Lake Erie, February (01) by Laura Bell
8"x10" ($24) | 11"x14" ($60) | 16"x20" ($240) | 24"x30" ($1,200)
Laura Bell’s work has totally transfixed us for years. Her landscapes seem liminal spaces, and her still lifes in states of quiet movement. Bell has an incredible talent for capturing stillness, for conveying a pregnant silence that is as enigmatic as it is anesthetic. Her minimalism is more a reflection on the power of eliminating distraction, of seeing the deeper details of environment, flora, form and texture.
This edition belongs to Bell’s ongoing series of Lake Erie images, taken over time from the same vantage point. The series reveals the Lake as an evolving body, a dynamic being, transformed by temperature, light, season, and weather—and the eyes of the observer. Bell shot this particular photograph in February when the snow and ice and sky coalesce into a striking gray scene—one of her favorite phases of the Lake.
In this edition there’s a discernible intimacy between Bell and her aqueous subject. While the lake may be frozen, she has framed it with familiarity, penetration, even fondness. It’s not surprising to learn that Bell has lived by Lake Erie off and on for over a decade. “Lake Erie has yet to lose its power for me,” the artist says. Instead, the series from which we selected today’s edition seems to be a kind of exercise in documenting something in a state of constant change, a meditative practice by nature.
Lake Erie, February (01) is a single image from the series, but the same is true. Gazing into its depths, the photograph holds you under it’s spell. The viewer is displaced from a concrete sense of orientation. The reduction of disparate elements allows for a greater subtlety of expression—and some mystery. Hang this on your wall and you’re sure to be rewarded with a bit of Bell’s magic.
With art for everyone,
Jen Bekman + Team 20x200
