By
Lauri Novak
Piece description from the artist
A century of Chicago architectural ambition folds into glass. Not one pane, but dozens, each bending and distorting the image slightly differently. The 1928 Gothic crown of the Mather Tower becomes something fluid, something almost animate. Reflected in the curtain wall of the modern tower across the Chicago River, one of the city's most ornate early skyscrapers is simultaneously preserved and transformed. Its terracotta detailing, arched windows, and tiered crown ripple across a field of lakefront blue.
This is a work about the dialogue Chicago conducts with its own history. The city tears down and builds up, layers glass over stone, modernity over ornament. Sometimes, at the right angle on the right afternoon, the old and the new collapse into each other with an elegance no single era could have achieved alone. Novak finds that moment and holds it. The Mather Tower is more vividly present in reflection than it could ever be in direct view, alive with motion in a wall of glass against an endlessly blue Chicago sky.
Lauri Novak is a fine art photographer. She has an eye for photographing architecture, traveling as much as possible and just wandering in nature with her camera.
Having grown up within an hour of one of the most architecturally rich cities, this sparked an interest in architecture early in her life, which has been a recurring theme in her work over the years. The camera was ever-present in her life growing up in one form or another, including the many family vacation photos that were taken by her mother. Lauri received her first camera when she was a child. Since then, the world has opened up to her through her viewfinder and has brought into focus many of the details in life that are often overlooked.
Traveling was also a big part of her life. Her family went somewhere new every year, which allowed Lauri to see different parts of the country, different cities and landscapes across the United States. This opened up so many opportunities for photographs and the wandering spirit, which is part of who she is to this day. On her own, she traveled overseas and discovered different cultures, amazing historical architecture and the incredible beauty that is everywhere in this world. All the while capturing what she saw with her camera.
One of the questions Lauri is asked most often, both by viewers of her work and other photographers, is, “How did you see that?” She works hard to show different perspectives, unique angles and the everyday details of a wide variety of subjects.
Lauri is also passionate about helping others. She also shares her inspiration and motivational tips for photographers as a Medium and Substack author.
Her work has been featured in Our USA Magazine, the Chicago Tribune, Kane County Chronicle and on WGN-TV. She has had images in several galleries in Chicago and in an international exhibition in Barcelona.
You can find more of her work at laurinovak.com
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