Carl Sidle Biography
Carl Nathaniel Sidle (b. 1943; Dallas, Texas) is a graphic
technician photographer at the University of Texas Southern
Medical Center at Dallas, in the Biochemistry Department,
who documents community life in his free time. He attended
Howard University where he majored in Math and Physics. Carl’s
love of photography as an art form occurred early in his life,
as he was influenced by his sister to experiment with a camera.
Carl’s images are profound in that they challenge the
viewer to discern the message and underlining beauty of the
subject matter. Carl
has over 30 years experience as a fine art photographer
whose work includes black and white and color photography,
some of which he has altered digitally. Mr. Sidle is among
the best artist/photojournalists in Texas. His striking
and powerful images have been captured in film for the last
two decades. Trained as a fine printer, Mr. Sidle beautifully
utilizes his technical and artistic abilities to present
a series of photographs that deal with the experiences of
the African American community.
His
artistic perspective for portraits, abstracts and landscapes
is greatly influenced by a creative use of light, unique
composition talent, mastered skills within the B&W /
color darkrooms and his talented graphic art skills. Carl
has traveled throughout the Southwest over the past 25 years
documenting the lifestyles of urban and rural residents
with his camera, as well as photographing diverse landscapes
and urbanscapes.
Much
of Carl’s work focuses on human dignity. He records
the pride and inner strength of people. His images, photographed
in different parts of the country, depict spirituality,
perserverance, courage and other dignifying qualities of
human beings.
Carl
credits his skills and visual literacy on influence from
Ansel Adams, Henri Cartier-Bresson, Eugene Smith, Alfred
Stieglitz and Gordon Parks. Locally, his photographic development
has been impacted by the late Ed White, Marion Butts and
R.C. Hickman’s Behold the People.
Carl’s
images have been displayed on the “Oprah Winfrey Show,”
exhibited in various museums and galleries, purchased by
collectors throughout the country and featured in two books:
Portraits of Community: African American Photography in
Texas by Alan Governor; and Reflections in Black: A History
of Black Photographers 1840-Present by Deborah Willis. Mr.
Sidle has exhibited his works at the Irving Arts Center,
the African American Museum (Dallas), The Bath House Cultural
Center, the South Dallas Cultural Center, Lakewood Library,
the Thornton Foundation, Junior Black Academy of Arts and
Letters, Tyler Arts Museum, etc.
His
most recent exhibit was entitled Beauty Within: The Photography
of Carl Sidle at The Kansas African American Museum, Inc. |
