The captured image has long fascinated Peter Stitt.
Sports photography in particular appealed to a young Stitt.
“I subscribed to ‘Sports Illustrated.’ I collected sports cards,” he said.
He thought photojournalism might be a route for him to explore his interest in photography, but he didn’t go to college for art, he went for engineering. After taking one photojournalism class, he was steered toward graphic design. The only catch was he had to tell his parents he could make a living with the degree.
The North Augusta resident studied at Northeastern University and the Savannah College of Art and Design. He’s taught, managed a gallery and, since 2016, he’s worked as a fulltime artist.
His work as been exhibited nationally and internationally. He was a finalist in the 2019 Arte Laguna Prize in Venice, Italy, and was part of the European Cultural Centre’s “Time, Space, Existence” exhibition during the 2021 Venice Architectural Biennial.
His first book “A Southern Verse” was originally scheduled for an October release, but the date has been pushed to November.
“A Southern Verse” has been a long-term project. It resulted from Stitt’s exuberance for snapping photos, especially those of forgotten and neglected places in the South.
Stitt said he was inspired by the photographs of the Works Progress Administration that chronicled homes, roads, churches, landscapes and artwork. He was especially drawn to the works of Walker Evans and Dorothea Lange whose photographs provided lasting glimpses into the Great Depression
Many of their photographs, however, had human subjects.
“I avoided people. I wanted it to be objective,” said Stitt, whose scope of work highlights the many small Southern towns he’s visited.
Despite the lack of people in the photos, he believes people who view the photographs can “make a connection” to them.
The spaces, in and of themselves, tell a story of the people who once lived there. Some of them evoke a sense of nostalgia in the artist and he believes they will do that in the viewer as well.
“I went though places with my grandfather. I drove around a lot with him when I was younger,” he said.
He’s taken photographs of about 44 different small towns in South Carolina and about 24 Georgia locations. “A Southern Verse” contains 57 color photographs.
While the towns have similarities, he said he noticed marked differences in all of them even in places that are close to each other such as Batesville and Leesville in South Carolina.
To preorder “A Southern Verse,” visit Stitt’s website petercstitt.com.
Charmain Z. Brackett is the Features Editor for The Augusta Press. Reach her at charmain@theaugustapress.com
