Images of Life, Change, and Beauty: Photographs, Poetry, and Art—Selections From the Works of Fran Dalton

A short time ago- I had the fortunate opportunity to meet Newburyport native Colleen Stiriti (and subsequently her husband) after she meandered into my humble shop. We had an animated conversation on art and photography - which led me to understand their deep commitment to a lifetime local friend, artist, & photographer-Fran Dalton who had passed away in 1985. Bequeathed with Fran's entire collection of original works - they set out to, not only honor a dear friend, but to showcase the exceptional & prolific talent of an artist that defied simple categorization and rolled inspirations across creative boundaries.

This volume "Images of Life, Change, and Beauty: Photographs, Poetry, and Art—Selections from the Works of Fran Dalton" is a carefully curated and beautifully presented volume of Fran's work. While focused primarily on photography (I am particularly fond of the people/street images) - it provides a wonderful insight into an evolutionary, adaptive perspective & freedom of one's creative energy. 

In their words
This selection of photographs was taken by Fran Dalton, principally in Newburyport, Massachusetts, beginning in the 1960s during a time of great change. Along with a sprinkling of her poems and artwork, they invite the reader to reflect on the importance of having a sense of connection to place, neighbors, and strangers alike, to nature and to one’s true self. The story, in her own words, of her transition in the mid-1980s—at the age of 58—from the male she was thought to be at birth to the female she, in truth, was, provides an opportunity for the reader to gain an appreciation for an extraordinary human being.