THE ARCHITECTUR OF IMORTALITY

 

Wednesday, June 1, 2016

THE ARCHITECTUR OF IMORTALITY

NEW LONDON CEMETERIES

    One of my viewers asked me a question about the above picture that I had made a little while back and who's obelisk this was. And in a sort of flip way I said:
    "I'm not sure. Sometimes I see images and walk right by the words and sometimes the words are the images."
    Then I began to think about her question.
    This was ironically followed by a copy, auto-posted by FaceBook, of this picture I had made of the New London Light in the fog a bit over a year ago.

   And passing beyond the political issues that were in this picture it caused me to think about Architecture as monuments and conversely Monuments as architecture.

   In a very casual sort of way I had assembled some of the New London Cemeteries which I had taken of them and their "buildings".  While I'm photographing and drawing "portraits" of some of the local houses (Great and less so) it seems logical to address the houses of those that have passed on. 

    This first batch is of no particular order and are not addressed as formal portraits or documents as I am want to with a lot of my buildings.

    That is, obviously, to come... squared up with a more appropriate lenses and/or with the view camera.

    Let's see where it goes.....

    That foggy day at Cedar Grove

The door to the Dimock's Egyptian Revival mausoleum                                                                          

Back to Cedar Grove

They're more but this is the idea. 

Monday, May 23, 2016

SEASIDE #1

SEASIDE SANATORIUM
    So incredibly close to Harkness Park and yet so completely different is the Seaside Sanatorium.
    Designed and built in the depth of the Depression the facility was discontinued in the 1970's.
    While abandoned the architecture, almost playful Robin Hood look yet solidity of the buildings as well as the spectacular water vistas are fabulous will hopefully be appropriately re-utilized soon

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Tuesday, May 10, 2016

ASHLAWN FARM, LYME, CT #4

THE SILO
    While facing the two empty chairs in my "Sit Awhile" shot, you see the base of the silo shown here.
    At one point I sketched up a way to put a small glass surrounded office up there.
    By the time I had a circular balcony at the top it all was beginning to look a bit like a lighthouse.
    Not that that's so bad.. but none of it any way came to pass.

                                                          © 2016 G. Roger Clements

Monday, May 9, 2016

ASHLAWN FARM, LYME, CT #3

SOME MORE PLACES TO SIT

    Lest you think there only North facing seating here are some chairs in the sun.
    There was a corner on this deck that, on a sunny day, you can stay warm and toasty for a nice cup of coffee and catch a few rays.



    The lawn chairs made their appearance when the Farmer's Market started.  They were a great place to sit for a beverage but were a bit of a challenge with a hamburger.
    I preferred the stone wall, which oddly enough I didn't have any pictures of.  That situation is a problem that I can probably still rectify.

ASHLAWN FARM, LYME, CT #2

SIT AWHILE

    While I started with two organic (one way or another) photographs but this shot is probably more emblematic.
    I must admit that I addressed these chairs a bit but I couldn't resist when I saw the light and he rare fact that there was nobody sitting there.
   I was looking for a subject to shoot with my 4X5 and landed on this.

    © 2016 G. Roger Clements

ASHLAWN FARM, LYME, CT #1

THE GROUND WORK

    This will offer everyone a break from Harkness before I move on to the other buildings.
    Altho' I was an Ashlawn devotee from the moment it was all conceived I really haven't photographed the property until the teens.
   This serves two purposes in starting this post:
        I have the opportunity to figure out how to tie my drawing work with the photographs
        How do I separate two subjects on the same Blog  i.e.: the Harkness work and that of Ashlawn.
    Unfortunately Ashlawn has turned out to be more fragile than I had thought and the Coffee Shop which was the focus of my work at the actual farm has now moved to Old Saybrook and while a terrific operation it doesn't have the organic, slightly gritty feel that my camera loves.
     I will start with some shots around the farm itself with the hope that it will give you the feel of the operation itself.

    This shed sets immediately adjacent to the driveway and the merger between wood trying to dirt and the vines tryin to conquer the tree fascinated me.
    For a person who looks for clear verticals found this a true challenge.
    I think in this case I just gave up....

