Award-winning photographer Julie Blackmon draws inspiration from 17th-century painters. In a very playful way, the American artist makes images that are both autobiographical and fictional, introducing playful updates to the scenes of rowdy tavern interiors that Flemish and Dutch artists created centuries ago with the chaotic situations that family life can bring to the fore.
Blackmon was born in Springfield, Missouri. She studied at Missouri State University, where she discovered her passion for photography through the works of Sally Mann and Diane Arbus. She didn't formally return to photography until many years later — as a mother of three — and for much of her initial work, Blackmon found compelling subject matter in her very own living room.
Blackmon’s first major series "Mind Games" won an honorable mention in a 2004 competition at the Santa Fe Center for Photography, as well as an award from the Society of Contemporary Photography in Kansas City, Missouri.
From there, Blackmon's career gained considerable traction. She followed up her inaugural series — which comprised black and white documentary images — with a full-color series that depicted both imagined and realistic domestic situations within the home. Blackmon continued working primarily in color, exploring new scenarios and framing cinematic conceptual shots in hayfields, parking lots and neighbors’ backyards.
Blackmon has exhibited at galleries all over the United States. Her work is held in many public and private collections including the Cleveland Museum of Art, the Microsoft Art Collection in Washington and the Fotografiska Museum in New York City.
Find original Julie Blackmon photography on 1stDibs.
Take Off
By Julie Blackmon
Located in Sante Fe, NM
Domestic Vacations: The Dutch proverb "a Jan Steen household" originated in the 17th century and is used today to refer to a home in disarray, full of rowdy children and boisterous f...
Archival Pigment
$4,000
Ezra II, limited edition, archival pigment ink photograph, signed and numbered
By Julie Blackmon
Located in Sante Fe, NM
Ezra II, limited edition, archival pigment ink photograph, signed and numbered When looking at Julie Blackmon’s “Hilltop,” notice the elements that are in motion: the grass on the h...
Archival Pigment
$15,000
Sidewalk
By Julie Blackmon
Located in Sante Fe, NM
“When I began taking pictures,” Blackmon says, “ I was primarily interested in documenting the lives of my five sisters and myself as we raised families in the Ozarks in the 21st cen...
Archival Pigment
Slide, Color Photograph, Archival Pigment Ink Print, signed and numbered
By Julie Blackmon
Located in Sante Fe, NM
Slide by Julie Blackmon is from an ongoing series titled Home Grown According to the Los Angeles Times, Blackmon's images are “absorbing, meticulously orchestrated slices of ethnogr...
Archival Pigment, Color
New Baby
By Julie Blackmon
Located in Sante Fe, NM
The Dutch proverb “a Jan Steen household” originated in the 17th century and is used today to refer to a home in disarray, full of rowdy children and boisterous family gatherings. Th...
Archival Pigment
Night Windows
By Julie Blackmon
Located in Sante Fe, NM
Domestic Vacations: The Dutch proverb "a Jan Steen household" originated in the 17th century and is used today to refer to a home in disarray, full of rowdy children and boisterous f...
Archival Pigment
$15,000
Costco
By Julie Blackmon
Located in Sante Fe, NM
Inspired by 17th-century Dutch and Flemish paintings of domestic life, Julie Blackmon photographs carefully orchestrated tableaus that feature members of her own family and are imbue...
Archival Pigment
Sick Boy
By Julie Blackmon
Located in Sante Fe, NM
Domestic Vacations: The Dutch proverb "a Jan Steen household" originated in the 17th century and is used today to refer to a home in disarray, full of rowdy children and boisterous f...
Archival Pigment
$3,900
Babysitter, Color Photograph, Archival Pigment Ink Print, signed and numbered
By Julie Blackmon
Located in Sante Fe, NM
Babysitter, 2006 by Julie Blackmon is from her ongoing series Domestic Vacations. The Dutch proverb “a Jan Steen household” originated in the 17th century and is used today to refe...
Archival Pigment
Lot for Sale
By Julie Blackmon
Located in Sante Fe, NM
Blackmons's images offer fantastic and surreal commentary on contemporary American family life while referencing a 19th Century Flemish aesthetic. Peggy's Beauty Shop is an outstandi...
Archival Pigment
Party Lights
By Julie Blackmon
Located in Sante Fe, NM
Domestic Vacations: The Dutch proverb "a Jan Steen household" originated in the 17th century and is used today to refer to a home in disarray, full of rowdy children and boisterous f...
Archival Pigment
$15,000
Ezra, color photograph from Homegrown, limited edition, signed and numbered
By Julie Blackmon
Located in Sante Fe, NM
Ezra is a color photograph from Homegrown and is signed and numbered by the artist “When I began taking pictures,” Blackmon says, “ I was primarily interested in documenting the l...
