Beauty in the Urban Landscape
September 25, 2009
These are just a few of the photographs I took today in the small nearby town where I lived as a child. They represent just a block or two of a neglected area downtown.
And another few blocks away . . .
. . . and some crops . . .
Doors with Peeling Paint
Rust on an Old Metal Drum
Years of decay have made my old town look very sad indeed. But to me there is still beauty.
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I can see some of your paintings in these photos,,,indeed there is a idea and inspiration in the most unlikly of places …that is even in autumn a time of decay and dying.nature making way for the next cycle which perhaps is what these photos are about as well.
Very insightful, Chris. Your observation about seasons is pertinent to my current reflections. This will be my first year for a very long time living in a place that has real seasons. I think I will be seeing it all with fresh eyes now.
Yes, these textures are just begging to be immortalized in your stunning work…Go for it, girlfriend! 🙂
DJ, I’m always so inspired and energized when I look at textures like these. Enough material for a year’s exploration!
I so love these intimate photos of the beauty we can discover in the ruins around us in our environment…I love rusty items with a passion. Have a great weekend. Imagine and Live in Peace, Mary Helen Fernandez Stewart
Thank you Mary Helen. I love these things too. Where we lived before, in a large suburban area, you had to drive some distance to see structures like this. But in a small town it’s all right there — the good, the bad, and the ugly. (Or beautiful, depending on your point of view.)
I actually enjoy the character of these buildings. They would make a beautiful palette for the photographers and artists in the area. xoxo
So do I, Joyce! And the palette is great. Muted and rusty tones.
Fantastic finds… love the doors and the old shed, in particular!
That old shed is such a curiosity. I wonder what it once housed. That industrial park is dotted with equally rusted and weathered structures and this collection of buildings — believe it or not — is in use by a lumber company that stores massive stacks of lumber in one huge building on the site.
I agree with Joyce on this structure in particular… the color palette is eye-popping.