“What I am looking for are sites that evoke a feeling of inner peacefulness, some quality of contemplation. I don’t always get it, and I don’t always translate it, but I certainly know when the feeling comes over me and that’s what keeps me going.” –Lynn Davis, New York Times, Sunday, April 8, 2007
This past Sunday found me with bagels, eggs and coffee, perusing the Arts & Leisure section of the New York Times where I was struck by an article about the photographs of Lynn Davis, called “Travels Abroad Lead to Journeys Within.” Lynn has an exhibit that just opened at the Rubin Museum in New York City – a show which Charles Melcher describes as “taking Lynn out of the white box of the traditional gallery and placing her in a museum that feels more like a temple.” I love that image.
When I read Lynn’s quote above, I felt as if she was speaking directly to me. “Evoking a feeling of inner peacefulness, some quality of contemplation” is what I am after in my Sanctuary series (pictured here). I want these images to speak of internal refuge – a resting place for the mind. These days, I am photographing, bottling, then re-photographing, then printing, editing, and re-printing – building this series from the three currently completed pieces into a larger collection. Lynn’s words remind me to trust my inner instincts about what has that “feeling” and belongs in the series, and what does not.