Rachel Shelton, “Slow Looking”

Buffalo Arts Studio is thrilled to present “Slow Looking,” a new body of work by Rachel Shelton that challenges the negativity so often associated with decay, uncertainty, and precarity. Featuring a series of monotypes, etchings, collagraphs, and screenprints of rock forms, the exhibition is on view from May 22 through August 1, 2026. An opening reception will be held on Friday, May 22, from 5pm to 8pm as part of M&T Fourth Friday at Tri-Main.

All of the rock forms in “Slow Looking” originate from a single photo of two rocks in a field of glacial deposits that Shelton stumbled upon during a trip to Montana. With adjustments to scale, orientation, color, and surrounding compositions, the prints invite us to shift between micro and macro perspectives and consider the ecosystems pocketed within a life cycle. Her work documents the passage of time via the life cycle of a rock, suggests the building blocks of larger structures, and navigates the network of meaning and connections that form when things fall apart.