Artist and Author Carole Hampshire Photography, Blue Mountains

Blissful Thinking In the early 1990’s I moved from Sydney to the Blue Mountains where I live with my two sons and my partner. However, to reach this point I have travelled across the world and seen many countries.

I was born in England (Derby) and studied English Literature and History of Art at Oxford Brookes University; this led to a BA Hons and to a fascination with Asian culture and especially the development of the Buddha image (my thesis) and Indian art and philosophy. After travelling for a year around Asia mainly in India I studied for a Masters at SOAS (School of Oriental and African Studies, London University). This led to a thesis on Hindu goddesses.

Meanwhile at the age of nine I began taking photographs firstly with a camera borrowed from my mother and later with a Leica borrowed from my father. I was fortunate to be able to study photography as part of my BA (Hons) and later further developed my skills in Sydney gaining a post graduate diploma in Visual Arts (major: photography) from Sydney College of the Arts.

I have always had a passion for documentary photography and began documenting my family, then became interested in street photography with exhibitions such as ‘Faces of Redfern’ and ‘Gay Mardi Gras’ (both shown in the Workshop at Australian Centre for Photography) and later ‘Tradeswomen: why so few?’ at Pier 3 / 4 The Wharf.

The Essence of Lumino I have been involved with many photographic exhibitions in Sydney, the Blue Mountains and England. I have also contributed many articles on photography and the arts to various publications such as Eyeline, Photofile, Editions Review, Sydney Morning Herald and more recently The Blue Mountains Gazette.

My latest project is the book ‘Artists Observed: Blue Mountains Artists Close Up’ published by UNSW Press, a project that has taken over three years to complete. It is my gift to all the wonderfully creative people in the Blue Mountains.

Since the late 1990’s besides my documentary and portrait photography I have been developing another body of work with a more ethereal or spiritual dimension. Works such as Blissful Thinking and The Essence of Luminosity have grown out of a more meditative state of mind and a desire to create something beautiful. I wish to highlight the more positive aspects of human nature and provide enlightened souls with images that enrich their lives.