Archival Pigment
Treehouse
By Julie Blackmon
Located in Sante Fe, NM
Treehouse is from Blackmon's ongoing series "Homegrown." According to the Los Angeles Times, Blackmon's images are “absorbing, meticulously orchestrated slices of ethnographic theate...
Archival Pigment
Spray Paint
By Julie Blackmon
Located in Sante Fe, NM
“I guess my work is kind of a love letter to the past and that freedom that we had, but also an acknowledgment of the anxiety that I feel, that is real, about not being able to let o...
Archival Pigment
$15,000
Afghan
By Julie Blackmon
Located in Sante Fe, NM
Domestic Vacations: The Dutch proverb "a Jan Steen household" originated in the 17th century and is used today to refer to a home in disarray, full of rowdy children and boisterous f...
Archival Pigment
Tippee Cup
By Julie Blackmon
Located in Sante Fe, NM
The Dutch proverb “a Jan Steen household” originated in the 17th century and is used today to refer to a home in disarray, full of rowdy children and boisterous family gatherings. Th...
Archival Pigment
Chicken Littles
By Julie Blackmon
Located in Sante Fe, NM
Domestic Vacations: The Dutch proverb "a Jan Steen household" originated in the 17th century and is used today to refer to a home in disarray, full of rowdy children and boisterous f...
Archival Pigment
Garage Sale
By Julie Blackmon
Located in Sante Fe, NM
Blackmon's images offer a fantastic and surreal commentary on contemporary American family life while referencing a 19th Century Flemish painting – they are intricate tableaux, combi...
Archival Pigment
Leaf House
By Julie Blackmon
Located in Sante Fe, NM
Reviewing the photographs of Julie Blackmon, critic Leah Ollman of the Los Angeles Times wrote: “Each frame is an absorbing, meticulously orchestrated slice of ethnographic theater … that abounds with tender humor but also shrewdly subtle satire.” Blackmon is a native of Springfield, MO, and her photographs are inspired by her experience of growing up the oldest of nine children—including five sisters—in what she calls “a generic American town in the middle of the U.S.” In college, Blackmon was introduced to the work of artists Sally Mann, Diane Arbus, and Helen Levitt, and she describes herself as “obsessed” with their images. “When my three children were small,” she recalls, “we moved into an old house with a darkroom in the basement. Like any mother, I wanted to take pictures of my kids. But I didn’t want to be just the ‘mother photographer.’ I wanted my work to be more: more penetrating, more artful, more striking, more thoughtful, more a reflection of the times. “Over the next few years, I progressed from making documentary black and white photographs of my life and the lives of my sisters to creating colorful, fictitious images that offered a more fantastical look at everyday life. My work became more conceptual, as I began to realize that I was not obligated to capture “reality” exactly, but that I could work more like a painter or a filmmaker, actively shaping the images I was creating. This realization—that fiction can often capture the truth more memorably than reality—was a major shift in how I saw the world around me, and it transformed my work.” “It’s thrilling to see the most common aspects of everyday life as potential stories or themes for a photograph. It changes how you see things: suddenly, a Starbucks employee on a smoke break, or an outmoded beauty shop catering to an elderly clientele, can spark a memorable image. As Nora Ephron...
Archival Pigment
Dress Rehearsal
By Julie Blackmon
Located in Sante Fe, NM
Domestic Vacations: The Dutch proverb "a Jan Steen household" originated in the 17th century and is used today to refer to a home in disarray, full of rowdy children and boisterous f...
Archival Pigment
Flag Cake
By Julie Blackmon
Located in Sante Fe, NM
Blackmon's images offer a fantastic and surreal commentary on contemporary American family life while referencing a 19th Century Flemish painting – they are intricate tableaux, combi...
Archival Pigment
Hair, 2013
By Julie Blackmon
Located in Sante Fe, NM
Domestic Vacations: The Dutch proverb "a Jan Steen household" originated in the 17th century and is used today to refer to a home in disarray, full of rowdy children and boisterous f...
Archival Pigment
$4,000
South & Pershing Street, Color Photograph, Archival Pigment Ink Print, signed
By Julie Blackmon
Located in Sante Fe, NM
South & Pershing St. in a signed archival pigment ink print from Julie Blackmon's ongoing series Home Grown. “When I began taking pictures,” Blackmon says, “ I was primarily interes...
Archival Pigment
$3,100
Stolen Kiss, Color Photograph, Archival Pigment Ink Print, signed and numbered
By Julie Blackmon
Located in Sante Fe, NM
Stolen Kiss is a color photograph by Julie Blackmon and is part of her ongoing series Domestic Vacations. Domestic Vacations: The Dutch proverb "a Jan Steen household" originated i...
