Barron Bixler was born in Ohio in 1974. In 1978, his family relocated to California and since then he has called the state home.
Set out in stark, unflinching images, Bixler's work explores marginal landscapes and communities, vernacular architecture and built environments.
Since 2002, Bixler has traveled within and beyond the borders of California to chronicle the impact of rapid settlement and development in the American West. His photographs address the environmental complexities that attend such development, focusing on the ecological margins between urban, suburban, industrial and rural spaces.
Recent projects in this vein include "A New Pastoral: Views of the San Joaquin Valley"; "Industrial Materials: Mining and Refining California"; and "The West, Revisited: Views of Central Colorado." In his latest project, “L.A. Environs,” Bixler maps austere landscapes located along the periphery of the Los Angeles Basin.
In 2008, Bixler began work on two long range documentary projects in South America; the first looks at life in a traditional Brazilian fishing village; the second examines mining practices in the mineral-rich Atacama desert of northern Chile.
A self-taught photographer, Bixler holds an MA in English from the University of Victoria.