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Cemetery art is very unappreciated. I love to drive through the cemeteries and look for the art that may be seen by others but quickly dismissed and viewed as gloomy.

It's in my blood, shall I say, since my great grandfather was a sexton (grave digger) in a Catholic cemetery in the dawn of the 20th century. Remember that those were the days of a shovel and sweat and blisters- before heavy equipment like a backhoe or Bobcat!!

You can read his amazing story here

My son, N., is named for him.

Also, a cemetery employee had the advantage of job security and they were usually very appreciated, as most people were glad to have them do a very essential job that they themselves knew they were not born for.

Iron workers (blacksmiths) and stone carvers were essential employees of the old cemeteries as well- all done with sweat and blisters- no modern technology and machines.

The Visit

(Living creatures explore an ancient headstone. There were many different symbolic images carved into cemetery markers. This one meant "heaven bound".)

" They're coming to get you Barbara"

( Now for any of you who have seen the movie this may strike a shiver in your soul.

"They're coming to get you Barbara." But this photo would be fun to use as a background for an altered art project about ghosts...

they could be friendly ghosts, right!!?As I stood in this spot I was reminded of the beginning of the movie ...and that quote, although being in a cemetery does not scare me.

I actually do not think that cemeteries are that spooky. I know that's weird. I have two cousins that have worked in one for lots of years. I have a very distant relative that owned some funeral homes until they sold to someone else. My late father in law used to drive an ambulance for a funeral home when he was a young man. My favorite link to the whole cemetery scene is my great grandfather.)

Weeping

(Wonderful craftsmanship and countless hours of work withstanding the test of time and hundreds of years of moss and such clinging to the stone. This statue is fascinating and surreal and thought provoking. It must have cost a lot all those ages ago. It stands out because the other monuments are more plain and traditional. Someone must have been loved very much and missed an awful lot! Many of the markers are so old that you can no longer read the info (even if you do a rubbing with paper and crayon over top of the engravings). Many of the ones you can slightly read are in German. Some are whole families and a great number are infants. Imagine the harsh Michigan winters and other seasonal elements weathering these markers for a hundred years and more! It is high on a hill and the wind whistles through the trees and across the old weathered tombstones. In between the wind's sounds there is nothing but "dead silence", sorry couldn't resist.)

The Iron Gate
( A proud man crafted this ornate gate and fence.)
Gobbled Up
( Time and nature do not stand still. The tree needed room to flourish and grow. This is one of our absolute favorites- the tree has been slowly eating up the tombstone while life goes on as usual outside the gates of the cemetery, year after year after year.)

Life Goes On

(A busy modern day farm is a neighbor of a graveyard now home to many past centuries' farmers- a profound silent reminder of the circle of life.)


All photos are found here .