"Pamela's Baby Rocking Chair, Lake Brandt, Greensboro, North Carolina." (c) 2017 Stu Jenks.
"The Magician's Assistant and The Chair, Lake Brandt, Greensboro, North Carolina" (c) 2017 Stu Jenks.
[One of the best images from my trip south I think, because you can make up your own story about this woman and this chair. Mystery and magic are good things in art and in life.]
"The Death of Money, (For John B. McLemore), Green Pond Presbyterian Church, Alabama" (c) 2017 Stu Jenks.
[John B. was largely unbanked, and had much hidden gold or so folks thought. I couldn't find his small headstone, but I think John would have found this image amusing, given his views on God, the financial markets, and the world at large. Rest in peace, John B.]
"Noah and Effie Carroll's Headstone, Rutherwood, North Carolina" (c) 2017 Stu Jenks.
[I worked as a magician at Tweetsie Railroad, near Boone, in 1981. I lived in a mice-infested house just up the hill from Noah and Effie's graves. My old house is still there, looking about the same. Still kinda shitty.]
"Nannie's Mirror at Zelma Carroll's Grave, Rutherwood, North Carolina" (c) 2017 Stu Jenks.
"Nannie's Mirror, The Cragway Trail, Grandfather Mountain, North Carolina" (c) 2017 Stu Jenks.
[Note to those wanting to be professional landscape photographers: Sit in one spot and wait for the light to come to you, and take tons of images. I took around 30 images to get the desired depth of field and to get those green pine needles in the mirror in proper focus. It just takes time, like all good things.]
"Atop Grandfather Mountain, North Carolina" (c) 2017 Stu Jenks.
"Grandfather Mountain Infrared, North Carolina" (c) 2017 Stu Jenks.
"One of Rodin's Burghers In The Rain, Hirshhorn Museum, Washington, D.C." (c) 2017 Stu Jenks.
"I Have A Dream, Lincoln Memorial, Washington, D.C." (c) 2017 Stu Jenks.
[A rare moment at the Lincoln Memorial, when there wasn't a ton of people. Perhaps it was because it was late in the day and raining. One of my favorite spots in the District. Fun fact: My mother saw them building the Memorial when she was a child, living just across the river in Alexandria.]
"Purple Flowers, Mary's Grave, St. Mary's Whitechapel, Lancaster County, Virginia" (c) 2017 Stu Jenks.
[I bought these silk flowers at a Walmart in Oklahoma expressly for my mother's grave. My mother liked the color purple for it was the color of royalty. Been thinking many kind thoughts about my deceased, very complex mother. She was mostly a pain in the neck, don't you know, but she taught me some wonderful things when I was a kid, and frankly, she, along with her mother Nannie, were the only family members who gave a damn about Little Stu. Fun fact: Mary gave me $30,000 in 2008, before she got sick, so I could quit my day job and be a photographer and a writer full time. It was 10% of her worth at the time. That was very generous. The money is gone now but it gave me a very good kick start. Rest in peace, Mary. The Nannie's Mirror series is now as much about you as it is about your mother.]
"A Blue Heron on the Eno River, North Carolina" (c) 2017 Stu Jenks.
"Pamela's Baby Rocking Chair in a forest near the Eno River, North Carolina" (c) 2017 Stu Jenks.
"The OK God Let's Do It Bench, St. Mary's Whitechapel Episcopal Church, Lancaster, Virginia" (c) 2017 Stu Jenks.
[Was this image photoshopped? You bet your sweet bippie it was.]
"Pamela's Baby Rocking Chair, The Eno River, North Carolina" (c) 2017 Stu Jenks.
"Pamela's Baby Rocking Chair, Why Not, North Carolina" (c) 2017 Stu Jenks.
"Pamela's Baby Rocking Chair, Burnt-Down Liquor Store, Shit-Town, Alabama" (c) 2017 Stu Jenks.
"Pamela's Baby Rocking Chair, Glen Alpine, North Carolina" (c) 2017 Stu Jenks.
"Pamela's Baby Rocking Chair, Big Witch Tunnel, The Blue Ridge Parkway, North Carolina" (c) 2017 Stu Jenks.
"Nannie's Mirror (with dumpster and baby doll leg), Chattanooga, Tennessee" (c) 2017 Stu Jenks.
"Pink Dogwoods Going To Sleep At Sunset, Blue Ridge Parkway, North Carolina" (c) 2017 Stu Jenks.
"Pamela's Baby Rocking Chair, The Haw River, North Carolina" (c) 2017 Stu Jenks.
"Pamela's Baby Rocking Chair, Washita River, Washita Massacre Historic Site, Cheyenne, Oklahoma" (c) 2017 Stu Jenks.
"Pamela's Baby Rocking Chair, Black Kettle's Camp, Washita Massacre Historic Site, Cheyenne, Oklahoma" (c) 2017 Stu Jenks.
[An incredibly tragic thing happened here. Google it and read all about it. Ghosts wander these plains.]
"Cobwebs on John B.'s Chair, Woodstock (S-Town), Alabama" (c) 2017 Stu Jenks.
[I trespassed and spent all of ten minutes at John's house. The property is now owned by the man who owns K3 Lumber. K3. Get it? A very strong unwelcoming vibe was all around me, both at the house and all throughout the town. I'm guessing they has all heard the S-Town podcast by now. The property felt especially haunted and I don't use that word lightly. Everything is gone from John's house and his clock workshop. I didn't even go searching for the hedge maze, I was that spooked. I said a prayer for John, took photos of a lonely wooden chair on the porch and the three old chimneys and made my exit. As I drove away, I blew a kiss at the South Forty Trailer Park sign and made my way to the Cahaba River. Rest in peace, John B. and much love to all the folks in Shit Town, the good, the bad and the in-between.]
"The House With Three Chimneys, John B. McLemore's House, Woodstock (S-Town), Alabama" (c) 2017 Stu Jenks.
"Pamela's Baby Rocking Chair, Cahaba River National Wildlife Refuge, Alabama" (c) 2017 Stu Jenks.