House of Shadows

“Mother’s Darlings”

I have an interest in visiting cemeteries, especially old cemeteries where ancestors rest for eternity. Some might think it’s a morbid curiosity, but for me it satisfies three of my interests: genealogy, history, and art.

What a beautiful expression of love has been captured in the grave marker that reads “Mother’s Darlings”. But my mind is curious to know the story behind the stone. Was there an illness that passed through the town, taking this mother’s children with it? Were the children out playing in a stream on a hot summer day and suddenly swept away? Who are these children? What happened? Perhaps their names are inscribed lower on the stone and they just can’t be seen in the photo. If not, the genealogist in me can only hope that somewhere in a family history, the life and death of these children was captured so their identities are known to someone. This grave maker is just one example of the history that resides in a cemetery. If you haven’t looked at a cemetery with those thoughts in mind give it a try some afternoon.

There is so much to be learned by a quiet walk through an old cemetery. You can look at the markers and see when epidemics swept through an area. You can see the status of a family in the quality of the monument left to honor a person’s life and death. Often times there are clues to what was most valued in a persons life, or what their affiliations were by the art used to decorate the grave marker. Walking through a cemetery is like walking through a history book.

I collect photographs of cemeteries and grave markers for inspiration. They help me study colors, textures and shadows. Cemetery pictures are an excellent resource for you if you plan to build headstones or small monuments for your Halloween graveyard display. The example in “Mother’s Darlings” shows you how fabric would drape if you are using monster mud. It also shows you how stone gets pitted as it ages and the way years of accumulated dirt settles to the bottom of the stone when it’s not maintained. Examples of ornamental details, lettering styles and epitaphs are elements you can explore by walking through a cemetery or looking at pictures.

I will be posting more pictures of grave markers throughout the year under the Inspiration Category. There is a link on the sidebar that will help you find these pictures when you return to the House of Shadows for more ideas. Articles about painting techniques for aging stone will also be featured in future posts. I hope these resources will be useful to you as you work to achieve the authentic looking display you see in your mind’s eye.

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