Dean,
Recently just after the Switchfoot concert at Center Stage,
we met briefly,
and you were most kind to take the time to give me a mailing address to send some artwork,
and you politely provided the email address of your tour manager. In our short conversation,
I mentioned that for the past five years,
I have been trying to find a way to get some artwork created from the band's signatures to you.
The story behind the artwork begins on 1 Apr 2003. On that day,
I became the April's fool. After fifteen years of helping a lady to raise her five kids, she left with my best friend from high school.
This single April's fool event set in motion a long strange series of Coin Incidences that culminated on 16 Sept 2003.
On that September night while lying on the floor, I was having a moment. I reached out to grab my camera,
and I asked my son in law to take my picture.
When I swung the camera to him, the shutter clicked while that lens passed through a blue rope light.
Over the next few months, I created over 9,000 abstract photographs.
Below is a link to some of the early abstracts.
http://www.lynchphoto.com/firstknowell.html
Over the next few months, my passion for creating these abstract photographs consumed my every waking moment.
While seeking out new photographic targets to focus my new found talent,
I traveled to places like Las Vegas, Scottsdale, Sedona, and Hawaii. While at these various locations,
my mind became filled with visions of becoming an artist, so I visited every art gallery that I could.
Time after time, the gallery managers would complement my artwork.
Words like beautiful, amazing, fresh, inspiring, and oh my god, would jump out of the manager's mouths.
When they found out that my work was photography, they would say, "Oh. We do not do photography."
Soon after returning from my gallery quest,
I had a dream of one of my abstract photographs reflected like an ink blot.
Wiping sleep from my eyes, I rushed to my computer. Using Photoshop,
I reflected one of the images that I created from the neon balloon at the Paris Casino is Las Vegas.
No longer did the rejection at the galleries weigh on my heart. Below is a link to my first reflection.
http://www.lynchphoto.com/blackcreek6.html
Suddenly a new door thrust open in my life. Over the next few months, I created several such reflections.
As the long series of strange Coin Incidences continued, a new twist developed.
Inspired by the music of bands like Collective Soul, I began writing my thoughts on the reflections.
The abstract photography had morphed into my digital diary.
Below is a link to one of my first Montaj creations named after a lady that I met at the 2004 Sundance Festival in Park City Utah.
http://www.lynchphoto.com/amelia.html
Starting in the summer of 2004,
the Atlanta Botanical Gardens had a display of Dale Chihuly glass works called A New Species of Art.
Knowing in my heart that my creation has value,
I spent day after day at the gardens creating abstract photographs from the Chihuly glass.
Below is a link to a collection of abstract photographs created from Dale Chihuly glass.
http://www.lynchphoto.com/glass.html
During the months of September and October 2004,
the passion for creating abstract photographs combined with a strong infatuation with my digital diary,
and the artwork evolved into a forum to express my inner most thoughts.
In November of 2004 around the time that the CD Youth was released,
I walked into the Immaculate Conception Shrine in downtown Atlanta.
The Shrine is the oldest church in Atlanta, and rests of stones quarried and placed by my family.
When Sherman came to burn Atlanta, my family did not evacuate,
and they helped to negotiate the salvation of several churches from the union torch.
They lived the real Gone With the Wind in the heart of Atlanta.
As I sat with Monsignor Henry Gracz,
I told him about a serious car wreck that I had on 19 Jun 1977.
I told Henry that I had a death experience.
Below is a link to my most detailed recollection of that experience.
http://www.lynchphoto.com/death.html
After telling Henry the details of my experience, I asked him,
"If Christ returned today, how much time would he have before the world took him out?"
As Henry thought I said, "Fifteen minutes." Henry responded, "More like five."
I smiled and said, "In those five minutes, I think that Christ would do one thing.
He would write on a piece of paper Jesus the Christ.
Then he would scratch out the word the, and then he would write Jesus a Christ.
In those five minutes, Christ would raise everyone to his level." Henry smiled.
Then I presented Henry with a Montaj telling him that the image is an equation for a moment of time.
Below is a link to an image like the one given to Henry Gracz.
http://www.lynchphoto.com/elohim.html
Just before Henry and my conversation ended I said,
"If my writings are correct, something great is going to happen in December.
Henry said, "Let's hope that it is something good."
As December passed, the great quake struck at 6:59 am on 26 Dec 2004 causing the tsunami that killed one quarter million people.
Since the quake struck half way around the world,
the time that the quake struck in relation to Atlanta was at 19:59 EST on 25 Dec 2004.
1959 just happens to be the year of my conception.
What are the odds that a blood relative of the family that quarried and laid the stones that the oldest church in Atlanta rest upon would tell of his death,
present an equation for a moment of time, and make a prediction that comes true on Christmas at the time that corresponds to the year he was born?
