A Brief Artistic Biography
I was born in March of 1962 in Galesburg, Illinois. I decided at age ten that I would be an artist and I never looked back. In 1986 I graduated from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago. My primary focus as an undergrad was photography and it’s history. My professors included noted photographers Barbara Crane and Kenneth Josephson. I also studied hand-bookbinding, landscape painting, and experimental sound production. In 1988, I returned for a semester to study filmmaking and film history.
From 1987 to 2000, I primarily concentrated on my photography. From 1989 through 1994, I served as cinematographer, editor, sound production and sound editing for two feature length16mm experimental narrative films.
In 1990 I began to make assemblage sculptures; enclosed diorama-like environments based on my photographic work. From 1992 to 1995 I formed and ran a small mural company and enjoyed doing large-scale painting work.
In mid-1995 I formed Blue Box Studio, a business entity focused on producing both decorative and fine artwork. I also married Michelle Thoma in December of that year. In 2002 I learned to make daguerreotypes under Jerry Spagnoli. After participating in the 170th Anniversary of the Daguereotype in Bry Sur-Marne, France in 2009, the Daguerre museum hosting the exhibition purchased one of my 5×7 inch daguerreotype plates for their permanent collection.
In 2010, I regularly began to paint watercolors. I also began a project depicting landscapes in three forms; first making drawings and paintings, then building in miniature, then making daguerreotypes of the models.
I currently am interested in constructing larger scale diorama-like installations.
-Sean Culver April, 2015