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One day as I passed the local cemetery on the way to my studio, I noticed
ghost and goblin decorations on a gravesite. I thought that somewhat
macabre at the time. As I passed by each day, I noticed that the decorations
changed with and reflected the holidays. I began to realize that even
though a person’s physical presence was no longer here, everything
they were at their death was still in someone’s mind. The decorations
I began documenting are transient. They come and go with the holiday
seasons. People take time out from their lives to create little celebrations
at the graves. It is so touching to see the gravesite embellishments.
This series is about the living keeping someone close through memory.
I
have photographed different gravesites on each of the major holidays,
printed these in black and white, hand-colored them with oils and pencils,
re-photographed them, scanned them into the computer, manipulated them
and reprinted them on rice paper. Part of my having these pieces reprinted
on rice paper has to do with the ephemeral nature of memory. These pieces
need to hang free floating, a little away from the wall, so they will
flutter with the breeze, like a memory disturbed and yet living, fleeting
but made real by human endeavor. |
