Monday, March 26, 2012

Mourning Monday 3.26.12

St. Louis Cemetery No.1 
New Orleans October 8, 2010
(part one)











I love cemeteries. 
xo

Monday, March 19, 2012

Mourning Monday 3.19.12










This was a giant Dahlia from my garden that bloomed very late in the season. It was stunning in the garden, but I love it just as much now. Dead, dried flowers become beautiful in a whole new way. 

thanks for reading! xo

Monday, March 12, 2012

Mourning Monday 3.12.12

Today I would like to share my infatuation with  mourning photography, another form of remembrance. Some people may find it disturbing, morbid or just plain creepy. I am not one of those people. I take comfort in seeing a deceased loved one just one more time at a wake. I feel the same way about post mortem portraits.
I found this photo of a deceased child at a flea market in Pennsylvania many years ago. I framed it and keep it in my studio. Although I have no idea what her name was or how she died, I have always called her Eliza Blue.

When my Mom died in 2006, my whole family joined in to document the entire death process. Some took photos in the hospital room, some took photos before and after her death. I took this one on the night of her wake. My sisters and I saw her earlier when we did her hair, makeup and nails at the funeral home.
This was the first time I saw her in the viewing room.



What are your thoughts on mourning photographs? Comforting or creepy?

thanks for reading! xo


Interested in learning more about mourning photography, check out these links:
Post Mortem Photography

Monday, March 5, 2012

Mourning Monday 3-5-12

"Lullaby" ring in sterling silver


I give you this one thought to keep - 
I am with you still - I do not sleep. 
I am a thousand winds that blow, 
I am the diamond glints on snow, 
I am sunlight on ripened grain, 
I am the gentle autumn rain. 
When you awake in the morning's hush 
I am the swift, uplifting rush 
Of quiet birds in circled flight. 
I am the soft stars that shine at night. 
Do not think of me as gone - 
I am with you still - in each new dawn.



This poem (in all it's varieties) is what inspired me to create this "Lullaby" ring for an invitational art show a few years ago. 
Going forward, I will be blogging about different themes on a weekly basis. Today, I introduce "Mourning Monday" where I will be sharing all things related to, you guessed it, mourning. My aim is to let you peek into my world in order to understand how these topics relate to and inspire me and my jewelry designs.
Thanks for reading! xo