Experiments with Walking; A trip to Mount Auburn Cemetery and some experiments with type

Here I have some rubbings from various trees that I found shedding their leaves at the Mount Auburn Cemetery in Cambridge. I took John’s advice and began to start collecting things so I collected these leaves, which seemed the most immediate and logical choice, and made rubbing to capture the patterns of the their veins to perhaps find some outlines/framework for working future poems that I plan to write about my experience at the cemetery.

Here is my first attempt at “walking” which resulted in a quick study of Saint Maria Di Stella

The Chapel at Mountain Auburn- under drawing for a watercolor.

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So this is the Sh’ma, the most well known prayer in Judaism and a personal source of comfort to me. Many Jews say it before they go to bed and we are supposed to say it on our death beds as a final profession of faith. It runs “Sh’ma Yirael, Adonai Eloheinu, Adonai Echad.” And is translated as “Hear, O Israel, Adonai is our God, Adonai is One.”

I have been doing a lot of experiments with type and embroidery and this is something of a warmup to more work where the shapes and forms with type are experimented with to form a sort of sacred architecture. The idea still needs more development but this is what I have so far.