Archival Pigment
$10,000
Sharpie
By Julie Blackmon
Located in Sante Fe, NM
Domestic Vacations: The Dutch proverb "a Jan Steen household" originated in the 17th century and is used today to refer to a home in disarray, full of rowdy children and boisterous f...
Archival Pigment
Hight Chair
By Julie Blackmon
Located in Sante Fe, NM
The Dutch proverb “a Jan Steen household” originated in the 17th century and is used today to refer to a home in disarray, full of rowdy children and boisterous family gatherings. Th...
Archival Pigment
School Bus
By Julie Blackmon
Located in Sante Fe, NM
Domestic Vacations: The Dutch proverb "a Jan Steen household" originated in the 17th century and is used today to refer to a home in disarray, full of rowdy children and boisterous f...
Archival Pigment
Birthday Girl
By Julie Blackmon
Located in Sante Fe, NM
Domestic Vacations: The Dutch proverb "a Jan Steen household" originated in the 17th century and is used today to refer to a home in disarray, full of rowdy children and boisterous f...
Archival Pigment
I Love It
By Julie Blackmon
Located in Sante Fe, NM
The Dutch proverb “a Jan Steen household” originated in the 17th century and is used today to refer to a home in disarray, full of rowdy children and boisterous family gatherings. Th...
Archival Pigment
$4,000
Hilltop, limited edition, archival pigment ink photograph, signed and numbered
By Julie Blackmon
Located in Sante Fe, NM
Hilltop, limited edition, archival pigment ink photograph, signed and numbered When looking at Julie Blackmon’s “Hilltop,” notice the elements that are in motion: the grass on the h...
Archival Pigment
Snow Days
By Julie Blackmon
Located in Sante Fe, NM
With or without snow (and yes it's melting), it seems like we’ve had 350 snow days in a row. I have so much respect for the parents who have spent months upon months nonstop with th...
Archival Pigment
$9,000
Lindenlure, color pigment ink photograph, limited edition, signed and numbered
By Julie Blackmon
Located in Sante Fe, NM
Lindenlure is a color pigment ink photograph, limited edition, signed and numbered by Julie Blackmon. I guess my work is kind of a love letter to the ...
Archival Pigment
$4,700
Loading Zone, Color Photograph, Archival Pigment Ink Print, signed and numbered
By Julie Blackmon
Located in Sante Fe, NM
Loading Zone is from Julie Blackmon's ongoing series Domestic Vacations. Domestic Vacations: The Dutch proverb "a Jan Steen household" originated in the 17th century and is used to...
Archival Pigment
Cherry
By Julie Blackmon
Located in Sante Fe, NM
Domestic Vacations: The Dutch proverb "a Jan Steen household" originated in the 17th century and is used today to refer to a home in disarray, full of rowdy children and boisterous f...
Archival Pigment
Broken Toy
By Julie Blackmon
Located in Sante Fe, NM
The Dutch proverb “a Jan Steen household” originated in the 17th century and is used today to refer to a home in disarray, full of rowdy children and boisterous family gatherings. Th...
Archival Pigment
Night Swim, color photograph, limited edition, signed and numbered
By Julie Blackmon
Located in Sante Fe, NM
Night Swim is a color photograph by Julie Blackmon. The print is a limited edition and is signed and numbered Inspired by 17th-century Dutch and Flemish paintings of domestic life...
Archival Pigment
Line- Up
By Julie Blackmon
Located in Sante Fe, NM
Domestic Vacations: The Dutch proverb "a Jan Steen household" originated in the 17th century and is used today to refer to a home in disarray, full of rowdy children and boisterous f...
Archival Pigment
Play Group
By Julie Blackmon
Located in Sante Fe, NM
The Dutch proverb “a Jan Steen household” originated in the 17th century and is used today to refer to a home in disarray, full of rowdy children and boisterous family gatherings. Th...
Archival Pigment
Afterparty
By Julie Blackmon
Located in Sante Fe, NM
Domestic Vacations: The Dutch proverb "a Jan Steen household" originated in the 17th century and is used today to refer to a home in disarray, full of rowdy children and boisterous f...
Archival Pigment
American Gothic
By Julie Blackmon
Located in Sante Fe, NM
Domestic Vacations: The Dutch proverb "a Jan Steen household" originated in the 17th century and is used today to refer to a home in disarray, full of rowdy children and boisterous f...
Archival Pigment
Garage
By Julie Blackmon
Located in Sante Fe, NM
Blackmon's images offer a fantastic and surreal commentary on contemporary American family life while referencing a 19th Century Flemish painting – they are intricate tableaux, combi...
Archival Pigment
Tall Girl
By Julie Blackmon
Located in Sante Fe, NM
Domestic Vacations: The Dutch proverb "a Jan Steen household" originated in the 17th century and is used today to refer to a home in disarray, full of rowdy children and boisterous f...
