BIOGRAPHY

     My name is Hayden Grace. I am a multi-disciplinary artist based out of Augusta, Georgia, and a Fall 2026 graduating senior at Augusta University. My main areas of focus are photography and illustration. For photography, I draw inspiration from photographers like Edward Steichen, Todd Hido, and other landscape photographers. For illustration, I study painters such as Bouguereau, Dürer, and Sargent, as well as more contemporary digital artists such as Michael Chang and Yoji Shinkawa. My hope for my art is for it to convey what my words cannot, as I am a markedly poor communicator.

   

     Photography for me is equal parts an adventure and a way to quiet my mind. There's a certain moment when I stumble across a scene where time stops. I like to drive for miles, nothing but the road and the camera. Those scenes stick out on those long drives. With everything whizzing by you, the truly striking things shine through the fog. That's when the car comes to a screeching halt, and I allow myself to take it all in. All is quiet, all is still, almost as if I'm standing on top of a mountain looking out over the clouds, and all that I can hear is the wind howling around me. There's this serenity in that fleeting moment. A serenity I so badly want to capture, a stillness I so sincerely hope to share. I shoot primarily in black and white film. I find the darkroom to bring a level of warmth and life to the images that digital photography seems to lack. There is something to be said for tangible art forms; their physicality feels more soulful or intentional. It also allows me to be more experimental with techniques and substrates to further elevate the work past merely photography.