Colby Caldwell (American, born 1965), once a student of history, has tested virtually every avenue of the personal uses of photography as an instrument of memory.

While his early work replicated the theatrical feeling of 19th Century “drawing with light,” his most recent efforts deconstruct the very elements of digital photography. Along the way he abandoned the traditional matted and framed photographic print by utilizing direct scans and large format digital printers before mounting his prints on constructed forms and coating them in wax. Colby’s unique presentation and the boldness of his imagery give the work the scale and presence of painting.

over & under, his most recent solo show, opened at HEMPHILL in Washington, DC in May of 2022. A review in the Washington Post commented, “Caldwell communes with the forest as he denatures it, conveying the threat to the natural world in partly mangled images.” His work is featured in the newly published, “The Art of the State” book that surveys contemporary art in his home state of North Carolina. The book is published by the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, and edited by Liza Roberts. Currently, Colby has a site-specific installation at the North Carolina Museum of Art, which opened to the public in summer of 2025.

Colby was a tenured Professor of Art at St. Mary’s College of Maryland from 2002-2013. He moved to Asheville, NC in 2013. In 2015, he co-founded REVOLVE (which is celebrating its 10th year) an art hub that hosts and encourages trans-media work. Colby also is a founding member of Photo+.