Joel Lueck’s work explores the relationship between memory and drawing. He reflects on how drawing helps him remember places and moments from his past, while also capturing scenes that catch his eye in the present. His pen and ink drawings often depict scenes from Western Iowa, where he grew up, and are created from multiple photos that he alters to focus on essential elements like light, shadows, and shapes. Lueck’s use of India ink on cold press watercolor paper is intentional, evoking the texture of etchings he made during his time at the University of Iowa. Inspired by artists like Martin Lewis and Edward Hopper, his work emphasizes the interplay of light and dark, and invites viewers to share in his intimate connection to time and place. Through his art, Lueck asks, “What do you see?”