I am starting to paint the garage doors. They have long needed painting and I just haven't gotten around to it before this. But here is the thing - there is a wonderful quality about the old cracked paint, the rust stains from the latch and the wear on the door from hands opening the latch day after day after day. There is a lovely patina to all this. I have photographed this before, but I thought I would do this one last time before fresh paint brightens everything, and makes one of my favorite subjects disappear. I think that this photograph, by the way, is a lot about the wonderful shadows formed by the parts of the latch.
Monday, June 18, 2012
The Garage Doors
I am starting to paint the garage doors. They have long needed painting and I just haven't gotten around to it before this. But here is the thing - there is a wonderful quality about the old cracked paint, the rust stains from the latch and the wear on the door from hands opening the latch day after day after day. There is a lovely patina to all this. I have photographed this before, but I thought I would do this one last time before fresh paint brightens everything, and makes one of my favorite subjects disappear. I think that this photograph, by the way, is a lot about the wonderful shadows formed by the parts of the latch.
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4 comments:
The shadow forms a dragon's head; a happy dragon that disappears as the sun moves.
And there's something to be said about patina and cracked paint. The layers of paint are testament to the years and years these doors have been around; each layer is like the ring of a tree, giving away its age. A new latch would look out of place on this cracked paint; in their current condition, they are a perfect pair and have lived in harmony. But we always want things to look new and bright. The old is scraped away and the new steps in to take its place. Old garage doors are no different than people.
How many times over the decades have I fingered this latch, but never saw it like this quite before.
Fortunately the latch itself will not be replaced. I thought about taking it off and painting it, but I have decided against it. I will remove it for painting the door, but then it goes back exactly as it is now.
I love the old latch. Glad you're going to keep it. bsk
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