rust blossoms

I’ve said before that I love the patterns produced by rust and weathered paint. The bold compositions produced by the elements working away at metal surfaces covered in their flimsy dressing of paint can rival those of some of the most venerated abstract expressionists. These canvases, however, are not so much the kind you find in museums, but rather on dumpsters, storage containers, parking lot barriers and such. Here are several examples of compositions of rust and weathered pain that caught my eye, several for producing patterns that were almost floral in appearance. (I realize that what these also look like are inkblots. What do you see in the pictures?)

The base of a lamp post in a parking lot in Providence, RI.

This was in Dublin. I think it was some sort of a garage door.

A parking lot barrier post in New York.

A parking lot post of some sort. In Massachusetts.

Some sort of wall at the Völklingen Ironworks, in Germany.