"Apples For Sale" - The Passing of TIme

Detail of "Apples For Sale" (third panel of triptych)
_______________________________________________________________
 

Time changes everything...

Having now passed through the unwelcome portal of losing both my parents, I have a much deeper sense of how the past slips away into the ether.  As melancholic as this can leave me at times, it also makes me more curious about the people and cultures that have come before.

As a child, I saw mainly differences, as if those who came before were radically different beings, but now I am keenly aware of our shared humanity.
 

©Lynn Nafey. "Apples For Sale (triptych). Limited edition pigment transfer print of a digital collage.
Image area: 20 x 30.5 inches

Created as a triptych, Apples For Sale speaks to the passing of generations. The three triptych windows, spatially isolated, signify distinct phases of life's journey, while elements, such as the fence, horizon, and barn wood texture, denote continuity through time.
 

Photograph of my grandfather's barn used in "Apples For Sale"
_______________________________________________________________

One of my starting inspirations was a close-up photograph of a barn my grandfather built ( featured in this earlier blog post). Not only does it set the stage for the piece, but it also establishes the viewer as the observer, set apart from the action, as if peering through the windows.

The weathered wood, with its splintered slats, scrapes, and bent nails, is a testimony to how the forces of nature shape and change us and our world over time.

While working on this piece, a sense of loss was prominent in my life. With my mother having moved into memory care, the family property was being readied for sale. Not only was I grieving the slow decline of my mother, but the pending loss of my childhood home as well. 
 

Some of the ink drawings used to create the digital collage, "Apples For Sale" 
_______________________________________________________________

As is typical of my working process, I randomly collage disparate elements to see what stories emerge. Something ripe for exploration invariably rises to the surface, and this time was no exception. The above ink drawings (created at an earlier time and with no designated purpose) were digitally merged with the barn photograph. The theme of people, places, and things slipping away over time became foremost in my mind.
 

Early working concept of "Apples For Sale"
_______________________________________________________________

One of the biggest challenges with digital collage is getting the varied elements to blend together seamlessly. I also debated whether the three panels would be separate works or viewed together as a triptych. In the end, the story they tell as a group won out.
 

Detail from the middle panel of "Apples For Sale", a pigment transfer triptych print by Lynn Nafey
_______________________________________________________________

As for the significance of the apples, I guess you could say apples were at the “core” of my childhood (pun intended :-)). We lived with my grandfather who had over a dozen apple trees. I have so many apple-related memories: apple pies, baked apples, pink blossoms in spring, cider, and baskets of apples for sale along the roadside.
 

My grandfather and I amidst the apple blossoms.

My grandfather's sign for selling apples by the roadside

Detail from the first panel of "Apples For Sale"
_______________________________________________________________

I love how art can travel through time, helping us to bridge the past, present, and future. At the heart of much of my work is a yearning to examine what remains unresolved. The subsequent insights revealed with each piece are not only invaluable for living more fully in the present, but also spark hope for all the possibilities still to come.

Thanks for reading!
________________________________

To keep up-to-date on my latest work and musings, please Join My Newsletter