This photograph is a close-up image of textured, oil stained drums in Buda, Texas.  It forms part of a series of photographs taken by Julie Dahlstrom in 2009.

What are oil drums?

The oil drums were used by the Dahlstrom Construction Company to hold materials used in construction.  The Company was dissolved after the Arab oil embargo of the seventies.  See what an oil drums looks like. 

What are these drums used for?

These oil drums are no longer in use but were used in the past to store asphalt and other materials used in construction.  During the oil embargo, many construction companies - like the Dahlstrom Company - struggled to survive, and many who went bankrupt or otherwise dissolved left behind these drums as a legacy.  Now, the construction equipment is long gone: the machines were picked apart long ago for scrap metal.  But, the oil drums remain. 

Many of the drums still contain asphalt and other materials, a reminder of their former purpose.  As the outside decays, the innards - old oil and asphalt - still await clean up.  Read more about the Dahlstrom Construction Company.

What do the pieces evoke?

The images are a way of capturing the beauty found in degradation.  Over the years, these drums have been abandoned.  They are seen as useless, junk metal - and even potentially toxic waste.  And yet, the years of oxidation and disrepair have caused a beauty to emerge.  The rust has taken on beautiful hues and as you view them close-up, there are wonderful abstractions scratched into the oil-stained surfaces.  View the slideshow.

How do I purchase a photograph?

To purchase a print, please visit Julie’s etsy site or email her directly to find out more information.  Custom sizes, framing, and matting are available as well.

Forest Fire, Julie Dahlstrom © 2009