"El árbol de los deseos" in Toledo:
We wished for: A Canon Rebel camera (me), felicidad (Jose) and a puppy (Rachel). Let's see...
We wished for: A Canon Rebel camera (me), felicidad (Jose) and a puppy (Rachel). Let's see...
Saturday, December 31, 2011
Friday, December 30, 2011
Patterns of Cadiz: Natural vs. Manmade
I'm obsessed with the patterns, textures, and designs you can find in every day life. Whenever I walk around a city, I always keep an eye out for them! In Cadiz, I loved the roots of the tree and the natural pattern it made. I also love all the patterned tiled floors in the south of Spain - beautiful!
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| December 2011 |
Wednesday, December 28, 2011
Tuesday, December 27, 2011
Monday, December 26, 2011
Touring with Ray: Part 1
Rachel and I spent a lot of today walking around Madrid, enjoying the city and the nice sunny (but chilly) weather.
In Spain, Santa climbs the balcony to get into the house. I can't, however, explain the frightening flamenco mannequin (...). Like I mentioned before, lots of quirky christmas lights:
The Cathedral:
The Palacio Real (as well as the closest Ray and I got to taking a photo together) and the Don Quixote statue in Plaza de Espana:
The details on the buildings of Madrid are really beautiful:
In Spain, Santa climbs the balcony to get into the house. I can't, however, explain the frightening flamenco mannequin (...). Like I mentioned before, lots of quirky christmas lights:
The Palacio Real (as well as the closest Ray and I got to taking a photo together) and the Don Quixote statue in Plaza de Espana:
Friday, December 23, 2011
Las Luces de Navidad
The christmas lights in Madrid are beautiful!
They range from classic to quirky, and they're everywhere...
The Christmas tree at Sol (the center):
Although I can objectively admit the christmas decorations are better in Madrid, I still miss the holiday season in Boston! I hope everyone back home has a great christmas eve and christmas day :) Here in Madrid I'll be having a Christmas Eve dinner and then...
SANTA IS BRINGING RACHEL FOR CHRISTMAS!
Thursday, December 22, 2011
Tangier: Cats and Cars
Tangier was full of cats; they were everywhere (although, not surprisingly, cars and restaurants seemed to be a favorite). When I managed to pick up an adorable little kitten on the street, one of the guys nearby told me I could take him back to Spain. Tempting, but with an expired residency card (bureaucratic nightmare #1 = getting your residency card renewed) I wasn't about to have a showdown with spanish border control. Photos will have to do for now.
Tuesday, December 20, 2011
Beach Sunrise and Rothko
Leaving early morning from Cadiz, I took some photos of the sunrise on the beach. I like the abstract quality of the photograph; it reminds me of Rothko's paintings.
Here are some Mark Rothko paintings for comparison:
I love how the elements of art can always be found in nature; for inspiration all you have to do is walk out your door :)
Sunday, December 18, 2011
Nugget Art: Holiday Poetry
So I know that I haven't posted any nugget art in a while; we've been doing lots of holiday crafts (turkey hands, paper snowflakes, etc.) that every american is already familiar with - no need to bore you with that! My most recent project with the kids was actually in the english class. It's not the visual art that my blog normally focuses on, but poetry is art too, right?
The poem is called My Reindeer, and I included the beginning of the lines to help them get started and to make sure they understood the difference between the verbs (they tend to mix them up). Here are the lines I gave them: It sees...It hears...It is...It has...It likes...It can...It eats...It dreams of...
If you do a writing project like this with any 8 or 9 year olds, I guarantee you'll get some entertaining results. Add to the mix that they're writing a poem in a second language they haven't mastered and the results are even better (random words are thrown in with the sole reason that it's the only one they could think of). The poems I got from the nuggets range from hilarious to perceptive to absolute nonsense; I dare you to read the following lines I took from some of the poems without cracking a smile :)
"It is ground beef."
"It has all the clams."
"It likes papers."
"It eats presents."
"It is a delivery of pizza."
"It has a teddy with a tutu of Santa."
"It can fly with rollerblades."
"It dreams of a snowman in the shower."
"It eats pizza with cheese."
"It eats the whole world."
"It hears Ho Ho Ho!"
"It eats carrots, grass and chocolate."
"It dreams of being a rabbit."
"It sees an angel. It hears her sing."
"It hears to listen."
"It eats christmas trees."
"It hears your words. It is a good animal."
"It sees the happiness of the children."
"It is the king of the gifts."
"It has a heart very big."
"It dreams of angels."
"It sees when you are sleeping."
"It dreams of one flower two pink houses and the blue doors."
"It is a toy when you are a boy."
"It can draw the magic."
"It hears the song of Danza Kuduro."
"It can laugh with the children."
"It can drink whiskey."
"It dreams of a crazy clown."
"It sees the stars with his big eyes."
"It is a big and strong reindeer called John."
"It likes flying in the sky with the stars."
"It sees the three kings walking to the star."
"It eats christmas flowers."
"It has a nose as red as a tomato."
"It dreams of flying to space."
"It dreams of children and becoming real."
"It dreams of being a human."
I hope you enjoyed the nugget poets as much as I did! Any favorite lines? They're all so good!
The poem is called My Reindeer, and I included the beginning of the lines to help them get started and to make sure they understood the difference between the verbs (they tend to mix them up). Here are the lines I gave them: It sees...It hears...It is...It has...It likes...It can...It eats...It dreams of...
