Angela Faris Belt

My artwork studies relationships between humankind and the natural world; my perspective is influenced by nature writers, a unique multi-cultural heritage, Buddhist philosophy, and a lifetime closely observing and living in nature. I use photographic media because its physical makeup mirrors nature itself— balancing light energy and sensitivity to it, time and motion, metallic and chemical interactions, viability and expiration, and its ability to simultaneously demonstrate and infer. I utilize the entire range of photographic media from historic to digital; my media decisions underscore the concepts regarding nature that I'm focused on for the particular body of work.    

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I authored the textbook, The Elements of Photography: Understanding and Creating Sophisticated Images, (Focal Press). I lecture and offer workshops on its themes surrounding photographic language. I've been Contributor-at-Large for American Photo Magazine, and write critical essays on photography. 

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I have taught photography at institutions including the Universities of Dayton and Michigan, Antioch College, and Anderson Ranch Arts Center. Currently I serve as Chair of the Studio Art & Art History Departments at Arapahoe Community College in Littleton, CO.

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I live at 8,500’ on a mountainside abutting National Forest land in Colorado’s Front Range. My engagement with the forest I call home enriches my life and greatly informs my art making practice. The neighbors I am privileged to know are elk, mule deer, fox, Abert’s Squirrels, coyotes, bears and mountain lions. In my off-time I enjoy building stone walls, trail maintenance, hiking, snowshoeing, and removing trees for bark beetle mitigation.