I loved @shaka' template picture this week. You can see by the number of renditions I made that I got caught up in the scene. Here is @shaka's photo:
I zeroed in on the house right away. After that I spent time imagining a landscape. The first image I finished was the GIF at the top of the blog. Last night I started on a new format, which you can see in the second picture. I wanted to feature that amazing dog and doghouse more specifically. The dog belongs to an LMAC colleague, @muelli and the picture was borrowed from LIL, LMAC's image library. More about LIL later.
Here are a couple of more collage renditions:
As I worked on the house in the picture, changing its shape and size, one thing seemed to be missing: a front porch. When I think of a country house, especially a farm house, I always imagine a front porch. I wondered, is the front porch an architectural custom peculiar to the U. S.? I looked up the history of this feature (I will look up anything) and sure enough, this amenity is closely associated with the U. S. A.
Image credit: NRA (US government). Public domain
In this brief discussion I depend entirely on resources I consulted. First of all, it became clear to me that it's not just a porch that is traditional. It is a front porch. According to an article I found on a University of Virginia website, porches first appeared in the U. S. in the early eighteenth century. The author of the article states, "One century later, porches had become an integral element of American architecture."
Washington Irving Porch, Sunnyside, NY (c. 1835)
Image credit: Adrianne Wadewitz. Used under CC 3.0 license.
Why did porches become so popular? The Virginia U. article traces the use to a number of factors. Slaves were transported from West Africa, where front porches were traditionally placed on the front of shotgun houses. The article asserts, "...the shotgun house, built by the African slave, appeared as one of the first American houses to universally exhibit a front porch". The same assertion is made in another online publication, American Profile.
Mary Cecil Cantrill, Georgetown, Scott County, KY
Image credit: National Park Service. (Building construction 1901) Public domain.
According to American Profile, by the 1880s just about every house in the U.S., no matter how humble or grand, had a front porch. As a matter of fact, in 1880 presidential candidate James A. Garfield conducted a 'Front Porch Campaign'. Thousands of people traveled to Garfield's house to hear him deliver policy statements from his front porch. The U.S. National Park Service website states, "From the porch serving as his podium, Garfield discussed 'The Possibilities of Life,' 'The Immortality of Ideas,' and 'German Citizens'."
President James A. Garfield's House, and Front Porch
Image credit: Unknown author (1914). Public domain.
A front porch, according to a publication fittingly called FrontPorchRepublic, was more than a decorative addition to the house. It had social function. The front porch “presented opportunities for social intercourse at several levels.” It was a bridge between private life and public life.
American Profile explains that the front porch lost much of its popularity after WWII. The website attributes this decline to a number of factors: "automobiles, air-conditioning, television and, most of all, suburbs". With the decline of the front porch there was a commensurate rise in the use of backyard patios.
Backyard Deck, 2006 Note the Fences)
Image credit: en:user:Jdoorjam. Used under CC 2.5 license
The FrontPorchRepublic explains that "the patio reflected...the increasing desire for privacy and withdrawal from interaction with one’s neighbors."
As I started this discussion of the front porch, I was clear that the ideas expressed in this essay are not mine. I defer to people who understand the history of this structure. However, I have quoted ideas I find convincing, at least on the surface. If not convincing, than at least interesting. I hope my readers also find the ideas interesting.
I could not have completed my collages without the help of my colleagues in LMAC who contributed images to LIL, our image gallery.
The person walking on the lane in a couple of the pictures was contributed by @reheadpei.
@redheadpei also contributed the rooster that appears in all the pictures.
@mballesteros contributed the trees that line the lane in several of the pictures.
Then, of course, there is the amazing dog and dog house from @muelli.
The path also came from @muelli.
Finally, several of the collages used elements from an earlier template
by @shaka
Each of these #LIL contributors will be designated 2% beneficiary on this post.
In addition to the elements already mentioned, I used several of my own contributions to LIL, including the cows, sheep/shelter, large evergreens, small bushes, tractor, dog and crop field.
In making the collages I did a lot of digital painting (mostly flowers and leaves, though other accents where needed). I used Paint, GIMP, and Paint3D to manipulate the frames. Several of the collages also benefited from a Lunapic filter.
LIL and LMAC
LMAC is the wonderful collage contest started by @shaka a couple of years ago. Every week bloggers on Hive come together and offer their interpretation of a template photo published by @shaka. Some of the participants are professional artists. Many are not. I am not. And yet, when we make our collages we do become artists for at least a while. There are handsome prizes. I don't compete for these. I just have fun.
Rules and regulations for the contest may be found here, on @shaka's blog.
LIL is an extension of LMAC. The image library is available to everyone in the Hive community. Anyone can borrow an image from our library, which has in excess of 6,000 pictures now. Anyone on Hive can contribute to the library. Contributions are not only welcome, but are supported by the community if rules and procedures are followed. These may be found here.
Thank You
I thank @shaka for leading the LMAC community. I thank @quantumg for his amazing coding skills and hard work. I thank @mballesteros for her hard work and creativity on our LMAC team. And, I thank everyone who participates in the community. People and participation are the essence of LMAC.
Houses with a front porch are definitely not a European standard. I can vouch for this!
In the region where in live, this is even very rare, although it happens sometimes. For instance, the house of the piano teacher of my little one has a front porch, a bit in the American way (and she is by no means American).
Making it a bit more personal, I have never considered how such an addition to the house could be used. Even after reading your blog, I am still questioning about how necessary a front porch could be. I would personally prefer a front terrace (like the one we are currently finalising in our place by the way ;) ).
