John Anthony Rizzo

Seeking Answers : Peace amongst Uncertainty and Chaos
Fear, uncertainty, potential loss, confusion and stress began to consume me. The genesis of this was beyond my control. I could not change the happenings. I had to alter my reaction to them.
In February of 2019 my wife under-went major brain surgery for tumors resulting from her stage four cancer. By years end as I saw hope, we were now hearing of a deadly pandemic spreading to the United States. Then, March of 2020, we were in lockdown and I was committed to finding the positive in my life. The street work style of my photography I always turned to was gone, people were not out on the streets and life seemed to suspend itself.
This work represents the visual answers to the emotional vacuum I felt during this very difficult time of my life, a time of great transition.
I remembered mentoring a student I had, she loved quiet and remote places, a very reserved and private person having trouble with her place as a student and confidence in life. I introduced her to some of Robert Adams work. The images spoke to her. I had the joy of watching her grow and blossom as a photographer. It set me in motion.
I began to explore the Rock Creek McLeans Barn refuge near our home in Belmont, MA it would be my quiet and tranquil place for the next two years.
The images I began making allowed me time to observe nature in a different way. They were providing answers and transforming my emotions. Trees in all their solitude, strength and random order spoke to me of endurance, of family. The grass meadows and snow fields represented the void I felt, bushes, and flora showed the random yet exacting order of Nature. Then there is the contrast of winter’s cold, banal feel, bare trees, living skeletons, playing off the reflecting ponds, frozen water and ice, winter’s tranquility. Spring translating to a hopefulness renewed. Natural beauty I appreciated as never before. I printed the images and returned. I was fully committed to making more. They provided answers to my questions and re-directed how I was responding to the emotional chaos taking place in my life.
The images were made from late fall to late winter and are part of a much larger project shot through the years 2019 – 2022. The act of photography grounded me. The place offered peace and strength.