Archival Pigment
Soap Bubbles
By Julie Blackmon
Located in Sante Fe, NM
I guess my work is kind of a love letter to the past and that freedom that we had, but also an acknowledgment of the anxiety that I feel, that is real, about not being able to let ou...
Archival Pigment
New Neighbors
By Julie Blackmon
Located in Sante Fe, NM
New Neighbors is from Blackmon's ongoing series "Homegrown." According to the Los Angeles Times, Blackmon's images are “absorbing, meticulously orchestrated slices of ethnographic th...
Archival Pigment
Geek Squad
By Julie Blackmon
Located in Sante Fe, NM
Domestic Vacations: The Dutch proverb "a Jan Steen household" originated in the 17th century and is used today to refer to a home in disarray, full of rowdy children and boisterous f...
Archival Pigment
Masks
By Julie Blackmon
Located in Sante Fe, NM
Domestic Vacations: The Dutch proverb "a Jan Steen household" originated in the 17th century and is used today to refer to a home in disarray, full of rowdy children and boisterous f...
Archival Pigment
Tinkertoys
By Julie Blackmon
Located in Sante Fe, NM
Domestic Vacations: The Dutch proverb "a Jan Steen household" originated in the 17th century and is used today to refer to a home in disarray, full of rowdy children and boisterous f...
Archival Pigment
Vintage Wallpaper
By Julie Blackmon
Located in Sante Fe, NM
Domestic Vacations: The Dutch proverb "a Jan Steen household" originated in the 17th century and is used today to refer to a home in disarray, full of rowdy children and boisterous f...
Archival Pigment
Attic
By Julie Blackmon
Located in Sante Fe, NM
Domestic Vacations: The Dutch proverb "a Jan Steen household" originated in the 17th century and is used today to refer to a home in disarray, full of rowdy children and boisterous f...
Archival Pigment
Wicker Swing
By Julie Blackmon
Located in Sante Fe, NM
Domestic Vacations: The Dutch proverb "a Jan Steen household" originated in the 17th century and is used today to refer to a home in disarray, full of rowdy children and boisterous f...
Archival Pigment
Holiday
By Julie Blackmon
Located in Sante Fe, NM
Blackmon's images offer a fantastic and surreal commentary on contemporary American family life while referencing a 19th Century Flemish painting – they are intricate tableaux, combi...
Archival Pigment
Price Upon Request
Sonny and Clyde
By Julie Blackmon
Located in Sante Fe, NM
Sonny and Clyde, limited edition, archival pigment ink photograph, signed and numbered Julie Blackmon is a contemporary American photographer. Drawing from her own family life, Blac...
Archival Pigment
Price Upon Request
Moonball
By Julie Blackmon
Located in Sante Fe, NM
Moonball, limited edition, archival pigment ink photograph, signed and numbered Julie Blackmon is a contemporary American photographer. Drawing from her own family life, Blackmon st...
Archival Pigment
Price Upon Request
Cybertruck
By Julie Blackmon
Located in Sante Fe, NM
Julie's newest work strikes a chord with our current political and economic time.
Archival Pigment
Price Upon Request
Outing, photograph, LTD archival pigment ink print, signed and numbered
By Julie Blackmon
Located in Sante Fe, NM
Outing, photograph, LTD archival pigment ink print, signed and numbered Julie Blackmon is a contemporary American photographer. Drawing from her own family life, Blackmon creates s...
Archival Pigment
Price Upon Request
Night Swim, limited edition color pigment ink photograph, signed and numbered
By Julie Blackmon
Located in Sante Fe, NM
Night Swim is a limited edition color pigment ink photograph, signed and numbered by Julie Blackmon. Inspired by 17th-century Dutch and Flemish paintings of domestic life, Julie Bla...
Archival Pigment
Price Upon Request
Metaverse
By Julie Blackmon
Located in Sante Fe, NM
Domestic Vacations: The Dutch proverb "a Jan Steen household" originated in the 17th century and is used today to refer to a home in disarray, full of rowdy children and boisterous f...
Archival Pigment
Price Upon Request
Smoke
By Julie Blackmon
Located in Sante Fe, NM
Inspired by art history, Blackmon’s photographs utilize classical compositions, which are then mixed playfully with carefully placed everyday items — evidence of contemporary culture...
Archival Pigment
Price Upon Request
River
By Julie Blackmon
Located in Sante Fe, NM
Inspired by 17th-century Dutch and Flemish paintings of domestic life, Julie Blackmon photographs carefully orchestrated tableaus that feature members of her own family and are imbue...
Archival Pigment
Price Upon Request
Laying Out
By Julie Blackmon
Located in Sante Fe, NM
Blackmons's images offer fantastic and surreal commentary on contemporary American family life while referencing a 19th Century Flemish aesthetic. Peggy's Beauty Shop is an outstandi...
Archival Pigment