NEW WORK | AISLENINE ARTSPACE | MARCH 2013

Breakroom, KNX TN 2013 © jwl

I have a few new photographs on display at the Aislenine Artspace in the Old City, KNX. The work will be up through March.

Since I have been digging through the crates for new images, I thought 'what the hell' and decided to let a few loose on the walls! Come by and see what there is to see.

Untitled 2012 © cmp

Chad Pelton is joining me in decorating the Ailsenine walls with a couple of pieces that just came down from a juried show here in town. I am particularly fond of Chad's work and he and I have been known to collaborate now again on art, books, adult beverages & cheeseburgers. His work is good, give him some eye time!

Momma's Boy

 Arrow / Mower, Blountville TN 2012 © jwl

Over the last decade (gulp) of working on the Southeastern View book, as well as any work before and since, which required me to drive the back roads of East TN, Southwest VA & Northwest NC, I can blame a lot of those miles on my Mother. You see, Mom has maintained a house in rural NC and TN much of the past 15 years. While living in WI, I traveled to see her regularly and also used those family visits to generate volumes of photographs. That's mainly how the Southeastern View work came about.

 Abandoned House, HWY 88 NC 2011 © jwl

Some of the reason I relocated back to Knoxville from WI was to be closer to my Mother a well as my muse in these back roads, foothills & mountains. Living back in the Southeast gives me many opportunities to make photographs of all the things that I have fallen in love with in the last few years. I also am lucky enough to be able to visit my Mother and get back home within a day. A drive that once took 15 hours is now a mere 3.

Jesus Saves, HWY 88 NC 2011 © jwl

Even though I have been much less active in posting or showing new photographs in the last couple of years, I have been looking and capturing images. Like a match hitting gas, I have been feverishly digging into the treasure of the last couple years and discovering a great many wonderful new photographs. Here are a few of the new crop, specifically taken as I drove to visit my beloved Mother.

Time Slips Away & Leaves Nothing

Shed, Crab Orchard TN 2012 © jwl

A great friend visited KNX while he was on a trip South last year. Rather than letting the time slip away and let him bus it to Nashville, I took the opportunity to drive him to the airport. We had a a hell of an afternoon listening to music catching up and seeing the 2-lane America in Eastern-Middle TN. I grabbed this shed along the way.

Digging Into The Recent Past

Clonce's Market, HWY 33 TN 2012 © jwl

I've been digging through the vaults of my last 2 years here in East TN to see what I've been looking at all this time. So far I like what I am finding. It is a blessing to be able to take creative breaks and then come back in and find gems like these. Here's to diving back in head first!

SHED WORK

Shed 1, Knoxville TN 2013 © jwl

I moved back to TN almost 2 years ago and in that time I have taken a keen interest in the outbuildings that I have seen all over the city & the region. I haven't been completely sure as to why I have been drawn to these SHEDS, so I haven't tried to make form of them. This week, I decided the draw is too strong to fight off, so I am making a new series of photographic material with them.

I find these in all types of places and in many different states of use or disrepair. There are a lot of personality quirks between the lot of them. My hope is that as I add more and more to the collection, you viewers will see these personalities and enjoy them as I do.

NIGHT WORK GETS ANOTHER COVER

The Dark Corner by Mark Powell | Cover Design by Chad Pelton | NIGHT 0113 by jw lawson

Looks like good friendship, collaboration & a bit of timing has brought the NIGHT WORK back into view. Not only to be seen in art collections nationwide, desk cubicles of my family & friends or album covers...Now we can get a load of my tedium at a book retailer near you!!!

Thanks to CMP, UT Press & most of all Mark Powell for giving me some ups!!!

Base Camp

Raccoons, Sneedville TN 2012 © jwl

I hung a few photos in the Aisle Nine Artspace today. I didn't have an artist lined up & decided to showcase some of my favorites for the month of October. As I was looking through trying to decide who was gonna be my 'favorite' I took notice of how many folders there are on my hard drive full of unprocessed files.

I have almost 2 years' worth of photographs that I have taken and just filed away. I haven't blogged them, shown them to friends, exhibited them....NOTHING. Makes me think it might be time for a new book...

Here is a shot I took while staying at a cabin last Valentine's Day weekend. I have an idea of staying there again soon and using it as base camp for some new work. We will see what happens...