Folk Art in Texas Page: 56
203 p. : ill., ports. ; 29 cm.View a full description of this book.
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AT REST: FOLK ART IN TEXAS CEMETERIES
some are ornately carved, others are painted.2
Though weathered, the painted cross in Figure 4 is
still readable with its curlicue decoration.
Stone markers are much more durable than wood,
but granite and marble are more frequently used by
professional stonemasons for carving than by folk
artists. Native stones such as petrified wood make
attractive markers on gravesites, but their hardness
makes them difficult to inscribe. Softer stones (such
as sandstone) are more frequently found with
carved inscriptions or designs, but unfortunately soft
stones also weather more quickly, making their
designs difficult to see if they have not been carved
deep into the stone. The simple epitaph carved in
the stone in Figure 3 has been protected by its
treeside location.
Concrete appears to be one of the most common
and most versatile of materials used to create
"homemade" gravemarkers as it can be cast in a
variety of shapes and decorated. It is possible to draw
elaborate designs in unset concrete. Roans Chapel
Cemetery in Brazos County contains several fine ex-/,- i .... -7. *
"- .'- . , f.
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',+ , +J' t* r, , - - C i -' .... . "Figure 6. Hand impression on a concrete marker. Wheelock
Cemetery (Black section), Robertson County, Texas./~~~ :
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<:,+ + < .... l... Lo+L .',(/ ,
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Figure 5. An open Bible and three flowers are inscribed on this
marker in Roans Chapel Cemetery, Brazos County, Texas.amples of this decorative style, as shown in Figures
5 and 6. Though both markers are reminiscent of
designs on professionally carved stones in the
county, their means of execution is unique. In addi-
tion to "drawing" on the surface of wet concrete, the
malleability of this material also makes it possible
to impress designs onto the marker. One of the more
interesting examples I have found is shown in Figure
6, where a human hand was pressed into the unset
concrete. It is not known whether this is the hand-
print of the deceased, or the person who made the
stone, or some other loved one. Another example
of this style is shown in Figure 7, where an impres-
sion was made by what appears to be a leaf-shaped
glass dish. Shells are commonly used to make similar
impressed decorations, and epitaphs are impressed
into wet concrete as well, with cut-out letters. Another
means of decorating concrete markers involves adher-* 56 *
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Folk Art in Texas (Book)
This book describes popular folk art of Texas, including basket weaving, hat-making, yard art, sculptures, murals, cemetery art, quilt-making, tattoo art, and other miscellaneous folk art. The index begins on page 198.
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Abernethy, Francis Edward. Folk Art in Texas, book, 1985; Dallas, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc67647/m1/64/: accessed April 27, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting UNT Press.