Day 199: Faded Glory

So it was about 50 degrees this morning in Chaumont, NY. There was some sunshine. As the day progressed it became overcast and by the afternoon we had a lot of heavy rain.


Great guitar practice the past few days. Sometimes one goes throuhg a period where one sees distinct progress with the intrument. But those times give way to periods where one wonders why you are playing so poorly. Andres Segovia said that your progress pictured on a graph would show peaks of progress followed by lows. So it's a few steps forward followed by a step backward. Then it's forward some more, & a slight back slide. I can see that with my experience with the instrument.

The photo here was taken in Syracuse, NY. It was a street of Geddes St. I do not remember the street name. I do remember Geddes St though. Geddes Street is pretty much a run down, poverty stricken street. Consequently, the adjacent streets are also on the poorer side. So, as is usual with me, I was driving from point A to point B and saw this photo. It was the flag in the window that caught my eye. It was one of those paper flags that appear in newspapers from time to time, usually around the Fourth of July. Folks feel patriotic and put them in their windows or on their doors. Then, like old sodliers, they slowly fade away.

What makes this photo work?

When you like a photo ( or any piece of work from music to architechture) it is a good idea to try and understand why you like it. What is going on that attracts you. In this photo we first of all have a color photo. But the colors are muted, subdued. They are cool in nature, contributing to the overall mood of the photo. The message is of fading prosperity. Clearly the flag has seen better days. The red stripes have faded. The shrubbery outside the home has lost it's leaves and the stems are of a similar red. Not a vibrant red. There is a curtain in the window that is also of a faded red color. The cool, bluish Autumn light is accented by the cool, bluish siding on the house. The colors are all working together to add to the moverall mood of the photo. It suggests a home that was cared for by it's owners but who have aged. The occupants are probably like the shrubbery: In the Autumn of their life. The flag in their window has also seen better days. Every element in the photo works to reinforce the theme. Are you with me? Do you get it? You see, sometimes we do not immediately recognize why something catches our eye, or, put another way, grabs our attention. In your growth as an artist is is a good idea to try to pin down exactly what it is that moves you. Then you can be more articulate in saying what you have to say through your art.