I have been fascinated with the history and artwork of cemeteries for a long time. Years ago, on many of our walks, my mother and I would take the time to check out small cemeteries in and around my hometown. We would seek out the oldest section and look for headstones that reflect who the "first residents" were. We would feel sadness and anger when viewing stones that were desecrated by vandals. Sadness would fill us as we gazed on the headstones that only had the word "baby" etched on them. No name, no identity, just baby. We would take the time to ponder about who these people were, our imaginations recreating the families in each plot. Never morbid or scary, cemeteries often get a bad rap but I enjoy them.
This fascination grew to the hobby of photographing cemetery art. This started years ago, pre-digital cameras so I have a fair collection of prints in storage at my parents' house. Those include Sleep Hollow and other cemeteries in New York.
In line with the interest in cemeteries, after moving to Rhode Island we discovered that H.P. Lovecraft lived and died in Providence. This morning, Greg and I finally took some time to check out his resting place in the Swan Point Cemetery. What a beautiful place! The many old trees add to the serenity and quiet of this East Side landmark. And talk about a rich history! Not only are H.P. Lovecraft and his parents laid to rest here, but many names that are now familiar to us from area street names and local landmarks were visible throughout. It is also interesting to see the time and artistic craftsmanship that went into headstones and tombs of the 1800's and early 1900's. This seems to be a lost art in the more modern grave markers. I am sure there are exceptions to this but that is generally what I have observed. Please enjoy the photos I put up on flickr. Hopefully you will see the beauty that I see.
Showing posts with label flickr. Show all posts
Showing posts with label flickr. Show all posts
Sunday, September 2, 2007
Friday, August 24, 2007
old pics force upgrade....news at 11
I finally had to give in and actually pay for a pro account on flickr.com. I knew this day would arrive, but I wanted to postpone that day as long as possible. Not that it cost a lot of money or anything, it's just that, well, why pay for something when you do not have to? That only lasts for so long until you have to pay up (hmmm, is flickr like a drug dealer hooking photographic junkies????) It was old pictures that "made me do it" to boot. I had not uploaded anything in a few days because I have not had a moment to take pictures this week. (Really rough week at work, you have no idea....well, unless I already told you about it, then you do have an idea.)
"So, why is it so important for me to have a bigger flickr account anyway?" you ask. Yeah, I know, I know, you don't really care but I am going to tell you anyway. Stop reading here if you truly couldn't care less. If you have an inkling of curiosity, read on:
Good, now that the uninterested people are gone..... Many years ago (back in high school), in a land far, far away (NY), I was a bright-eyed, eager and creative artist/art major. I had plans on attending art school and continuing my creative life as a means of income and fulfillment with utter enjoyment. That was until twists and turns of my life's path commenced during my first semester at college. I took one elective class that inspired me enough to change my major away from art and alter the course of my life as I had planned it. More years of twists and turns, as well as faltering confidence in my skills (that's a whole other blog) I strayed further from my creativity. (How the hell does this apply to flickr, Melissa. Come on and get to the point!) About a year ago, I decided that enough was enough, It was time to start dipping my feet back into the pool of my personal artist pond. I then was lucky enough to acquire my dad's hand me down digital camera. I just began playing around with it and, as I have mentioned before, really found joy in taking pictures. Over this past year I have started to overcome this self-imposed safety barrier that stopped me from allowing myself to be vulnerable. As a therapist, I am often encouraging clients to head towards places in themselves where they are vulnerable, so I decided to apply that to myself as well. That is the reason I signed on for a flickr account in the first place; as one way of putting my stuff out there and being uncomfortable in a healthy way. I am loving it and now that I have reached my limit of uploads, it was time to upgrade. This is important to me and I think the mental/artistic/expressive benefits are worth the expense of a pro account, don't you think?
"So, why is it so important for me to have a bigger flickr account anyway?" you ask. Yeah, I know, I know, you don't really care but I am going to tell you anyway. Stop reading here if you truly couldn't care less. If you have an inkling of curiosity, read on:
Good, now that the uninterested people are gone..... Many years ago (back in high school), in a land far, far away (NY), I was a bright-eyed, eager and creative artist/art major. I had plans on attending art school and continuing my creative life as a means of income and fulfillment with utter enjoyment. That was until twists and turns of my life's path commenced during my first semester at college. I took one elective class that inspired me enough to change my major away from art and alter the course of my life as I had planned it. More years of twists and turns, as well as faltering confidence in my skills (that's a whole other blog) I strayed further from my creativity. (How the hell does this apply to flickr, Melissa. Come on and get to the point!) About a year ago, I decided that enough was enough, It was time to start dipping my feet back into the pool of my personal artist pond. I then was lucky enough to acquire my dad's hand me down digital camera. I just began playing around with it and, as I have mentioned before, really found joy in taking pictures. Over this past year I have started to overcome this self-imposed safety barrier that stopped me from allowing myself to be vulnerable. As a therapist, I am often encouraging clients to head towards places in themselves where they are vulnerable, so I decided to apply that to myself as well. That is the reason I signed on for a flickr account in the first place; as one way of putting my stuff out there and being uncomfortable in a healthy way. I am loving it and now that I have reached my limit of uploads, it was time to upgrade. This is important to me and I think the mental/artistic/expressive benefits are worth the expense of a pro account, don't you think?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)