THE SHAPE OF THE FATHER: Laurie Freitag > Honorable Mentions: Lynn Buchanan/Memories of Childhood Vacations, Kip Harris/Father and Son, Jodphur, Jane Gottlieb 'Curtain Call' & Prescott Moore Lassman/ Contrail
Honorable Mentions: Lynn Buchanan/Memories of Childhood Vacations, Kip Harris/Father and Son, Jodphur, Jane Gottlieb 'Curtain Call' & Prescott Moore Lassman/ Contrail
Lynn Buchanan/Memories of Childhood Vacations
HONORABLE MENTION
HONORABLE MENTION
LYNN BUCHANAN
Artist Statement (Please note my artist statement is in the form of a letter to my deceased father)
Dear Dad:
It has been almost nine years since you died. I think about you often, especially given the state of our world. I remember our five-hour phone call when I lived in New York and the planes hit the World Trade Center. You didn’t have the answers, but it was a comfort talking with you when things were not making sense to me. You had one of the most brilliant minds I have ever encountered, and I keep wondering what insights you might offer if you were still here. As I now delve into your writings, the books you annotated, family photos, and the slides you took, I feel like I am meeting you in a different and deeper way.
After New College’s hostile conversion from the liberal arts college you helped found to a Christian religious school, I became obsessed with learning more about your journey. How did you come to have such an open mind? How did you manage to maintain such a zest for life after being orphaned? You must have realized at an early age that life was uncertain. Did that prompt you to cherish it even more? At this pivotal moment in history, when conflicts are looming everywhere, I am searching for ways to stay balanced and keep creating, so as not to live in apathy or fear. Did your ability to hold opposing viewpoints in irreducible tension help you make sense your early faith, the loss of your parents and the turmoil surrounding World War II? Can the philosophy of the hyphen you developed help me and the rest of us now?
I remember typing the pages of the book on the Janus Paradox that you would never publish. Every time you got close to finishing it, your thinking would change and you’d throw them away because you realized that you had not, in fact, arrived at the “Truth.” I couldn’t figure out why you were so preoccupied with identifying what truth was or how aghast you were when metaphors were taken literally. Your struggles make sense to me now that I’m an artist. After reading your dissertation on metaphor I no longer think as literally when I make photographs. The last thing I want is for people to feel they’ve figured everything out when they look at my images. Life is complicated. After reading your Tractatus on education, I wrote my own on creativity and the numinous in nature inspired by your example.
I’m sorry I failed to tell you how much I appreciated all your lessons in critical thinking. For many years, I blamed you for my lack of self-confidence, since I thought it stemmed from your constant critques of my thought processes. Now I’m grateful you taught me to care about truth, to open my eyes to different perspectives, to keep searching for the light in uncertain times, and most importantly to admit when I am wrong without worrying about my ego.
Your earthly body may have left us, but you live on in the thoughts you shared with me and others that have rippled out into the world. I am so grateful for the time that we shared together on this earth.
Love always,
Lynne
Lynne Buchanan is a lens-based artist based in Western North Carolina. Her work explores her intimate connection to the natural world and how her perceptions of biodiversity in the environment influence her philosophy of life. Buchanan’s images examine identity in difference, interconnection, memory, ancestral lines, the history of place, metaphor, meaning, and contextual truth.
Buchanan began her photographic life as an environmental photographer. The ecological issues she witnessed impacted her psychologically and she began creating work that was more emotional, often working in black and white. Buchanan is the recipient of a Master’s Degree in Art History and Museum Studies from George Washington University. She is a self-taught photographer and multi-media artist. Mentors include Clyde Butcher, Jill Enfield, and Pradip Malde.
Buchanan is the author of two books: Florida’s Changing Waters: A Beautiful World in Peril, and The Poetry of Being, for which she received Silver Medals in the Tokyo and Budapest International Photography awards. She has spoken about her work at the Miami Book Fair, The Society for Environmental Journalism and the North American Nature Photography Summit. Buchanan has been recognized as a top 200 artist by Critical Mass and her work has been reviewed in numerous print and on-line publications. Her award-winning photography has been exhibited nationally and internationally and is in the collections of the Ogden Museum of Southern Art in New Orleans, LA and The Bishop Museum of Science and Nature in Bradenton, Florida.
