Erie Canal

“Erie Canal” is not, strictly speaking, a commissioned piece, as it was done for my family members who were living in a student apartment in Rochester, NY, at the time.  The problem was, the apartments had been carved out of old, elegant hotel spaces, and this particular apartment had a long, dark entrance hall inside the apartment door before you could even enter the rooms.  This hallway happened to be the only storage space for a bicycle!

On our way there, by car, we had encountered a wild-weather day in which we drove out of blazing fall sunshine into the changeable light of dramatically roiling dark clouds.  Upon fully entering the darkness, the clouds pounded us with hail, followed by a freak snowstorm which coated every vertical and horizontal surface with wet, sticky snow.  It was breath-taking and memorable.

When I saw the apartment, I could only think how a mural would improve the aesthetics, and so, amid exploration of Rochester landmarks, including a hike along the old Erie Canal tow-path, I decided that the resident bicycle in the apartment would be best viewed as if parked alongside the Erie Canal.  My main problem was that the span of wall included a corner, and I had to make the oblique angle of the waterway look convincing, in spite of the change in perspective.

Photographs were difficult to make, as the hallway was narrow and dark.  You are seeing glare from my camera flash, as well as odd angles and dark places where light was scarce.  This project taught me that I can work almost anywhere, under less-than-ideal conditions, and bring interest and beauty to the situation.  –Lynn Bridge