I suddenly realized that the Montaj that I presented to Henry Gracz in November had the potential to be historic.
In response to this new mind set, I encapsulated the Montaj into another Montaj.
Below is a link to the enshrined Montaj.
http://www.lynchphoto.com/gold.html
In January 2005, the Archbishop of Atlanta retired,
so I went to Christ the King with the above Gold Montaj.
Just before the farewell mass was to begin,
I entered the confessional where Archbishop Donoghue was standing.
I presented him with a 13"x19" print of the Gold Montaj,
and he proceeded to ask me several questions regarding the Montaj.
I told him that I had documented an awaking.
Donoghue asked me some many questions, that he was actually late to his own farewell mass.
A few days later, I heard about the Mall of Georgia Best Buy 99X live X.
In a panic to help my artwork survive the ravage of time,
I decided to target other artist that inspired me during my creation.
I ventured out to the live X with the intent of presenting Collective Soul with a similar
Montaj as the one given to Monsignor Henry Gracz.
At the Mall of Georgia Best Buy, I sparked up a conversation with your sound engineer,
and he was most kind to deliver the Montaj to the band. In return, the band was most kind to autograph another one of my abstract photographs.
Collective Soul was the first band to become part of my digital diary.
Below is a link to the Montaj that tells the story of Archbishop Donoghue's farewell mass adorned with the signatures of Collective Soul.
http://www.lynchphoto.com/collectivesoul.html
In the above linked peace, the central abstract photograph of the stained glass at Christ the King that was taken the day of the Archbishop's farewell mass.
The stained glass tells the story of the first Catholic mass in Atlanta that was held in the house of my great, great, great, grand uncle Patrick Lynch.
On 8 Apr 2005, I walked into the Cathedral of Saint Philip,
and I held my camera up to the sunlight beaming through the stained glass.
Having seen enough signs for myself, I asked for father to give me a sign that the world could see.
As I swung the camera side to side, I felt myself physically moved.
When I looked at the image that I had just captured, I nearly dropped the camera.
I had just tied Sunlight into a knot. Below is a link to Sunlight tied into a knot.
http://www.lynchphoto.com/amy.html
A few weeks later, my step daughter gave birth to a son. James Christian Payne.
After going to see Christian at the hospital, I went to your 24 Apr 2004 concert at symphony hall.
Below is a link to the Montaj that I created as a birthday card.
http://www.lynchphoto.com/lynch.html
Below is a link to the digital diary Montaj that I created to mark the passing of the symphony hall concert.
http://www.lynchphoto.com/perry.html
Over the years, I have given out thousands of abstract images in the hopes that one of them will survive.
Knowing that most people will not understand my equation for a moment of time,
most of the abstracts have a hand drawn equation for a moment of time on the back of the print.
Below is a link to a list of many of the people that have some of my work.
http://www.lynchphoto.com/gifts.html
One of my favorite creations is the peace made foe the99X Big Day Out.
With eight out of the ten bands signatures on several abstract photographs.
Below is a link to the Montaj created for these individuals.
http://www.lynchphoto.com/bdo.html
Over the next few years, the equation for a moment of time evolved into a highly refined version.
Below is the most recent rendition of the equation that uses the energy of Einstein, the force of Newton,
and the logic of Socrates to describe a moment of time. I call the equation the KnoWell.
http://www.lynchphoto.com/avignon.html
Below is a link to a video of me drawing the KnoWell.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uKEqgptciLc
Not sure what you make of Coin Incidences, but here is one on for size.
The first band that I created a Montaj for was Collective Soul,
and the current last band that I have created a signature Montaj for is Switchfoot.
After five years, the first is met at the last. Below is a link to the Switchfoot 99X Live X Montaj.
http://www.lynchphoto.com/axel.html
My crowning achievement was in November of 2007 at a showing of my work created from the glass works of Hans Godo Frabel at his studio and gallery.
Below is a link to the images that were in the Frabel show.
http://www.lynchphoto.com/show.html
Below is a link to the Frabel show flier.
http://www.lynchphoto.com/lou.html
http://www.lynchphoto.com/lawson.html
Using a 3D modeling program,
I have recently created a virtual walk through showing how my artwork would look on the walls of the High Museum.
Below is a link to that video.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3YbqoX-BJUA
Please note that on the back of one of the print images in the envelope is a hand drawn KnoWell equation for a moment of time.
For a better understanding of how to apply the equation to modern cosmology.
Below is a link to a letter written to Fay Dowker.
http://www.lynchphoto.com/dowker.html
Below is a letter written to Bart DeSandre with the Immaculate Conception Shrine.
http://www.lynchphoto.com/desandre.html
The enclosed CD contains images in their original size.
Feel free to print the images.
Thank you again for taking the time to talk with me.
Your thoughts are most welcome.
Best wishes,
David Noel Lynch