On Andrew Leigh Green

Despite the grief he appeared to bring to those close to him, I always found Andrew Leigh Green playful and charming.

I gotten used to receiving passionate texts from this Australian photographer over the WhatsApp. They usually came in groups of five to ten, with big plans all detailed out, usually about a massive book project or a new set of print editions. He was asking for my guidance, but perhaps more, he was looking to get his thoughts out into the world.

I suspect he was bipolar, based on his descriptions of his fraught relationships with his family, his lover, and his local community. He was kicked off of Instagram more than once, and seemed to start a new account on a different app to communicate to me with every year or two.

Nevertheless, he was ambitious visual artist. His work was on the experimental side, usually dealing with the homoerotic, the macabre, and often combined.

I encouraged this direction, but also hoped that he’d move towards a more subtle and focused version of this. His images often felt like sketches, not quite finished, and I wanted him to make less work, better.

A few years ago, there was some talk of killing himself, and I encourage him to reach out to some local help lines in Tasmania, where he lived. I should not have been surprised when I recently received a note from his brother saying that he passed, but honestly, it was a shock. Andrew, and his photography, was so full of joy, passion, and humor, it’s hard to imagine that this person would want to end all of that.

Top Image: Andrew Leigh Green, pictured with a friend, a film/digital mix, sent to me July 3, 2023.

Second Image: Perhaps my favorite photo by Andrew, shot February 2022.

Third Image: A recent experiment, sent to me July 13, 2024.

Fourth Image: Often his best pictures were self-portraits.

Fifth Image: One of a few hand variations he sent me.

Sixth Image: Andrew sent this image to me with the note, “I also enjoy taking photos of the landscape.” I replied, “… so long as it looks like a hellscape.”

Bottom Image: With his brother’s help Andrew played with some visual AI tools in 2022. The prompt for this one was “Homer Simpson as a deceased Colonel Sanders serving a deep fried chicken donut.”