Motel Bien Venido by Walker Pickering

Wednesday greetings, collector friends! It's day two of Camp JBP in Amagansett. As Jen and Sara are holding down the (beach) fort, I'm filling in from the road, on my way (hooray!) to join them.

Apropos, today's edition—Motel Bien Venido, by Walker Pickering—is evocative of hitting the open road. As Walker says in his statement, "This project came about largely because of my restlessness at home and constant urge to travel." And so, he and his wife embarked upon a trip. Walker is the second Hey, Hot Shot! Contender that we've fast-tracked an edition with. It's fitting to be working with Walker now, as his was the very first submission from this round of competition that was featured on the Hey, Hot Shot! blog. I wrote then:

Contender Walker Pickering's series Nearly West depicts the still, solitary moments that wanderlusters and Kerouacians long for, the instances of communion between the nomad and that which is encountered. Each setting hints at a narrative describing the deeply personal nature of experiencing a new point on a map, whether planned or not.

We know we're not alone in admiring Walker's work. Since being featured as a Contender on the HHS! blog, his work has appeared on Flak Photo and, most recently, in The Atlantic's September issue. We couldn't be happier to welcome Walker into the 20x200 family, and we extend heartfelt congratulations on the recent addition to his own family.

— Charlie