Want to start the week with the frank acknowledgement that between writing with others three mornings a week and editing my novel, I’m not able to show up here quite how I’d like. For now. Even with comments. Please be patient with me!
I took this photo in high school. It’s somewhere on Route 20 where the road loops over Lebanon Mountain, crossing from Massachusetts to New York. I think it’s just downhill from the infamous “Dead Man’s Curve.” It fell out of some shelf recently and I share it because it demonstrates the consistency and resilience of the house as motif in my work.
Scrolling backward to find a color xerox collage made in my early twenties, I tagged just a few recent house compositions.
Below is the piece I was hunting for. Two Isabella Street, Northampton — the last place I lived while a student at UMass. The photo was copied, cut up, fragmented, and copied again on what was then an absolutely ground-breaking and thrilling piece of technology: a color copier. It had a dial that allowed the scanner to apply different colorways. This copy shop was in San Francisco and I worked there and probably the only saving grace to that job was access to that Xerox machine. Now I can see that this red collage/color copy exhibits not only the resilient house motif, but a love for technology-aided variations (now done with filter in my iPhone). Somewhere, I have green and yellow versions of the collage.
Back to the binder! It’s cold and damp here today, which you might be able to tell from the shots from Finn’s and my walk this morning. The one of him lounging on the couch might have been taken while we were watching Stanley Tucci in Italy.
I just LOVE that starry house- the first image. Oh, to make something like that………..
But you are always making!
Sent myself into the attic today… no starry fabric but a nice pile of contenders. I do make all the time!!! But not always successfully. Ha!!!!
Yeah! Bakers twine was helpful in outlining the roof since it was midnight blue on black.
Just smiling with you here.
Hey Maggie!
Color changes, bits & pieces and gray skies…and “consistency and resilience of the house”…Mmmm…made me think about why I have photographed houses over the years and I think it is because they spoke of ‘home’ of comfort, security. Plus, I had just been thinking of the little glass house I sent you ages ago 🙂 Dee = Houses!
It’s very easy to be patient with you…when you show up, you offer us so much!
Hi Nancy. The house is such a universal symbol and probably is, when positive, associated with security and comfort.
Btw if you want to swap elastic for the cloth ties on the masks I sent you, let me know and I’ll mail you some elastic.
Dee~ Yes, the universal symbol of it…maybe I was considering it in relation to why one chooses to focus there. I think a great need for security (home & financial) was instilled in me from a young age. Just pondering.
You are so sweet, I’m good with masks now…thanks for your offer. xo
such an interesting post Dee!
my favourite pics: starry roof house, curvy road, stapled pole and of course curled-up Finn
Funny. Someone bought that starry roof house moment after I posted it on Instagram.
(((Dee))) so interesting to see the sense of “home” in your work through the years!
When this big writing project is over, I look forward to bringing attention back to cloth and collage more fully.