Jade Beall

 

Jade Beall

My name is Jade Twilite Beall and I love this life!   I was raised by a wild pack of musical hippies in Jalisco, Mèxico and Arizona, Estados Unidos Americanos.  My mother’s midwife caught me and instead of opening my eyes, I began to dance.  Since I can remember, I have had a fondness for the kind of hugs that linger a second or two too long. I have always, even as a child, been fascinated with placing my love-filled hands on someone’s willing body, feeling their muscles give way to ease and relaxation.

At age 10, I knew I wanted to be a photographer. Growing up in one of the most beautiful, remote villages in Mexico in a thatched home in Yelapa could have been inspiration enough. But one day, a visiting gringo from the U.S. brought  me my first of many old beat up copies of National Geographic, the photo-rich magazine.  I began an addiction to those magazines like most children crave for cartoons and lollipops.  I could easily spend an entire afternoon diving into the amazing stories that each simple photograph contained. I never bothered to read the accompanying narratives, I didn’t even care where the photographs were taken.  The images all by themselves told innumerable and profound tales:  Exotic village stories; amazing Sahara desert nomad adventures; histories of women living in huts like I did in Mexico but with skin the color of dark chocolate.  There were stories of places where elephants lived free or where it snowed on buildings that resembled fairy tale castles.  Others told stories of children who I imagined I would never get to meet or of women who’s eyes spoke of censored pasts.  Photographs were, and still are, simply magic to me.

I truly began studying the art of photography in 1995 at my phenomenal art-based high school in Tucson, AZ.  I have been refining my style ever since in a self-taught fashion, finding inspiring photographers to learn from and work with.   In 2008, I came into my true niche as a photographer: to document women in all of their stages of Life.  As children and as pregnant mothers; as sisters and daughters; as young dancers and inspired yogis; as teachers and students; as housewives and grandmothers.  I simply love reflecting the beauty of my sisters in each and every photograph I take. I put forth tremendous dedication and commitment to making glorious images that collectively we will cherish forever.

My Favorite Quote:
Dance, when you're broken open.
Dance, when you've torn the bandage off.
Dance, in middle of the fighting.
Dance, in your blood.
Dance, when you are perfectly free.
-Rumi

I can't live without:  Kale Salad.