There is Beauty in Decay

There is power and possibility in the process of decay
Breaking down what no longer matters,
Releasing energy from life patterns and rituals
That no longer enrich a life,

The past has lessons we can learn from
Yet often the past is
colored in a rosy glow or
Darkly veiled and skews the truth.
Romantic notions of what used to be
Are not helpful to those looking to find a way forward
In dealing with the challenges ahead.

Better to view the past with a clear eye
See it as a part of the learning curve,
Accept the shame or the blame for mistakes made,
Find forgiveness for wrongs committed.
Celebrate the wins and let go of the losses
Remember the anniversaries and memories.

Let Mother Nature restore the balance.
She weaves magic with what gets left behind,
There is no limit to her patience,
And no lack of resources she can employ.
She encourages decay and decomposition
To become fertilizer for what comes next.

We too, are a resourceful lot,
Building new worlds,
Creating new technologies,
Never a lack of ingenuity.
If we could find a way to work with Mother Nature
Instead of at cross purposes,
This world be a grand place to live.

By Cheryl McDonald, 2023

This is the second digital painting in a new series of images based on my photography of abandoned places. I seek to bring these images of decay along with some of their history into a new format that expresses more than just a photograph. This image is a room in a house once owned by Bob Conway in Bodie, California. The image is an artistic composite created from my photos and combined in Photoshop to create a new composition that tells a story about decay. I chose to enhance the decomposing of this room to suggest new growth and new life created from the decay of what has been abandoned in order to move on in the lives of this family. I have created an original poem to further express my thoughts, and there is also a BLOG THAT YOU CAN READ HERE

This is going to be a limited edition series, and I only plan to sell 20 signed 18" x 12" copies of each print in this series. You will receive a signed copy of the poem associated with this art upon purchase of a print. 

PLEASE ORDER DIRECTLY FROM ME  so that I may ship you a signed print and poem. 

THIS IS AN ORIGINAL WORK OF ART, HOWEVER, IT IS A DIGITALLY CREATED IMAGE. I retain all copyrights to my artwork.

• These are Giclee Prints which are available in various sizes and on various substrates. 
• Giclee Art Prints Info:
  Prints are done using pigmented inks on Hahnemuehle Rag Photo Paper, it will last you a lifetime. My Prints are only available through me at this time.
• Shipping is Free within the United States
• Shipping outside the U.S. can be arranged.