Saturday, January 17, 2009

Looking down

When I'm walking I spend quite a bit of time looking down; I find both happiness and dismay in this practice. I came across this photo today while looking for something else and it started me thinking about all the other finds I've made during my travels. Someday I'll develop a body of work that focuses on what's beneath your feet. In the meantime, I'm still accumulating information.















This wrapper was the only thing I saw in my two week stay in the gardens at Birr Castle that was not part of the natural landscape. It was hidden away behind one of the statues. I couldn't help wondering who had the audacity to spoil nature's perfection.















Two kinds of perfection. Finding this leaf on miles of cobblestone street was a reminder that time is not always linear. In the world of nature it is usually cyclical.




















This shot was taken in Rome. My head was filled with the history I had absorbed from signs, tours and guide books and I was lost in time. I wasn't prepared for this little bit of information tucked away between the stones of an ancient Roman road near the Colosseum. Past and present in a nutshell! The head of a daisy was the final touch.





















Red sneakers and an abandoned cigarette butt outside St. Paul's Square, Rome. Somehow this scene didn't support the awe inspiring surroundings.

3 comments:

Mary Buek said...

The Gucci in the crack in the sidewalk is absolutely iconic. You should sell it to the company. Love it.

Lynda Lehmann said...

Hi Margaret,

Thanks for the interesting post!

I've been accused by friends of "always looking up," by which they mean I stare at trees and the sky, a lot.

But I've not yet been accused of "always looking down." As you've shown us, there's much to be found there on the ground, especially when put into a travel, time, or historic context.

I enjoyed reading this, and the red sneakers gave me a chuckle!

M said...

Thanks Mary and Lynda.
I have so many shots of this type built up over the last five years that I'm beginning to wonder what it all means. If it's not beneath my feet, it's a close inspection of the mundane (as considered by other people) - walls, peeling paper, rust, cracks in rock, etc. I'm in the process of reviewing all my photograph files to get new inspiration. I am working away at my garden series, but I have to think ahead. I'm almost there with the next focus.

I have to say Mary that your collages are causing quite an itch that I need to scratch.

Lynda, I do also look up but it is usually at the tangled design of trees against the sky. Isn't it interesting how we are different but have so many elements of sameness.

I feel that my blogging in the last several weeks has really added to my "community of artists" which is great since I live in a relatively small place.