If you do a writing project like this with any 8 or 9 year olds, I guarantee you'll get some entertaining results. Add to the mix that they're writing a poem in a second language they haven't mastered and the results are even better (random words are thrown in with the sole reason that it's the only one they could think of). The poems I got from the nuggets range from hilarious to perceptive to absolute nonsense; I dare you to read the following lines I took from some of the poems without cracking a smile :)
"It is ground beef."
"It has all the clams."
"It likes papers."
"It eats presents."
"It is a delivery of pizza."
"It has a teddy with a tutu of Santa."
"It can fly with rollerblades."
"It dreams of a snowman in the shower."
"It eats pizza with cheese."
"It eats the whole world."
"It hears Ho Ho Ho!"
"It eats carrots, grass and chocolate."
"It dreams of being a rabbit."
"It sees an angel. It hears her sing."
"It hears to listen."
"It eats christmas trees."
"It hears your words. It is a good animal."
"It sees the happiness of the children."
"It is the king of the gifts."
"It has a heart very big."
"It dreams of angels."
"It sees when you are sleeping."
"It dreams of one flower two pink houses and the blue doors."
"It is a toy when you are a boy."
"It can draw the magic."
"It hears the song of Danza Kuduro."
"It can laugh with the children."
"It can drink whiskey."
"It dreams of a crazy clown."
"It sees the stars with his big eyes."
"It is a big and strong reindeer called John."
"It likes flying in the sky with the stars."
"It sees the three kings walking to the star."
"It eats christmas flowers."
"It has a nose as red as a tomato."
"It dreams of flying to space."
"It dreams of children and becoming real."
"It dreams of being a human."
I hope you enjoyed the nugget poets as much as I did! Any favorite lines? They're all so good!
Saturday, December 17, 2011
Friday, December 16, 2011
Love Lockets: Seville Bridge
The Seville Bridge is full of love lockets - lockets that couples, families or friends have left behind as a reminder of their love for one another.
"Love is the strongest force the world possesses, and yet it is the humblest imaginable." [Gandhi]
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
La Mezquita Catedral de Córdoba: Christianity and Islam
A beautiful example of overlapping cultures that speaks to the idea that no culture/country/religion stands perfectly alone - its past, present, and future are always affected by outside influences.
The photographs to
the left include both
christian and muslim influences (not uncommon in Spain, particularly in the south). Although most (if not all) people visit the Mezquita de Cordoba for its incredible moorish architecture (the rows and rows of arches really are amazing), it's not long before you notice the christian influences as well. In the first photo you see the moorish arches outlining the biblical scenes sculpted beneath them. In the second photograph, the catholic crucifix stands out against the moorish arches. Really beautiful.
Monday, December 12, 2011
Holiday Cheer
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| Left & Middle: Trujillo, Spain; Right: Seville, Spain |
Spain at Christmas time is beautiful; this week I'm going to walk around Madrid to look at all the lights - photos to come!
Spanish Windmills: Then and Now
One thing you'll definitely notice driving around the spanish countryside? Windmills. Spain must be way ahead of the US in green energy (not that difficult to believe), because it seems like they´re everywhere. Here´s a little then vs. now comparison of the old and new windmills so prominent in the spanish landscape:
Saturday, December 10, 2011
Friday, December 9, 2011
Spanish Road Trip
After a last minute change of plans, we jumped in the car and made our way from Madrid to our first stop, Trujillo (in Extremadura). Like many small spanish towns, it's old, beautiful, and heavy on history. Trujillo's claim to fame is Francisco Pizarro, the spanish conquerer of the Incan Empire:
The next morning we made our way to Andalucia, stopping for lunch in Seville. As we walked along the river, I took some photos of the bridge I loved so much the last time I visited (more on this later):
Next stop: Cadiz (during golden hour)!
After a night in Cadiz we drove to Tarifa (the bottom tip of Spain) to catch a ferry to Tangier, Morocco. We even managed to see some dolphins as the ferry was leaving the port!
Tangier, Morocco:
After two days in Morocco, we took a ferry back to Spain. From there we started making our way back to Madrid. We stopped for lunch in Cordoba, and visited the mosque:
Now I'm back in Madrid, ready to relax :) More photos from the trip will be posted over the next several weeks, so check back.
The next morning we made our way to Andalucia, stopping for lunch in Seville. As we walked along the river, I took some photos of the bridge I loved so much the last time I visited (more on this later):
After a night in Cadiz we drove to Tarifa (the bottom tip of Spain) to catch a ferry to Tangier, Morocco. We even managed to see some dolphins as the ferry was leaving the port!
Tangier, Morocco:
After two days in Morocco, we took a ferry back to Spain. From there we started making our way back to Madrid. We stopped for lunch in Cordoba, and visited the mosque:
Now I'm back in Madrid, ready to relax :) More photos from the trip will be posted over the next several weeks, so check back.
Sunday, December 4, 2011
A Short Break
Off to Tangier, Morocco until Wednesday! I'm looking forward to exploring the city, shopping the souks and drinking lots of mint tea.
Mmmmmm relaxing :)
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| Marrakech, Morocco - April 2011 |
Saturday, December 3, 2011
St. Pete Beach
St. Petersburg, Florida is home to beautiful beaches (and my friend Jeff!):
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| July 2011 |
Thursday, December 1, 2011
Art Therapy
A quick interview with an Australian psychotherapist about the impact art can have on people with mental illness. Really interesting: http://www.arttherapyblog.com/uimages/2011/10/art-as-therapy.mp3
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