Sunday, May 8, 2016

HARKNESS, THE SUPPORT COMPLEX

RANDOM EXTERIOR SHOTS

    Before leaving the Carriage House (for the time) here are three outside views. I batched these since they don't necessarily stand on their own but have some interest.
    The view with the tree is the front exterior of the West wing (no not that one..) and behind whose walls contains the current gift shop.
    The next is the front wall that embraces the carriage yard. Here you can see what the splotches on the front of the building in the front lawn shots are. Defiantly not  flowers. I like the combination of walls, windows, dormers and roofs with Rogers with his best European look.

    And at the last are two basement windows that I believe allow light to a bowling alley. I hope to check

THE GAME ROOM

    Or what I assume it is. In spite of its darkness I like this room. This picture was taken with nothing but available light that allowed the bushes outside to be seen.
    Even after this long period of un-occupation it  still has a very comfortable, clubby sort of feel.
    If you look at the shots I did of the windows titled "Carriage House Details" you will see the solution that Rogers use to blank the far windows in this shot without producing an expanse of blank wall on the exterior of the building. These arched transom lights effectively eliminate the potential gloom. Well done...

DAFFODILS OR DANDELIONS

    Two shots of the front of the Carriage house. While I like the picture with the Dandelions in the foreground it's more for the "golden lads", the often most underrated "weeds".
    The tighter, lower shot reflects more what Rogers must have envisioned as it reflects the symmetry of his Italianate design.

    Here the door is centered better and the void amidst the Daffodils (a happy accident) plays well too.

    Here I wasn't crawling on the grass nor was this as well centered. But I liked the little sprinkling of Dandelions.

CARRIAGE HOUSE,  REAR ELEVATION

    Even the rear of the Carriage house is carefully crafted.
    There must have been a porch or platform attached to the rear of the North wing of this Italianate structure.

HARKNESS CARRIAGE HOUSE DETAILS

    The detail work on the carriage house is a delight.
    While the main house (1906) was designed and built under the auspices of Lord & Hewlett Architects most of the outlying buildings, most noticeably the Carriage House, Pergola and Greenhouses, were designed by James Gambel Rogers.
    Rogers deft design rose what might have otherwise been a mundane utilitarian structure in to a pleasure to wander around and through.

Saturday, May 7, 2016

IN THE CARRIAGE HOUSE

    Some of these pictures were taken in the Carriage House.
    The planter and the wheelbarrow were located in the "Garage" section and the grating on the floor correspond with the swing able wash hose fastened to the ceiling.
    I encountered and redesigned a carriage house in Fairfield (CT) with a similar washing arrangement.

    There's not much left of the lighting fixture here. Or for much paint either at this point.

    This was in the entry to the building but it has a nobility of its own kind.

    One of the first missions for any preservationist is to stabilize what you have on your hands.

    Then analyze... carefully, respectfully and  then start to assemble what you need to do. 

WATERFORD AGAIN

    Well while I'm trying to figure out how to put a banner at the head of this blog I thought I'd put some more Eolia/Harkness photos.
    Part of the challenge is that I want to be able to post some of my tech experiences as a side bar of some sort so that I don't bog  down the wonderful, flowing prose of the rest of my work....

    The left hand shot was one of a small entrance between the main part of the Carriage House and the West wing.
    And then the Logia again after a damp day. It was damp, dark and chilly that day.. And if it looks it that's because it was...
    The Bloggers seems to bring down B&W pictures a stop or so when it posts them as well which was not, necessarily, my intension.

AH.!! HARKNESS

    Beginning with one of my favorite subjects and a really good test location as I try to wend through the mystery of film; Eolia or commonly called the Harkness Estate in Waterford, CT.
    As Eolia is practice for my camera it seems that it is suitably fitting that it becomes the test work for this Blog.
    It also doesn't help that it's only a couple of miles from my home.
    So I hope you don't get bored with it.....
    I never do....

                                                             © 2016 G. Roger Clements