A Dumpster in Madison
October 10, 2021
During the walk described in the last post, an interesting dumpster presented itself. Here are some of its details.
1 One end of the dumpster had a hole in the metal through which you could see an inside wall that had another hole.
2
3
4
5 This is a detail of #4.
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
Romancing Reality 
What a great set of pastel abstractions. If only all “dumpster diving” were this aesthetic.
The longest vertical element in #11 looks almost botanical, a stalk of some sort.
#7 surprises with its circular sweeps.
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October 10, 2021 at 5:17 PM
I thought the long vertical element in #11 had a bird-like quality—making me think of the resplendent quetzal. Isn’t it interesting the way the paint crazed in #7? I’ve seen circular patterns like this on other dumpster walls. I think they must use baked-on enamel rather than just plain paint. Regular paint doesn’t craze. At least not like this or like what is shown in #5 and others. Thanks for commenting, Steve.
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October 10, 2021 at 7:15 PM
Those are the images you capture like no one else! My kind of pix! Many thanks.
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October 10, 2021 at 7:04 PM
I’m glad you enjoy these, Kathy. I have to say that I am not the only person to photograph dumpsters. I may have photographed more than other people have, though. 😉
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October 10, 2021 at 7:17 PM
Steve’s right about #11. I think #13 is almost luminous. Beautiful shot.
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October 11, 2021 at 10:17 AM
Thanks, Ken. If I don’t think about the object in #13 as the piece of blue adhesive plastic that it is, I can almost see it as inlaid turquoise.
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October 11, 2021 at 12:10 PM
A handsome collection Linda. I love a nice portrait of rust and the intriguing shapes and colors it presents. A few of these would look nice framed.
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October 11, 2021 at 10:53 AM
Thank you, Joe. I love photographing rust. And it’s fun to think about the unintentional link between it and my favorite bacteria—those that breathe iron.
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October 11, 2021 at 12:16 PM
More dumpster coolness here, Linda. Who’d think it? I really like the zigzag in number three, the wizard’s hat in number 6 and the stained glass appearance in number 13. Number 11 looks like some sort of ancient writing.
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October 11, 2021 at 12:20 PM
Oh, the wizard’s hat! I hadn’t noticed it. Stained glass in #13: yes I see it. And the writing in #11: I wonder what it says. Thanks, Steve.
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October 11, 2021 at 2:13 PM
I’m very behind on keeping up with your blog posts. I see your images pop up in my WordPress reader and because I like to give them time I think to myself I will go back when I have more to spare! Then of course I don’t because life happens😀 And what mad lives we are all living in right now!
I hope all is well in your world.
I have enjoyed this set of photographs. Some great colours and I like a lot of the marks that in part reveal something of the life of the dumpster. To my eye number 8 works best combining marks and colours to make a great abstract with a world of its own!
Have a great weekend
Best wishes
Mr C
✨📷✨
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October 15, 2021 at 3:49 PM
Thanks, Mr. C. Yes, life happens. It’s the reason I’m also behind on many blogs now. I don’t know if I can blame that on the times, though. It seems as if I have always been behind. It’s a wonder I get anything done because I’m always doing something else instead. That’s how it feels, anyway. My weekend has been good; hope yours has also.
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October 17, 2021 at 7:14 PM
I don’t know if I’m just enjoying seeing a dumpster post after what seems a long time without one, or maybe this really is one of the best ones. 😉 Holy Dumpsters! The first photo is really curious – the way the metal you see from the hole goes out of focus gives it an otherworldly quality, next to the rest of the metal. Really wonderful! #2 is a handsome abstract dance of rust and paint. #5 is solid evidence of how carefully you look at these dumpster landscapes, analyzing every inch for its aesthetic potential. I really love #6. It makes me wonder, why would someone do that? Surely they did. I love it. #8 & 9 whisk us out to some outer galaxy. #10 once again feels like the human hand/mind played a part, though I could be persuaded otherwise. I like this one a lot. It has many elements that I feel I’ve seen in paintings, e.g. Miro (dark shape lower right with spindly “legs”). It could be a monoprint, it has that quality of something being pressed on and peeled off. #11 is beautiful, too. You knew exactly how to frame it – the part with the bump relates well to the scratches. The duck tape in #12 made me laugh. #13 again shows your expertise in finding the compositions on what must be a pretty big, complex surface. That blue and rust are very attractive! An absolute delight, Linda!
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October 15, 2021 at 4:42 PM
I’m happy you like these dumpster photos, Lynn. Most are crops of what I thought at the time I took them were the images I’d post. The details were more interesting, the uncropped image too confusing. The hole in the dumpster was a treat. I’d only ever photographed one other hole in a dumpster. Then today I found two more! About #5: I love how the enamel (I presume) crazes and just have to show it up closer than in #4, which I like for its arrangement of rust and paint. I think #6 is where something was affixed to the dumpster, a sign of some kind. Now that you point them out, I can see the Miró legs, too. Above them, I have the feeling that the sun is making some of the marks and that the surface is fluted, though I know otherwise. Number 11 was the first photo I took of this dumpster, and this is one that was only cropped to make it square. It’s messy and maybe confusing, but I like it that way. Glad you laughed at the duct tape; I thought it pretty funny, too, but I also liked how it offered another kind of surface, and a shiny one at that. Number 13 is a huge crop; I just needed to zero in that that gorgeous color. Thanks for all your comments, Lynn.
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October 17, 2021 at 7:53 PM
Oh, #6 – something stuck on the dumpster, that makes sense. Isn’t it nice that you can do those crops? They look nice and clear and sharp. 🙂
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October 17, 2021 at 9:29 PM
Thanks, Lynn. It is very nice that I can do these crops. The old camera would not have been up to it.
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October 18, 2021 at 7:02 PM
So you’re still happy with the new camera – great!!
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October 18, 2021 at 8:27 PM
Mostly, yes. Looking forward to reading Darrell Young’s Mastering the Nikon Z6 II / Z7 II, which now won’t arrive before November 23. I guess I know something about books’ taking a long time to write, but . . . Anyway, after I read it, I expect to like my camera even more.
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October 18, 2021 at 8:44 PM
Nice set of rusty abstracts, Linda! The dark blue grey is a great background-color. My fav’s are nr4 with that prehistoric skeleton shape..; nr6 looks as if once a rough textured cloth was glued on it; I like the rhythms; nr9 interesting composition with those moves in the scratches and the white paint.. nr10 with it’s vague shapes and drippings and nr13 with that great, jugendstil insect shape. wonderful! See you, Linda.
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October 18, 2021 at 10:30 AM
Prehistoric skeleton: I love it! Concerning #6, I agree that the lines look as if they could have been made by something woven. Jugendstil! Yes! Like dragonfly wings. Thanks for your creative thoughts, Harrie.
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October 18, 2021 at 7:00 PM