THIS OLD TEXAS PLACE 41

Serbin, Texas 2008

I love these ceramic portraits that adorn the older stones in some cemeteries. There are some cemeteries in central Texas where almost every stone has one. Maybe it's the style of portrature -- looks to be natural lighting from north facing large windows -- and rendering of the flesh tones by the orthro films of yesteryear. They measure only about four inches tall, and seem to weather not at all, well, at least most of the time. It was the weathering that drew me to photograph the top image. I've never seen that effect before. As to the bottom image, rarely do you see any of the writing on the stone so close to the image. I like the way the title -- "PASTOR" -- formed an arch across the bottom of the letters opposite the curve of the portrait. And I liked how the cement was breaking away from the still perfect image. I have photographed a few of these before, and have a project in mind if ever time permits. For those who are interested, Serbin was founded by Wends in the late 19th century. You can read about it here.