So Much To See...and Remember (NOLA)
3:16 PMUPDATED to include text from cemetery page at the bottom of post.
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| Lafayette Cemetery No. 1 Watercolor and Ink Drawn on location |
We loaded up onto the trolley and hadn't gone more than 3 blocks when the bottom opened up and it really rained! That, however, was the last of it. We arrived at the cemetery with gray, overcast skies which seemed rather appropriate for the morning's adventure!
There is a lot of information about the "cities of the dead," the above ground crypts and the traditions of New Orleans when it comes to honoring the dead on the page above. Please click to enlarge so that you can read more if you're interested.
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| MORE Decadent Desserts—Commander Palace Style Memory Sketch Watercolor Click to Enlarge |
Luckily, we had the afternoon free to walk off our meals and more decadent (and delicious) desserts. Some of us moseyed up to the bookstore on the corner while others went back to explore the city via the trolley.
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| Collection of Memories Memory Sketch Watercolor and Ink Click to Enlarge |
The other ephemera on the page is from places I wanted to remember and memories I wanted to collect. There was several cigar shops and bars in NOLA that I don't remember from last year. Whereas cigars are not my thing, I do think they have very cool wrappers on some of the cigars.
The green book shop piece is actually a bookmark that I've folded down to fit on the page and attached with a clear tape hinge. That way I can read the info without it sticking outside of the book. The sticker at the bottom right came off from a great cup of coffee.
Simple items, but each evokes a strong memory of where I was, what I was doing and who I was with—pretty cool for just a little piece of paper!
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From the Cemetery Page:Cemetery founded in 1833 by the city of Lafayette. City was later incorporated by New Orleans.
Many early immigrants buried here, especially German.
Many died from the Yellow Fever Epidemic.
Cemetery is non-segregated and non-denomenatinal.
Unlimited internment.
Many society tombs - firemen, orphanages, etc.
Crypts built of many different materials, sometimes painted the same color as [the] family home.
"Property" returns to the city after 150(?) years of inactivity
Crypts could hold two coffins—one on top, one on the bottom.
Mourning time - customary was one year and one day.
(And this final is a note to myself) Look into "4 Gentlemen Crypts" secret society
9 Creative Thought(s)
I cant get this big enough to read the first one. Blogger has changed something. but I like the work you put into it. Good way to remember your trip and make you see while there too.
ReplyDeleteTwo memory sketches and I can't believe how realistic and detailed the dessert one is! Victoria is great at memory drawing and I am terrible at it. You did great. Love that crypt too. I hope the fire department doesn't need that hydrant any time soon!
ReplyDeleteYour crypt brought back memories. I spent the summer between my freshman and junior year of college hitch-hiking in England and Europe. Somewhere near London my girlfriend and I climbed a wall and got ourselves into an overgrown, unattended cemetery with a lot of crypts. Somehow having it overgrown made it a little spooky.
ReplyDeleteA 3-hour lunch. Hmmmmm sounds good. Your sketches really bring the trip alive.
ReplyDeleteYou are really bringing New Orleans alive for me in these sketches and descriptions. You must have been on visual overload. Thank you for sharing! x
ReplyDeleteOn a different note, for some reason your blog is now very slow to load, even on my fast PC using Chrome. Have you changed something?
Hi, Cris, I added the text at the bottom of the post. Yes, Blogger has changed the photo thing and it seems to have some issues.
ReplyDeleteTimaree, these are memory sketches, but I also had help from photos and such. I call them memory sketches because they're done after the fact rather than on location. I agree with you on the fire hydrant though I get the feeling they're used to that sort of nonsense!
I can imagine that was more than a little spooky, Elva! This one was very well kept, but it was still a cemetery and it was windy so that helped just a little!
Thanks, Lisa, it was a fabulous time and that lunch was a true highlight as it didn't feel like a three hour lunch!
Glad you've enjoyed it, Gillian! I had added the snow widget back for the holidays. I've now removed it so hopefully the blog will load a little easier now. IF not, please LET ME KNOW!!
Very nice memories. I love all your sketchbook pages. Your writing is so nice and you center it very well. That never works out well for me. Thanks for sharing your trip with us.
ReplyDeleteYou're creating some fantastic pages for your NOLA Book. WoW!
ReplyDeleteI am really enjoying seeing and reading your NOLA Live journal pages. It is fun to see the things you took note of and it is wonderful to see your sketches/paintings! Your pages are a treat to see!!
ReplyDeleteLet's talk!