Ruth Gier is an art photographer that lives in Salt Lake City, Utah. She has an enduring interest in the simplicity of form and a minimalist approach to making art. She strives to imbue in her images to a sense of light, space, and quiet.

Gier began her photography studies at Idaho State University as part of the art curriculum. She studied under Art Wright, a former student of Brett Watson. She also studied with Joe Marotta at the University of Utah from 1984 to 1985. After earning an MFA in 1992, she began work as a fine arts photographer.

Gier's childhood in Alberta, Canada imbued her with a sense of light and shadow. Her recent work includes Still Life with Pitchers #7, The World is Flat, and The Beginning of Wisdom. In 2000 she was a volunteer artist for Utah Children and the Utah Juvenile Court system. The Phillips Gallery in Salt Lake City represents her work.

Biography adapted from Artists of Utah.

Ruth A. M. Gier received her nursing degree in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1954. After many years in that profession, she focused her attention on photography and earned an art degree from Idaho State University in 1984. She studied with Art Wright, a former student of Brett Weston. She then studied photography independently with Joe Marotta at the University of Utah in 1984-85. After earning her M.F.A. at the University of Utah in 1990, she began working full-time as a fine arts photographer in 1993. Since this time, she has been active in classes and workshops and served as a volunteer laboratory technician at the Salt Lake Art Center. She has also had over 50 exhibits to her credit.

Ruth Gier has an enduring interest in simplicity of form. She photographs commonplace objects found in everyday life because their purpose, born of utility, gives them a sincerity and humility of form that lacks pretentiousness. She uses high-speed film and toning techniques to accentuate aspects of the image. She is currently represented by the Phillips Gallery in Salt Lake City.

For the past 18 months, Grant Gardner and Ruth have captured hundreds of images of Utah's children. The result is a photo essay, Utah's Children: Individual Kids with Individual Needs, exposing the changing landscape of children in Utah today and highlighting the growth of racial and ethnic diversity on the Wasatch Front. Most of the photos in her art collection come from this project.

Biography courtesy Artists of Utah.

Newspaper Articles

"'Accurate Lies' Convey Quirky Shots At Truth." The Deseret News, September 17, 1995.

"Art Canvass." The Deseret News, March 4, 2001.

"Art Canvass." The Deseret News, November 1, 1998.

"Art Canvass." The Deseret News, December 22, 1996.

"Art Show has Unbelievable Visual Unity." The Deseret News, January 25, 2004.

"Artists Shines New Light On Luminary Designs Exhibit Highlights Include Still Life's, Spanish Scenes." The Deseret News, April 18, 1999.

"B.Y.U. Announces Winning Artists." The Deseret News, April 14, 1988.

"Coming Up: Visual Arts." The Salt Lake Tribune, July 27, 1997.

"A Freeze-Frame Portrait of Utah." The Salt Lake Tribune, February 4, 2001.

"Galleries." The Deseret News, June 30, 1996.

"Galleries." The Deseret News, March 3, 1996.

"Galleries." The Deseret News, September 3, 1995.

"Galleries." The Deseret News, January 29, 1995.

"Legislators to See Little Faces Daily." The Deseret News, December 27, 2000.

"Libraries to Feature Work of Artists and Photographer." The Deseret News, July 19, 1997.

"Phillips' Extraordinary Exhibit A Must-See for Utah Collectors." The Deseret News, August 23, 1998.

"Showing at Local Galleries." The Deseret News, January 11, 2004.

"Showing at Local Galleries." The Deseret News, February 2, 2003.

"Showing at Local Galleries." The Deseret News, October 8, 2000.

"Show Offers Alternative Photographic Processes." The Deseret News, April 5, 1998.

"Sense of Light, Shape and quiet Captured on Film." The Deseret News, August 10, 1997.

"Utah Marquee: Visual Art." The Salt Lake Tribune, April 23, 1999.

"Utah Marquee: Visual Arts." The Salt Lake Tribune, February 3, 1995.

"'Visual Jazz' Implies Rhythm For The Eyes." The Deseret News, September 15, 1996.

"The Year in Arts." The Deseret News, December 28, 1997.

Periodical

Coray, Steve. "Alternative Venue: Salt Lake City." 15 Bytes. http://www.artistsofutah.org/15bytes/03aug/page2.html (accessed June 30, 2008).