Lee A Willett

Artist Statement

The All These Miles pieces are part of an ongoing project started January 1, 2023, as a way to document every mile that I run. Each piece serves as a visual journal entry, recording the route, distance, landscape, and things seen during or after the run. My art intertwines landscape photography, found objects, and data to define a physical act caught at a moment in time. I aim to capture the essence of the environment in which I create, highlighting its beauty and fragility.
The data recorded—distance, elevation, route, pace, and elevation—serves as a conceptual framework for my work. This information is not merely statistical; it represents the physicality of the journey and the topographical features of the landscape. Incorporating this data into my art bridges the gap between the empirical and the experiential, offering viewers a multifaceted perspective of the environment. Each piece reminds viewers that the first step in its creation was the physical act represented by a thin line woven into each piece and the distance represented by the large numbers.
Since the project's Inception, I've run over 8,500 miles and completed over 900 pieces. Concerning the theme of the exhibition—A Quest for Gold—any athlete and any artist knows that the quest is a journey that requires dedication, discipline, and commitment. The series "All These Miles" is a documentation of that quest, and each piece represents a step on that journey.