America, will be published in 2021.
Raised in North Carolina, he has a bachelors degree from Wofford College and an MBA from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. His corporate career included leadership positions at Xerox; in the Christian music field, and at Thomas Nelson Publishers. Living in the Nashville area since 1986, he is happily married with three children and five grandchildren. Life is good.
MOST MEMORABLE SOUTHLIGHT MOMENT
Being invited to become a Southlight member in 2009, a fairly early point in my development as an artist. I've always had an extra portion of love for the fellows who saw what I could become, rather than what I already was.
FAVORITE NICK DANTONA MEAL
NY Strip, finished with a spicy rub and topped with horseradish, sautéed mushroom caps, asparagus soup, mixed salad, and toasted sourdough bread.
PHOTOGRAPHIC EVENT THAT IMPACTED ME THE MOST
My first solo exhibit at the Arts Company. It featured a project called WorkSpace - photographs of 40 unusual business environments. Many of my friends and others attended the opening and we sold stuff. I couldn't quite grasp the fact that someone would not only buy my work, but actually hang it up in their house and look at it every day. I was humbled and inspired to keep at it.