Stilled Lives, Still Life

Roadside memorials are an outward expression of grief and loss, a way to keep a memory alive. But they also mark the final spark of life, where the body and spirit were alive and whole.

In Renaissance painting, still lifes were often images of flowers, intended to represent the transience of life. Frequently, they would include an expression of ‘nature morte’, skulls and mementos.

I have taken the flowers and mementos from my photographs of the memorials and created images that speak to some of the emotions evoked by the place where, in the hearts of loved ones, there is still life.

Hope Smith is a prairie artist who works in a variety of media and looks for beauty amid decay and amongst the commonplace.