Jack Lake, a corn producer farming 2400 acres near Bettendorf, Iowa - in the heart of the corn belt -
has also produced a stunning series of jewel-like photographs of his favourite subject: Corn.
Mr. Lake's understanding of how the use of scientific monitoring instruments could improve his yield, year after year, made him among the first of his generation to employ radio telemetry and other modern approaches to aid his crops' consistent success. Digital thermo-hygrometers, dewpoint transmitters, wind speed monitors and various other gadgets help Jack Lake get the most out of the soil and the season.
As a child, Jack Lake suffered a bout of rheumatic fever, which affected his optic nerves in an unusual way. He sees kaleidoscopically. At first, this bizarre manifestation of his illness seemed to be an insurmountable challenge. However, with the blessing of a perceptive optometrist and specially ground,
compound lenses, Jack's eyesight has been corrected to near perfect, yet faceted vision.
Jack Lake's Corndalas is an ongoing body of work that reflects his unique way of seeing with hallucinatory, snowflake-like fractal precision. A tribute to science, art, nature and farming; these photographs reveal what is possible when a field of vision becomes a field of dreams.
