Writing, photography and slide show by Courtney Snyder. Trumpet and vocals by Louis Armstrong. One of the most peculiar and charming sites in Louisville is a series of camelback shotgun houses which are hidden in the Butchertown neighborhood of Louisville. Peculiar, because as you go out the front door of one of these houses, down the few steps, over the lovely brick side walk and across the narrow street, you walk straight into a large concrete wall - a flood wall. The houses themselves, however, could not have more character. To me they are both a paradox (no view, but an amazing view) and a metaphor (If you have character, you can face anything). I love that about them. The leaves have started to turn here in Louisville. This, along with the death of Steve Jobs and his 2005 Commencement Speech at Stanford, prompted me to visit Cave Hill Cemetery. From part of that speech: "If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today? Remembering that I'll be dead soon is the most important tool I've ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life." "Because almost everything — all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure - these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important." "Death is very likely the single best invention of Life. It is Life's change agent. It clears out the old to make way for the new." "Right now the new is you, but someday not too long from now, you will gradually become the old and be cleared away." "Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life." "Don't let the noise of others' opinions drown out your own inner voice." "And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become." - Steve Jobs The Big Four Bridge, an abandoned railroad bridge over the Ohio River, is named after the former Big Four Railroad that served Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chicago and St. Louis. Though completed in 1895, the bridge has been closed and without approaches since 1969, hence the nickname, the Bridge That Goes Nowhere. In my last post, I wondered, "What do those men working on the Big Four Bridge see? How long until they finish, so I can walk up that circular ramp and have their view?" To my surprise and delight, one week later I was able to have those views. Yesterday, thanks to the Waterfront Development Corporation, I had the privilege of being on Big Four Bridge, so that I could take and share these photos. Photography by Courtney B. Snyder.
This past weekend, my husband, daughter and I drove out to Shaker Village of Pleasant Hill - a place I simply love. The timeless and simple architecture, situated on the rolling hills of Kentucky countryside, can only be experienced first hand. “Shaker style was defined from the beginning by their unswerving focus upon the goal of creating heaven on earth. Functionality was everything. Building designs could be both functional and beautiful, but the beauty had to be inherent in the design itself ....” (Catherine L. Carter and Martha E. Geores, University of Maryland) For more information on the Shakers visit: http://gorabs.org/journal/issu/2006/GOR01_01_carter.pdf This visit, I found myself especially taken with architect Micajah Burnett's use of natural light. He was seventeen years old, in 1809, when his parents brought him to live with the Shakers. At the age of twenty-three, he began to design the village here in Kentucky. The Shakers of Pleasant Hill truly lived in a world with a view. There is no end to those views. Here are just a few. Written (and photographed ) by Courtney Snyder.
This post is written (and photographed) by Courtney Snyder. Last week my six year old daughter and I visited one of our favorite places, the Waterfront Park here in Louisville. As always, we spent time with the Flock of Finns - the flock of Marvin Finn (1913 - 2007), an internationally known folk artist from Louisville. Strolling among these colorful birds and thinking about Marvin always inspires me. Quotes from Marvin Finn: "I didn't learn this out of no book. I had to leave school in the first grade and go to the field to work. But I had a hobby of drawing and painting, and I could whittle and build. And I had my imagination." "There were ten boys and two girls in my family, and most of them older than I was, so I didn't have toys except I made them," "I just do what my mind tells me to do. Maybe the good Lord plants these things in my mind. When I leave here and meet the good Lord, I ain’t never going to quit making toys. That’s what my mind tells me. That’s heaven to me. . . making toys . . and I look forward to it all the time.” - Marvin Finn. (These quotes are from the Marvin Finn Website which has further information about Marvin Finn and the Public Art Project that made the Flock of Finns a reality.) If you start close up, you'll see patterns against patterns.... ..and eyes. Back up a little and you'll see their heads. Some with more than others. Then the magnificent birds - all 28 of them. And lastly the flock. My camera can't capture the feeling. Imagine walking around in a children's book. Thank you Marvin - for doing what you loved. There is the something about the visual impact of repetition with variety. This morning I took these pictures as I wandered through Louisville's Architectural Salvage.
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I am an artist, psychiatrist and mother.
I live in Louisville, Kentucky with my husband and daughter. Categories
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August 2013
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