Across the Street: Counterpoint in Window-Pane

Across the Street - Lynda Lehmann c 2011 

The view in the door glass of a vintage building reflects the arched doorways and windows of buildings across the street.  I enjoy this shot because I'm fascinated with what I like to call "alternative spaces": spaces that are in some way transitional and can't be defined in the way a dedicated "room" can be, and spaces that are otherwise ambiguous or interesting.  Portals, hall, balconies and alleyways all offer unusual perspectives and have always held a fascination for me.  "False spaces" created by reflection or illusion, evoke a similar reaction.

Do you have a favorite space in your home or a familiar building that intrigues you and doesn't quite fit the definition of a standard "room?"

All images and text on this blog are copyrighted material, and may be used only with written permission, except where syndication rights have been granted. All other rights reserved. Please visit my primary site at http://www.lyndalehmann.com/gallery if you would like to see my acrylic paintings and more of my photography and digital art. I hope you enjoyed your visit to my blog!

Windows to the Soul, or Souls Past and Present

The Morbid Details - Lynda Lehmann c 2010

Taken Over - Lynda Lehmann c 2010

Windows of an aging public institution, overgrown with vines, patched, boarded and abandoned, conjure many tales. I think windows and doors have always been iconic for the human species: they are among the archetypes or unconsciously-associated symbols that help us interpret human behavior and navigate the mystery of our existence in the cosmos.

It's no surprise then, that windows such as these have an almost horrific and shocking impact. At least, that's how I feel when I gaze at them. One has to wonder what went on there, in this abandoned complex of buildings at King's Park Psychiatric Hospital, on the grounds of what is now Nissequogue River State Park, and what spiritual forces may have been left behind. One doesn't have to believe wholeheartedly in ghosts to acknowledge that we haven't disproved their existence. Whose spirit might roam these grounds? Would you want to meet them? And perhaps most importantly, will we ever achieve a really humane society?

I posted some other shots taken at this site, last year. I love capturing these vintage/urban shots in spite of the fact that they usually don't evoke positive emotions. But they tell stories, and they have so much character. How well they mark the passage of time and the passage of the human stream, along with it! If you click on the photos you will see more of the details, like the shroud effect of the plastic sheeting on the top image, and the poignant gesture of the vines, in both shots.

At times, contemplating images that reflect a darker side of our collective reality, may make us appreciate the lighter side of the human condition. Things like love and beauty. Do you agree?

Images and text copyright Lynda Lehmann. All rights reserved.

If you would like to view my art or make a purchase, please visit Lynda Lehmann Painting and Photography or my gallery at Imagekind, where you can choose from several sizes and paper types or buy my prints plain or matted and framed.

"B" is For Barnside Beauty

One day last week during one of my routine "errand tours." I noticed the sunlit facade of a weathered old barn. I was stricken with the stunning variations that caught my eye, from the color changes to patterns and textural variation, in the wood. This facade was indeed like a permutation on the theme of aged wood. I was mesmerized.

This post shows several views of the same building, composed differently. The building has been patched, doctored, improvised upon, and altered through the decades, giving it even more interest. The original slats of siding are punctuated by the addition of glass, wire, and plexiglass, making it a repository of makeshift repair methods. You will note that none of these attempts detracts from the battered, antique quality of the wood.

I think I would define beauty as an aesthetic experience in which one's attention and perception are arrested and jolted out of everyday context and functioning, by a sensory stimulus (in this case, a visual) that causes one not just to pause, but to feel something akin to awe. Embedded in this kind of experience is, perhaps, a recognition of what C. S. Lewis called the experience of the "numinous."

C.S. Lewis was born into a Christian family. He became an atheist before he turned agnostic. At the age of 33 he became a believer, through exactly this kind of experience (couched in a deep joy through his visual and other sensory apparatus) which he considered to be evidence of a Greater Being, or God. He is perhaps best know for his children's series "The Chronicles of Narnia," but his writings on Christian religious views are extensive beyond his fiction works. My feeling when reading a few of his books was not that he was focused so much on a particular (in this case, Christian) view of the universe, so much as on the prevalence of what seem like miracles: phenomena of awesome beauty that reveal a great procreative power at the center of the universe.

C. S. Lewis' books are not easy reading, but I would recommend them to anyone interested in exploring religious and philosophical viewpoints.

Please note that on those occasions when I blog about religion or politics, I'm not espousing any particular belief system, merely exploring ideas in the spirit of sharing and communication.


All text and images c Lynda Lehmann. If you would like to view more of my art or make a purchase, please visit Lynda Lehmann Painting and Photography or my gallery at Imagekind, where you can buy my prints plain or matted and framed.

More Photos from Scenic Bussana Vecchia

Three Arches

If Walls Could Speak

Church at Bussana Vecchia

What Lies Within

Here are a few more photos from Bussana Vecchia. I wish I had more to show you. Unfortunately I had to delete many images from my memory during my trip, to make room for more.