Images for Sale
Memories of Childhood Vacations, 16"H x 24"W
Archival Paper
$575, unframed
Limited Edition of 10
Signed on Back
The Doll is Only Alive in the Childish Imagination, 18"H x 24"W
Archival Paper
$650
Limited Edition of 10
Signed on Back
Freedom, War, and the Monsters Within, 18"H x 24"W
Archival Paper
$650
Limited Edition of 10
Signed on Back
Douglas Berggren Speaks After Nailing His Tractatus on Education to a Tree, 18"H x 24"WArchival Paper
$650
Limited Edition of 10
Signed on Back
Ancient Tree with My Tractatus Biophilia Pneuma Kai Asthetiki Inspired by my Father's Tractatus on Education, 42”H x 30"W
$1920
Limited Edition of 5Signed on Back
The Overwhelm of Working with My Father’s Archive, 18"H x 24"W
Archival Paper
$650
Limited Edition of 10
Signed on Back
Contact-
Lynne Buchanan
lynne@lynnebuchanan.com
www.lynnebuchanan.com
www.instagram.com/lynnebuchananphotography
Artist Statement (Please note my artist statement is in the form of a letter to my deceased father)
Dear Dad:
It has been almost nine years since you died. I think about you often, especially given the state of our world. I remember our five-hour phone call when I lived in New York and the planes hit the World Trade Center. You didn’t have the answers, but it was a comfort talking with you when things were not making sense to me. You had one of the most brilliant minds I have ever encountered, and I keep wondering what insights you might offer if you were still here. As I now delve into your writings, the books you annotated, family photos, and the slides you took, I feel like I am meeting you in a different and deeper way.
After New College’s hostile conversion from the liberal arts college you helped found to a Christian religious school, I became obsessed with learning more about your journey. How did you come to have such an open mind? How did you manage to maintain such a zest for life after being orphaned? You must have realized at an early age that life was uncertain. Did that prompt you to cherish it even more? At this pivotal moment in history, when conflicts are looming everywhere, I am searching for ways to stay balanced and keep creating, so as not to live in apathy or fear. Did your ability to hold opposing viewpoints in irreducible tension help you make sense your early faith, the loss of your parents and the turmoil surrounding World War II? Can the philosophy of the hyphen you developed help me and the rest of us now?
I remember typing the pages of the book on the Janus Paradox that you would never publish. Every time you got close to finishing it, your thinking would change and you’d throw them away because you realized that you had not, in fact, arrived at the “Truth.” I couldn’t figure out why you were so preoccupied with identifying what truth was or how aghast you were when metaphors were taken literally. Your struggles make sense to me now that I’m an artist. After reading your dissertation on metaphor I no longer think as literally when I make photographs. The last thing I want is for people to feel they’ve figured everything out when they look at my images. Life is complicated. After reading your Tractatus on education, I wrote my own on creativity and the numinous in nature inspired by your example.
I’m sorry I failed to tell you how much I appreciated all your lessons in critical thinking. For many years, I blamed you for my lack of self-confidence, since I thought it stemmed from your constant critques of my thought processes. Now I’m grateful you taught me to care about truth, to open my eyes to different perspectives, to keep searching for the light in uncertain times, and most importantly to admit when I am wrong without worrying about my ego.
Your earthly body may have left us, but you live on in the thoughts you shared with me and others that have rippled out into the world. I am so grateful for the time that we shared together on this earth.
Love always,
Lynne
Lynne Buchanan is a lens-based artist based in Western North Carolina. Her work explores her intimate connection to the natural world and how her perceptions of biodiversity in the environment influence her philosophy of life. Buchanan’s images examine identity in difference, interconnection, memory, ancestral lines, the history of place, metaphor, meaning, and contextual truth.
