Wabi-sabi (beauty in imperfection)

I absolutely love signs of patina, wear and imperfection, in art and in timeworn slices of life.

The beauty of a wall with layers of peeling paint and old posters, or the signwriter’s ghost signs that tell of a former life. The stunning patchwork of an ancient fresco with it’s faded colours, worn surfaces and missing pieces. Rust marks and worn, threadbare areas on an old tablecloth.

I spend my life looking at beauty in the everyday. I’m constantly surprised by the visual interest of things around me. Time, decay, neglect and the weather combine to create the most beautiful patina, layers and colours. An effect that’s accidentally perfect and almost impossible to replicate.

Give me rusty rather than shiny, imperfect rather than pristine, tarnished rather than polished, worn rather than new. All day, every day.

The stories that those marks, stains, layers and missing pieces can tell are fascinating, rich and evocative.

These photos are my own, taken on various train journeys around Europe.