Rambling on about the creations of others and myself….

I have a varied taste for art. I love the texture and colors of Monet and Van Gough. I have a special passion for photographic artists of olden times. Matthew Brady and his work of The Civil War era are a special love of mine. The images caught of people, of the turbulent times and the war all bring history to life for me. I have a special love for black and white photography. The images caught by photographers of the past in black and white of families poised in front of houses, and in rooms that are no longer here. The idea that even funerals and photos of deceased loved ones are part of our art history, an effort to hold them close and remember in a time when everyone was not able to afford to have a scrapbook of memories.

I am the keeper of my family’s photographic history. My office walls hold the faces of my ancestors and my family tree. My grandkids call it The Dead People Room. I have loved the pictures that come from the past, old images of life caught forever in film. I see them as time standing still, captured forever to remember, to leave a trail of life that flows from the past into the future, a photographic timeline of life.

I myself, create with pencil and charcoal, and pen. Landscapes, fences, trees, and old barns are my passion. I like to capture the intricate detail of nature such as vines crawling over fences, trees and the shrubs that line them and fill the edges of the woods. Old houses that have lost their will to live, whose life force has moved on, and they sit sadly decaying their hearts dying year by year as the life force within them decays. I don’t draw as often or scribble as I call it, as I used to, Arthritis makes the hands not as fluid. I used to take pictures, the phone was a great tool for that, as I hiked in state parks. I then realized that I am seeing beauty and capturing it is not as important at my age now as just being able to see it front row and in life. Now, I more often become still, I watch and absorb in my mind the essence of the beauty of the world I see knowing it is there in my mind to recall and see.
To answer the question of who’s my favorite artist… I would have to say to God. The beauty and chaos of nature, the beauty and hauntingly imperfect creations of mankind. There is beauty everywhere to be seen, to be admired, to be cherished and to strike a creative chord in your soul and heart. You are the artist of your life and your memories, make it all count. Take time to see what is around you, it might be inspire and surprise you at what you find…