Shelley Lawrence Kirkwood is an American photographer and writer whose work explores memory, place, and themes of transience depicted through the landscape. Deeply rooted in observation and attuned to the natural world, her practice blends fine art photography, literary sensibility, and curatorial insight to create images and essays that invite reflection on the intersection of the ephemeral and the enduring.

Kirkwood earned a BA in photography from Hampshire College and an MFA from the University of Arizona. Her formative years in New England and work in the curatorial departments of the Center for Creative Photography in Arizona and the High Museum of Art in Georgia, shaped her interdisciplinary perspective and commitment to visual culture. Since her first exhibition in 1994 at the pioneering Midtown Y Gallery in New York City, she has exhibited her extensively both in the US and internationally.

Kirkwood lives and works in a restored 19th-century church in western Massachusetts, where the shifting seasons and surrounding rural landscape shape and inspire her creative process. Her current work explores the fusion of the 19th-century anthotype process with contemporary photographic approaches, reflecting her interest in layered, multi-stage techniques that bridge past and present.

Recent accolades include a Gold Medal and Best in Show at the Royal Horticultural Society’s International Portfolio Exhibition at London’s Saatchi Gallery, an Honorable Mention in the Julia Margaret Cameron Awards, and several features in award-winning art and environmental publications.

Upcoming solo exhibitions include shows at the Springfield Museum of Art in Massachusetts (2026) and the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum (2028), further cementing her reputation as a distinct voice in contemporary photography.

For more examples of my work and process, follow me on instagram: @shelleykirkwood