Buchanan began her photographic life as an environmental photographer. The ecological issues she witnessed impacted her psychologically and she began creating work that was more emotional, often working in black and white. Buchanan is the recipient of a Master’s Degree in Art History and Museum Studies from George Washington University. She is a self-taught photographer and multi-media artist. Mentors include Clyde Butcher, Jill Enfield, and Pradip Malde.
Buchanan is the author of two books: Florida’s Changing Waters: A Beautiful World in Peril, and The Poetry of Being, for which she received Silver Medals in the Tokyo and Budapest International Photography awards. She has spoken about her work at the Miami Book Fair, The Society for Environmental Journalism and the North American Nature Photography Summit. Buchanan has been recognized as a top 200 artist by Critical Mass and her work has been reviewed in numerous print and on-line publications. Her award-winning photography has been exhibited nationally and internationally and is in the collections of the Ogden Museum of Southern Art in New Orleans, LA and The Bishop Museum of Science and Nature in Bradenton, Florida.
Images for Sale
Memories of Childhood Vacations, 16"H x 24"W
Archival Paper
$575, unframed
Limited Edition of 10
Signed on Back
The Doll is Only Alive in the Childish Imagination, 18"H x 24"W
Archival Paper
$650
Limited Edition of 10
Signed on Back
Freedom, War, and the Monsters Within, 18"H x 24"W
Archival Paper
$650
Limited Edition of 10
Signed on Back
Douglas Berggren Speaks After Nailing His Tractatus on Education to a Tree, 18"H x 24"WArchival Paper
$650
Limited Edition of 10
Signed on Back
Ancient Tree with My Tractatus Biophilia Pneuma Kai Asthetiki Inspired by my Father's Tractatus on Education, 42”H x 30"W
$1920
Limited Edition of 5Signed on Back
The Overwhelm of Working with My Father’s Archive, 18"H x 24"W
Archival Paper
$650
Limited Edition of 10
Signed on Back
Contact-
Lynne Buchanan
lynne@lynnebuchanan.com
www.lynnebuchanan.com
www.instagram.com/lynnebuchananphotography
Kip Harris/Father and Son, Jodphur
HONORABLE MENTION
HONORABLE MENTION
KIP HARRIS
Street photography of Indian Father’s and Children
Harris grew up in a small farming community in Idaho. He holds degrees in English literature from Dartmouth College, in humanities from the University of Chicago, and architecture from the University of Utah. He was a principal of FFKR Architects in Salt Lake City for nearly 30 years.
A serious photographer since the late 80s, Harris has exhibited in the United States, Canada, Australia, Japan, and Europe. He has been published in Shots Magazine, All About Photo, Tagree, The Photo Review, Your Daily Photograph, Street Photography Magazine, Dodho Magazine, Black & White Magazine (cover) and a number of other on-line photographic sites.
He has been a resident at the Rural Residence in Contemporary Art in the Val Camonica Valley of Italy and Gracia in Antigua, Guatemala. Place M Gallery in Tokyo presented a solo exhibition of 40 of his works from the “At Work” series in May 2025.
www.kharrisphoto.com
www.instagram.com/kkhstreet/?hl=en
Street photography of Indian Father’s and Children
Harris grew up in a small farming community in Idaho. He holds degrees in English literature from Dartmouth College, in humanities from the University of Chicago, and architecture from the University of Utah. He was a principal of FFKR Architects in Salt Lake City for nearly 30 years.
A serious photographer since the late 80s, Harris has exhibited in the United States, Canada, Australia, Japan, and Europe. He has been published in Shots Magazine, All About Photo, Tagree, The Photo Review, Your Daily Photograph, Street Photography Magazine, Dodho Magazine, Black & White Magazine (cover) and a number of other on-line photographic sites.
He has been a resident at the Rural Residence in Contemporary Art in the Val Camonica Valley of Italy and Gracia in Antigua, Guatemala. Place M Gallery in Tokyo presented a solo exhibition of 40 of his works from the “At Work” series in May 2025.
www.kharrisphoto.com
www.instagram.com/kkhstreet/?hl=en
Jane Gottlieb/Curtain Call
HONORABLE MENTION
HONORABLE MENTION
JANE GOTTLIEB
Jane Gottlieb is a photographer living in Southern California, where she was born and raised. In her early twenties, she made her first trip by herself as a young
professional to Europe. The images she took then, and in many subsequent trips, have been a touchstone of her life’s work. She has returned to them again and again in the last decades, changing them progressively to meet her vision as the technology available to her has
advanced.
