The Memory Keeper
by Gay Stahr
This project started without direction, I found myself sitting and staring at the pages wondering what to do with them. One evening words on a particular page stood out to me, they reminded me of the time I spent on the beach as a kid at the Gulf of Mexico. So I looked around to see if I had things in my home that fit this memory. From then on the book took shape to illustrate memories from my life and I found myself looking around me with a different view of everyday things. The leaves of autumn found lying on the ground outside illuminating in a different light now, evoking thoughts of collecting and pressing into books leaves of different types while sipping hot coco with my mother. Or the scent of rosemary as I walk along the path at work and the heat of summer bringing to life the heady fragrance. Some pages have a string of words highlighted and some are just a single word but all with powerful reminiscences of things past.
Editorial Board Review
Gay’s book is a naturalistic journey through personal memories. Using different mediums to illustrate these reminiscences, Gay utilizes acrylic paints, water colors, and pastels along with items found around her. What follows is an enchanted look at timeless experiences within her life. One can almost feel of the ocean’s spray and grit of the sand as you view the page entitled Beach. The brilliant colors of fall are reminiscent of walks in the park with leaves crunching underfoot in Leaves. And lastly the Rosemary page literally brings the pungent scent to mind when immersed in the beautiful imagery there. A compelling portrait of fond memories.
