Entry #3: BPAC Artist-in-Residence Visit #6, September 26, 2013

Dear Nancy,

The New York->Buffalo for the BPAC Gala->Santa Fe for the Radius Books Artist Weekend->Buffalo travels were rich and satisfying in many regards. It was lovely to stay with Elizabeth and Tony, to discover Robert Lax's poetry in Tony's study and the family of deer who live on their property. I enjoyed the gala festivities and meeting new BPAC friends, Louis Ciminelli, Ann Brown, Janne and Sonja Sirén, among many others. Celebrating Radius' six-year anniversary with David Chickey and his team, plus several artists they've published--Sharon Core, Sharon Harper, David Taylor, Michael Light--was an honor. The Radius community, much like the BPAC's, feels like a special chosen family. I returned with a bag of books, including Barbara Bosworth's, as we've discussed, and Mark Klett's, which reconnected me to image-making after a two-month break.

I was concerned, as you know, about my ability to work again, then very hopeful at the outset of the week, but in the end, I have made only about five photographs. The bright light and blue skies have been a hindrance, but mostly I think the over stimulation from all of the activities, plus a trip to Berlin for an opening of my work just two weeks ago and my new book's forthcoming publication, have competed with my ability to be fully present in the landscape, with my camera. Also, as I've shared, the presentation of the work-in-progress I made at the BPAC in July, albeit a wonderful opportunity, interrupted my process. Because I have only ever scanned, printed, and presented work at the end of a project--sometimes after years of working--it turned out to be confusing on a process level. Now, after neatly conceptualizing the work and after the two-month break, I noticed myself trying to fit everything I saw into the "box" of the "finished" work that I even titled--something else I have never done midway through a project. There have been some spontaneous moments of connection this week, but most often they were followed by too much thought or doubt.

I'll work in the morning before I leave and have a couple of pictures in mind to make: one that seems to be a portrait of us (I smiled as I typed that because I know you will understand me) and another that I saw on my drive home from the Charles Burchfield Nature and Art Center tonight, actually right around the corner from the hotel. It struck me in a fresh way and makes me wonder if I should turn my attention elsewhere, beyond the CBNAC. You might recall some architectural work I did at the beginning of my residency. What's fascinating, though I suppose not surprising, is that the images I've made during this trip convey the sense of being overstimulated--too much input in a short amount of time for someone who is accustomed to a lot of solitude.

A highlight of the day was receiving your message about the red-tailed hawk on top of Rockwell Hall's weathervane.

I will look for you in the morning to say goodbye.

Warmly,

Janelle

Janelle Lynch is the 2013 Burchfield resident artist. She has garnered international recognition over the last decade for her large-format photographs of the urban and rural landscape. Widely exhibited, her work is in several public and private collections including the Burchfield Penney, George Eastman House Museum, the Brooklyn Museum, the Newark Museum, the Fundación Vila Casas, Barcelona, and the Museo de Arte Contemporáneo, Salta, Argentina.