Inspiration: Stephen Shore

Inspiration: Stephen Shore

Stephen Shore Room 11, Star Motel, Manistique, Michigan, July 8, 1973
Stephen Shore Room 11, Star Motel, Manistique, Michigan, July 8, 1973

I probably shouldn’t admit that I first learned about Stephen Shore on Pinterest. I became kind of obsessed with the picture above. I feel like I’ve been in this motel room before, and yet I wish I could buy every object in this room.

Stephen Shore (b. 1947) is a NYC-born, self-taught photographer who sold his first photographs to MOMA at age 14, started hanging out at Andy Warhol’s Factory at 17, and had a solo show at the Met at 24. His color photographs from cross-country road trips in the 1970s, such as the one above, cemented his place among the most critically-acclaimed American photographers, but he has done a variety of interesting projects since then. He even has an Instagram account.

Stephen Shore, Sugar Bowl Restaurant (7 July, 1973), Gaylord, Michigan, USA
Stephen Shore, Sugar Bowl Restaurant (7 July, 1973), Gaylord, Michigan, USA

Stephen Shore: Uncommon Places: The Complete Works