As you can see in the top photo, there were arches everywhere. And the weathered stone had a lot of stories to tell, as did the vines that inched their way along the ancient walls. It was interesting to see such old architecture retrofitted with pipes that carried plumbing and other modern amenities. Somehow they didn't detract very much from the overriding feeling of antiquity.

The church is still in terrible disrepair. I don't know how much of it is the original destruction from the 1880s earthquake, or more recent damage. Notice the tree growing from the top of the wall on the right, as nature makes her claim on all things that belong to another time.

Passageway

I can't remember whether this last photo was taken in BV or in another one of the towns we visited, but the feeling it conveys is the same. The mystery of antiquity and the drama of human history are implicit in every stone.

Here are links to Wikipedia and the main Bussana Vecchia website, so you can read more about the international artist's colony that BV is today. Be sure to check out Wolf's and Jana's studio, which is the oldest in BV.

I'll be showing some photos from a few other charming towns in Northern Italy, as well as some from Venice, in future posts.

All images and text c Lynda Lehmann. If you would like to view more of my art or make a purchase, please visit Lynda Lehmann Painting and Photography or my gallery at Imagekind, where you can choose from several sizes and paper types or buy my prints plain or matted and framed.

Light Through Time

Time will not wait, but takes its toll.

Boughs break, rivers thin

and bend their banks,

our faces fade and line.

Seasons change with paradigms,

our knowledge never sure.

Yet sunlight melds through ages past

while seas still lick the shore.

Stories spill

in textured light,

paint peals past eon's

weather and woe,

while we seek answers

not attained.

So time's impassive

march must go.

Image and text c 2008 Lynda Lehmann. All rights reserved.

Thank you, Blogging Friends, for reading my poem. Though I know little of writing poetry, I'm attempting to compose pieces that relate to my images and at the same time have some meaning. I hope they will resonate on a tiny note of truth for my readers. I welcome your feedback and discussion!

She Sees No More

I took this image on a walk at a local estate. I was attracted to this pedestal in the shadows, with the expressionless face and unseeing eyes highlighted as if for emphasis, by the lack of moss or rust-colored stain in this area. The vines hanging from the top and their shadows, add a grotesque or Gothic touch, and to me, bring in the idea of longing and loss.

Is this face etched in stone in memory of a lost loved one? Is it a statement on mortality? Or on hopes of immortality? Is she a princess turned to stone by some mythic curse as punishment for her vanity? Or is she merely a pretty face, a superimposed decorative element in a lavish environment? Of course, you may draw your own interpretation! Image c Lynda Lehmann.

Printed in Canon archival inks on pro photo paper, 8 x 10 inches. Matted to 11 x 14 inches and sealed in an archival plastic sleeve to protect it until you choose a standard-size frame. My signature will appear on the mat, not on the print. Please feel free to ask about other sizes. You can view more of my art at www.lyndalehmann.com.

Deadbolt

An intriguing bolt on a weathered door. The worn and rustic surfaces tell stories of another era, and hint at more personal tales unfolding in that time. Some features of architecture, whether of modern or more ancient origin, evoke their own symbology. Freudian and sexual interpretations aside, I think that locks evoke both an emotional response as well as questions about time and situation. Similarly, doors and windows hold much fascination for me and a lot of other people.

European architecture, with its combination of structural and decorative elements, has a wider range, in my opinion, of elements that can be looked at in metaphorical ways. I have a post half written, that describes my feelings about what I like to call "transitional spaces": the arch, balcony, and alleyway. I'll post it soon, along with photos from Bussana Vecchia (an international artist's colony) and other scenic, medieval towns in the Ligurian region of Northern Italy.

I wonder what Joseph Campbell would tell us about the symblogy of locks and doors, among other things... I'm sure they are the stuff of myths.

Image c Lynda Lehmann. Available at www.lyndalehmann.com.

Depraved Indifference

Depraved Indifference - Image c 2007 Lynda Lehmann

"Depraved Indifference" is part of my "Urban Wallpaper" series. Image c Lynda Lehmann.

We condemn murderers for depraved indifference, and well we should. But what is it when society lets people who are mentally ill, fall through the cracks? Is it being humanistic and highly evolved? Is it being civilized?

Heat In the Afternoon

This is a row house in Pennsylvania, looking lurid with shades drawn against the glare of a hot summer afternoon. When I saw it, with those shades and curtains drawn, I imagined something illicit going on inside. I painted this from a b&w photo I took, but the heat of the afternoon and the way things were all closed up, suggested these colors to me. It was my way of expressing the scene. This painting is done in watercolor on Arches paper, 11 x 15 inches. It's framed to 16 x 22 inches, in a gold metal frame. Image c Lynda Lehmann.

Please come visit my site at www.lyndalehmann.com, if you'd like to view more of my art! My site features abstract painting and digital art, and photography with a variety of subject matter.