One windy afternoon, as I was walking through a cemetery in Eastport, Maine, something caught my eye where the cemetery’s edge receded into the woods. Walking toward the trees, I found one artificial flower remnant after another tangled in the plants and undergrowth. Months or years after people had left their rainbow arrangements on loved ones’ graves, the flowers and fake leaves had blown away, become torn and mangled, and settled in amongst the nearby trees. I collected these fragments and put them in old vases I found in local thrift stores. These artifacts felt like so much more than trash, because they were still infused by the love of whoever left them at the cemetery. Originally intended for individual tombstones, together they grew into a tattered, rainbow-infused vessel of collective love, loss, and memory.

Thank you to the StudioWorks Artist-in-Residence Program for giving me the opportunity to wander through Eastport.

Thanks to hundreds of readers who have given donations big and small, Gwarlingo remains ad-free. Donors who give $50 become members. If you love Gwarlingo, please consider giving back.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: CORWIN LEVI

Corwin is a visual artist working in design, illustration, bookmaking, curating, and writing. As an artist, he has attended over twenty artist residencies. He has also have lived in eighteen cities across twelve states. Along with Michelle Aldredge, he co-created Mirror Mirrored: An Artists’ Edition of 25 Grimms’ Tales. He is currently remixing vintage game boards and making a book from illustrations of Alice in Wonderland.