After thinking a bit about it, and after reading your blog, it turns out that both a front porch or a front terrace could be considered to act as this bridge between private life and public life, to re-use the words you mentioned. Those are places in which visitors can be welcomed without having to make the house wide open. Maybe I am more American that it sounds (OK, maybe this comes from my North American wife ;) ).
By the way, I enjoyed your collages. The last one (i.e. the static version of the animated one shared at the beginning of the blog) is my preferred one.
The last was my favorite, also, @lemouth. My son and husband liked the GIF so I put that one on top.
I did read that porches are not the thing in Europe. Interesting. My Latin American friends (on Hive) explain that porches are quite popular in their area. Personally, I like a porch, but really crave privacy, so for me a back porch would be best.
You are putting a terrace in. How lovely for you and the kids. We're planning to move and are hoping we can afford to get a huge backyard with trees all around the border. I'll let you know by next year :))
I'm very pleased that you liked my collages. It think I was creating a place where I might like to be. Nothing to do with art.
Thank you so much for visiting and for your lovely comment.
I am looking forward to hear about your future moving. Having a backyard is really a nice plus (especially in times of lock-downs). Here, we are lucky to live in the countryside where land is still cheap (more or less, as price increased quite a bot over the last few years).
Your creations are delightful A.G. @agmoore. I can see how much fun you have creating the collages. 😊 Beautiful settings, with the man and dog on the autumn tree road. Love how the rooster moves around in your first collage.
In the second collage, I had to chuckle as the dog and the rooster sort of square off ~the dog is not moving from the front of his doghouse to let the rooster have it.
I appreciate you included my images. The rooster is really having a great time. 😊
Hello dear @redheadpei, Thank you so much for your nice words. I look at some other collages and think mine are so unsophisticated. But I don't believe anyone has more fun than I do making these ;))
Your rooster was very well behaved. He did everything I asked, all the time. Thank you for this delightful character. I'm sure I'll be inviting him to stop by again sometime. Isn't that dog amazing? He is a perfect foil for the lively rooster.
Hope the Canadian winter is mild. Here it hasn't been too bad, but I have to admit I don't go out when it's really cold, so I wouldn't know :))
Be well my friend. Take care.
(I wrote this yesterday and never pushed 'reply'. 😄 That happens now sometimes. Am I really slipping? Oh well...)
Hi A.G, good your winter isn’t too bad. We seem to have more snow than usual this winter. I’ll be happy to see Spring with her warm breezes and flowers blooming.
I forgot to add to my reply how much I loved a porch on house and enjoyed seeing the ones you included in your post. The one we have on the front of the house and it is great for company to sit with a beverage and chat in the warm weather and watch the vehicles passing on the highway. The one on the back of the house is actually larger but I mostly use it to feed the wildlife that come by. :)
Best regards, my friend and take care. 💜
🌻🌼🌾
I love houses with porches and also with backyards. In the town where I grew up, the houses had porches and rocking chairs to rest in the evenings. Here in Mexico now, the modern houses don't have porches but the parking lot in front of the house.
Very good article, and of course your collages are beautiful my dear friend. 😉
Hello my friend @mballesteros. @cetb2008 also explains that porches are quite common in his part of the world. Rocking chairs, yes! My grandparents had the widest porch with wonderful chairs you never wanted to get out of.
"Parking lot in front of the house"! Sounds dreadful.
Thank you for visiting my friend and for your kind comments about my simple but enthusiastic collages.
Have a great, safe week.
I love nature in towns and villages , it gives collage more beauty 🌳 you add nice tree on photo
Thank you. I am a nature addict. It is in my heart, and so I am drawn to natural scenes. I'm very glad you like these scenes. Concrete isn't good for the spirit.
I appreciate your visit. Have a great week.
Hello friend, how are you? Your collage is excellent. It refers to the porches of houses. In my country, porches are still used a lot. some coffee, have been very popular in all parts of the world.
My friend, @cetb2008, I am good thank you. I hope you are also. When I was looking for pictures of porches I saw some in other countries, but my articles claim the U.S. has a special fondness. I don't know about that. It seems to me any country with a warm climate would have porches as part of its usual architecture. Still, it was fun to look at the topic. Porches as a social meeting place. Yeah, that makes sense :)
Thank you for the kind words about my collages. Be well my friend. Have a wonderful week with your family.
Hello @agmoore. I support taking the dog's house from the side and moving it front and center of the lawn. If he's going to protect the family, then he needs some recognition. Your collages are lovely. I like the attention given to the lawn.
You are right...you can go on and on with this theme in different directions.
Take care, and have a good rest of your week.
Hello friend @justclickindiva. Isn't that the most wonderful dog and doghouse? I couldn't bear that he disappeared into the background. I even whitened his (is it a he?) teeth and colored his collar so he would be more visible.
Thank you for you kind words about my collages. They are rather literal...no symbolism here, but they were fun to make.
Hope you have a wonderful week.
Thanks for your contribution to the STEMsocial community. Feel free to join us on discord to get to know the rest of us!
Please consider delegating to the @stemsocial account (85% of the curation rewards are returned).
You may also include @stemsocial as a beneficiary of the rewards of this post to get a stronger support.
Thank you. That is very, very generous of you, @stemsocial.
shaka's photos are very beautiful and creative. You are working, good luck for this. Some of the photos smell of history
Hello @momins, thank you very much for stopping by. It was fun to find these photos and make these collages. I'm glad you enjoyed them.
Have a great rest of the week!