William Sutherland's photos with the keyword: Heart

Abandoned Building, E. 4th Street, Cleveland, Ohio Lonely and abandoned, In the twilight of its life, The shuttered building stands, Its thriving past a faded memory. Yet it dares hope with painted vibrance for an extended lifeline; and for as long as it stands, It dreams of rebirth and renewal. © 2023 – William Sutherland

Created from photos taken in Greenwich, CT, Larchmont, NY, New Rochelle, NY and Jacksonville, FL. from 9 July 2019-15 December 2019.

Mamaroneck, NY Note: This abstract was created using discarded garbage and litter consisting of plastic debris, a rubber spacer ring, red foam heart, broken tiles and lima beans. When I created this work, I intended to break numerous rules, starting with the title Cela , inscribed on one of the broken tiles, which is derived from the French contraction Ce + là , which means “That.” In this case “That” is 1 John 4:8 and 16 – “God is Love.” Accordingly, the heart that represents God’s unconditional, unfailing and unending love based on Psalm 136:26: “Give thanks to God… for His steadfast love endures forever” was converted into a colorless heart because in reality His sacred heart is immaculate and pure and untarnished by even the slightest ill, evil and negativity, the black spacer ring that represents light and eternity maintained its color despite conventional views since black too as does every color, connotes brightness and goodness. The cross represents God’s great sacrifice that broke the chains of death while the widespread red represents God’s passion and love exhibited so clearly when He gave his life for each and every one of us and the power of the Holy Spirit that guides, inspires, purifies and sustains our existence – “And there appeared to them tongues as of fire…” [Acts 2:3] “to purify…” [Titus 2:14] and , based on Psalm 51:10 “create in [each of us] a clean heart." The faint wavy flows symbolize rebirth to eternity based on John 3:5 “Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.” All of us are body (75% of water) and soul! The lima beans represent seeds of faith based on the parable found in Luke 17:5-6: “If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea’ and it will obey you” while the simplicity proclaims the words of Matthew 11:30 – “ [M] y yoke is easy and M y burden is light.” Finally, the face represents the blissful attainment of eternal life in the presence of God captured by Psalm 16:11: “In Your presence is fullness of joy.”

Larchmont, NY Note: Still Life created using digital textures and colors from a photo taken on 15 July 2020. The "I Love NY" logo was created by Milton Glaser (1928-2020) in 1976 when New York City faced great challenges ranging from verge of bankruptcy, urban flight to the suburbs and high crime. Mr. Glaser created a special logo when NYC was reeling from 9/11. The heart was slightly singed and the wording read, "I Love NY More Than Ever." Considering Mr. Glaser recently passed away at 91 (26 June 2020), to honor his memory and the state and city I love, I created a logo to fit the COVID-19 moment that has hit the state and city so hard (on 18 July 2020) using a face mask and heart I obtained from Clipart Library , a site that offers free clip art for use without copyright restrictions. This logo is displayed below:

Larchmont, NY Note: This composition was created to promote awareness and provide images of precautionary supplies. While N-95 rated face masks (the only face masks manufactured to protect against airborne pathogens) are not needed at this time in much of the world, hand sanitizer and good hygiene are a good idea to prevent its spread as well as that of seasonal flu, the latter whose casualties rarely make the headlines. The rose, heart, and color scheme were used since Valentine's Day, the international day of love, falls in February and because love should be the pre-eminent approach to everything.

Mamaroneck, NY Note: The title comes from a discarded coffee cup whose powerful message takes the title of John Lennon’s hit song, All You Need is Love. It was performed on live television when the BBC linked five continents together for the first time in 1967 using various satellites for the One World broadcast. The Beatles performed this epic song at the conclusion of the broadcast that reached 350 million households in what is described as “the greatest single moment in the history of popular music.” [1] The lyrics are timeless and universally inspirational – “There’s nothing you can do that can’t be done… No one… that can’t be saved… You can learn how to be you… All you need is love.” Dreams and aspirations are not impossible and individuality is something to be treasured. And yes, love is all we need based on the words of 12th Century CE Sufi Poet Farid ud Din Attar – “On [l] ove [we] all depend.” This abstract uses vibrant reds and oranges to symbolize the power of love, discarded garbage including a cup that makes up the title, an unused soggy Valentine’s Day heart that symbolizes love itself, a circle to depict the continuous eternal nature of love and the fact we are one world and one human race and a broken plastic casing that resembles a staircase to transcend violence, hate and all the evils that remain all too common. Finally, the abstract includes a signature happy face since love is the origin of the universes and life, the sole necessity of our sustenance, the ultimate driving force of good, and the only example of unbroken, lasting perfection in an imperfect, transient and broken world. _____ [1] All You Need is Love History DKR Products. 5 August 2018. www.beatlesebooks.com/all-you-need-is-love

Weinberg Nature Center, Scarsdale, NY

Mamaroneck, NY Notes: The title is not meant to be offensive but to point out this photographic work of art was created out of garbage consistent with Garbage Crucifixion that can be found at: www.ipernity.com/doc/285927/35523765/in/album/711719 The Crescent and star represent the universal symbol of Islam. The Camel on the cigarette box, a form of figurative art that is popular in Islamic culture and acceptable based on the Qu’ran and Hadith represents Islam’s Middle Eastern roots in Mecca and Medina. The white roses represent purity in spite of attempts by ISIS and other “Islamic” extremists to defile this great Faith with the blood of slain innocents. The red heart represents God’s unconditional enduring love and the Arabic writing in the bottom right hand corner means peace since when Islam is followed as the Prophet Mohammed had envisioned, it is a peaceful, loving and tolerant religion that does not compel anyone to act against their conscience. Last, I included a smiling face in the lower left corner since smiles were important to the Prophet Mohammed and provide a glimmer of light in this dark period of history. Finally, even though the same medieval-minded barbarians that seek to snuff out free will, creativity and human life may object, this photographic composition represents true alignment with Islam’s virtues vs. their antithetical dogma of evil. Therefore, it represents a positive contribution to religious and secular tolerance and serves as a tribute to Islam and Islamic culture.

Larchmont, NY Photographer’s Statement: He was despised and rejected by mankind, a man of suffering, and familiar with pain. Like one from whom people hide their faces he was despised, and we held him in low esteem. Surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering… [B]y his wounds we are healed. He was assigned a grave with the wicked… though he had done no violence, nor was any deceit in his mouth. [Isaiah 53:3-5, 9] It because of this scripture that a setting among garbage in which all items (with the exception of the broken corpus) were found at the location is appropriate and fitting. I held onto the broken corpus to use in just the right setting. When I found the red heart, I knew this was the location. Even though they humiliated and scourged him, nailed him to the cross (formed by the discarded heart, CD (which also serves as a halo to illustrate the impending resurrection and resulting universal salvation), cup cover, and lower part of the corpus), opened his side with a lance and assigned his grave to be with the wicked (symbolized by the abundance of dried leaves and litter) – they could not break his love (symbolized by the intact heart that has retained its color and is beginning to break away from the cross – a sign that death has been conquered and every grave will be shattered) simply because "God is love!" [1 John 4:8 and 16] The background colors and textures represent the universe and eternity. Concluding Haiku: With body broken, He cried, “Father, forgive them!” God’s love saves us all!