But Gottlieb’s vision is not like anyone else’s. It is riotous in color, hyper-vibrant in energy, and deeply Californian, shot through with a purely Mexican palette. When she discovered the possibility of hand-painting cibachrome prints, she had the tools to change the world to match
her vision. Printing from her library of color slides, she could brighten them up and give them to new exciting life. The possibility of saturated, unrealistic color was released from Pandora’s box, not to cause trouble but to irritate the eye like a grain of sand in an oyster, producing beautiful pearls of perception.
The first-hand painted Cibachromes were laborious to create but were unlike anything other photographers were doing. With digital technology, this began to change
much more dramatically. She was limited at first by the software and the quality of printing, but in the last decade, these limits have been removed. At the same time, her images and her color have moved further and further into the realm of sharp-toned fantasy.
www.janegottlieb.com
Jane Gottlieb is a photographer living in Southern California, where she was born and raised. In her early twenties, she made her first trip by herself as a young
professional to Europe. The images she took then, and in many subsequent trips, have been a touchstone of her life’s work. She has returned to them again and again in the last decades, changing them progressively to meet her vision as the technology available to her has
advanced.
But Gottlieb’s vision is not like anyone else’s. It is riotous in color, hyper-vibrant in energy, and deeply Californian, shot through with a purely Mexican palette. When she discovered the possibility of hand-painting cibachrome prints, she had the tools to change the world to match
her vision. Printing from her library of color slides, she could brighten them up and give them to new exciting life. The possibility of saturated, unrealistic color was released from Pandora’s box, not to cause trouble but to irritate the eye like a grain of sand in an oyster, producing beautiful pearls of perception.
The first-hand painted Cibachromes were laborious to create but were unlike anything other photographers were doing. With digital technology, this began to change
much more dramatically. She was limited at first by the software and the quality of printing, but in the last decade, these limits have been removed. At the same time, her images and her color have moved further and further into the realm of sharp-toned fantasy.
www.janegottlieb.com
Prescott Lassman/ Contrail
HONORABLE MENTION
HONORABLE MENTION
PRESCOTT MOORE LASSMAN
I am a lens-based artist living in Washington, D.C. working in the areas of documentary, portrait, travel, and "freestyle" photography. Using an intuitive approach, I search for images that resonate, for moments of synchronicity in everyday life.
My work focuses on those odd juxtapositions of elements that are connected not so much by logic or reason but rather by a deeper intrinsic meaning. Because this approach relies on unconscious triggers, my photographs often are richly symbolic, though their meaning is not immediately clear (at least not to me). For me, this is the essence of photography: capturing an image that resonates and then, over the course of months or years, figuring out why.
The photographs submitted here are from my recent artist residency in Joshua Tree National Park. I set out to capture images of people enjoying and using the park, and one day while hiking I came across a father and three of his children. He was a single parent out “bouldering” with his very precocious children, and he very graciously offered to let me take photographs of them climbing, which I did for half the afternoon. I gave him my card, and he followed up a few weeks later asking to see some of the photographs. I sent him these (and more), and his reaction nearly broke me. He said: “These are just so sweet. I’m going to cry. I never get photos of me with the kids. Words aren’t sufficient to say how much I appreciate it.” This touching interaction made my month and my residency and reminded me that this is the true power and importance of photography.
