Monday, October 10, 2011


 Ceremonial Portrait - Girl
Ceremonial Portrait - Boy

Todd Baxter
Owl Scouts: Lost in the Woods series
October 1, 2011 - January 17, 2012
Closing Receptions, January 10, 2012 from 6-9pm

Lula is pleased to be showing a selection of Todd Baxter’s latest series titled “The Owl Scouts: Lost in the Woods.” The series portrays a fictional narrative about two co-ed scouts who get lost deep in the woods on a scouting trip. On their journey they encounter a series of challenges (a flashlight fallen into an owl burrow, a dangerous river crossing, a tornado, and an encounter with a bear) that test their survival skills.
                                           
This stunning collection of large format photos was created over the course of three years. Prior to photography, Baxter worked in painting and collage, both of which have influenced his approach to making photographic art. Baxter’s photographs involve digital collage of elements from different photos into a single frame, creating spectacular, unified images that are at once fantastical, and convincingly real.  Baxter was inspired by Victorian portraiture, classic children’s novels, Native American imagery, and taxidermy.

To construct the elaborate world of the Owl Scouts, Baxter used the help of a team of Chicago artists including, Ander Nilsen, Debbie Carlos, and Marjorie Bailey.  With their help, Baxter refined the narrative, and was able to realize his vision to create a detailed design for the scouts’ uniforms, right down to hand-embroidered Owl Scout patches.  
Challenge 2: River Crossing - Drowning
                                                 
Although we are not able to present the entire series of the photographs for this show, the photos on display reveal critical moments of the series and will leave you begging for more.

These photos are sold in a variety of sizes. For pricing or more information please contact curators Anders Nilsen, ndrs@hotmail_dot_com or Marianne Fairbanks, mfairb@gmail_dot_com


For the closing reception Lula will provide hors d'oeuvres and a cash bar featuring drink specials.