JOHN S.
HOCKENSMITH
John Stephen Hockensmith is one of the premier equine photographers in the United States. Born in 1954 in Cynthiana, Kentucky, Hockensmith took up photography at an early age and later studied art and photography at nearby Georgetown College. He began his professional career in 1975, working for the Commonwealth of Kentucky as a photographer and four years later, started the independent photography business in Georgetown known today as Fine Art Editions Gallery & Press.
Hockensmith has worked as a photographer for the Kentucky State Government, Georgetown College, Churchill Downs, Keeneland, and Al Khayal Magazine. Corporate clients include Toyota, Lexmark, The Kentucky Horse Park, and Universal Studios. Hockensmith’s principal exhibitions include: ‘Put this Moment Here’ (1986) at the Headley-Whitney Museum, ‘Rare Breeds: From Figurative to Abstract’ (2004) and ‘Gypsy Horses and the Travelers’ Way’ (2006) at The Kentucky Horse Park International Museum of the Horse, Lexington, and ‘Spanish Mustangs in the Great American West’ (2009), a large format exhibition accompanying his book release filling all three galleries of the Headley-Whitney Museum.
John Stephen Hockensmith’s newest portfolio demonstrates a return to his roots of studying the Kentucky landscape. Captured in the fall of 2019 through the present, “Back to Creation” celebrates the Red River Gorge natural area with tonal black and whites, stunning fall color, brilliant wildflower macro photography, and awe-inspiring astrophotography. The new work is inspired by Hockensmith’s earliest artistic photography and honors the legacy of the late Jim Archambeault’s work.
“Back to Creation” is part of the fall 2020 exhibition at the Headley-Whitney Museum in Lexington and is available in a multitude of substrates exclusively at Fine Art Editions.