Career Highlights
Artist-in-Residence, Joshua Tree National Park
Resist Exhibition (solo), IA&A Hillyer Gallery
City Hall Art Collection, Washington, DC
DC Art Bank, Washington, DC
Individual Artist Fellowship, DCCAH, Washington, DC
Best of Show, Allegany National Photography Competition and Exhibition
2025 Billboard Show, The Billboard Creative, Los Angeles, CA
First Place, Time and Wisdom of the Land, LA Photo Curator
Finalist, Smithsonian Magazine 22nd Annual Photo Contest
Best of Show, Exposed DC 18th Annual Photography Show
The Photo Review 2023 Competition
Soho Photo National Competition
www.lassmanlenswork.com
www.instagram.com/lassman_lenswork
-----------------------------------------
HOME: The Shape of the Father
https://laphotocurator.com/the-shape-of-the-father-laurie-freitag
FIRST PLACE:
https://laphotocurator.com/the-shape-of-the-father-laurie-freitag/shape-of-the-father-first-place-never-edit-untitled-1----/1
HONORABLE MENTIONS:
https://laphotocurator.com/the-shape-of-the-father-laurie-freitag/honorable-mentions-lynn-buchanan-memories-of-childhood-vacations-kip-harris-father-and-son-jodphur-jane-gottlieb-curtain-call-prescott-moore-lassman-contrail/1
BEST SERIES:
https://laphotocurator.com/the-shape-of-the-father-laurie-freitag/best-series-beth-galton/1
GROUP EXHIBITION:
https://laphotocurator.com/the-shape-of-the-father-laurie-freitag/shape-of-the-father-exhibition-1/1
I am a lens-based artist living in Washington, D.C. working in the areas of documentary, portrait, travel, and "freestyle" photography. Using an intuitive approach, I search for images that resonate, for moments of synchronicity in everyday life.
My work focuses on those odd juxtapositions of elements that are connected not so much by logic or reason but rather by a deeper intrinsic meaning. Because this approach relies on unconscious triggers, my photographs often are richly symbolic, though their meaning is not immediately clear (at least not to me). For me, this is the essence of photography: capturing an image that resonates and then, over the course of months or years, figuring out why.
The photographs submitted here are from my recent artist residency in Joshua Tree National Park. I set out to capture images of people enjoying and using the park, and one day while hiking I came across a father and three of his children. He was a single parent out “bouldering” with his very precocious children, and he very graciously offered to let me take photographs of them climbing, which I did for half the afternoon. I gave him my card, and he followed up a few weeks later asking to see some of the photographs. I sent him these (and more), and his reaction nearly broke me. He said: “These are just so sweet. I’m going to cry. I never get photos of me with the kids. Words aren’t sufficient to say how much I appreciate it.” This touching interaction made my month and my residency and reminded me that this is the true power and importance of photography.
Career Highlights
Artist-in-Residence, Joshua Tree National Park
Resist Exhibition (solo), IA&A Hillyer Gallery
City Hall Art Collection, Washington, DC
DC Art Bank, Washington, DC
Individual Artist Fellowship, DCCAH, Washington, DC
Best of Show, Allegany National Photography Competition and Exhibition
2025 Billboard Show, The Billboard Creative, Los Angeles, CA
First Place, Time and Wisdom of the Land, LA Photo Curator
Finalist, Smithsonian Magazine 22nd Annual Photo Contest
Best of Show, Exposed DC 18th Annual Photography Show
The Photo Review 2023 Competition
Soho Photo National Competition
www.lassmanlenswork.com
www.instagram.com/lassman_lenswork
-----------------------------------------
HOME: The Shape of the Father
https://laphotocurator.com/the-shape-of-the-father-laurie-freitag
FIRST PLACE:
https://laphotocurator.com/the-shape-of-the-father-laurie-freitag/shape-of-the-father-first-place-never-edit-untitled-1----/1
HONORABLE MENTIONS:
https://laphotocurator.com/the-shape-of-the-father-laurie-freitag/honorable-mentions-lynn-buchanan-memories-of-childhood-vacations-kip-harris-father-and-son-jodphur-jane-gottlieb-curtain-call-prescott-moore-lassman-contrail/1
BEST SERIES:
https://laphotocurator.com/the-shape-of-the-father-laurie-freitag/best-series-beth-galton/1
GROUP EXHIBITION:
https://laphotocurator.com/the-shape-of-the-father-laurie-freitag/shape-of-the-father-exhibition-1/1
