“And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom.” – Anais Nin
I read this quote in three different, unrelated places in one 24-hour period a couple of days ago. On a blog I follow, in an online class I’m taking and in a book I’m reading. When something like that happens, you can’t ignore it. There is a message for me here… it’s time to bloom!
A wrought iron handrail in La Pedrera, aka Casa Mila, another building by Antonio Gaudi in Barcelona is a great example of soft edges. The handrail could be all straight lines, right angles, functional, forgettable. But it’s not, it’s art – part of the decoration, the feel of the place. It’s beautiful. I never thought much on wrought iron before living here in Europe, but now I’ve seen so much beautiful and functional wrought iron work I respect it as it’s own art form.
In another forum, I had someone comment on the contrast I was seeing in my Barcelona photos. She put it as hard vs. soft edges. I hadn’t even noticed that before, the contrast that I had noticed in Barcelona was the old vs. new, modern vs. classic, but there is definitely the hard and soft contrast too. Straight lines and flowing curves. I love getting a comment like that, that helps me to see things I captured in a different way. Keep them coming!
The attic of Casa Battlo, one of Antonio Gaudi’s houses, is a magic place. All arches and light. Gaudi was an amazing architect of the Modernista age in Barcelona, he was able to create such a wonderful feel in the spaces he designed, even in something as mundane as an attic where only the servants would go. He was an artist, and his canvas was the buildings and spaces he created.
The feeling of light, design, art inside Gaudi’s Casa Battlo was reminiscent for me of visiting Frank Lloyd Wright’s Gordon House in Oregon. It’s like you enter the space of genius. These places make me look at architecture differently, not just from the outside but from the inside too. And then I wonder why most of our buildings are boxes with holes in them for light, when we could have spaces like these.
Hey look, here are a few seats in a tapas bar in Barcelona, just waiting for us to come in and sit down. What time should I meet you there?
Tiny flowers for sale in the market on Las Ramblas in Barcelona. Wrapped up in paper for a Euro a bundle, these bright little buds were too cute, too colorful to resist. I bought a packet, tucked them in the pocket of my suitcase and then forgot about them until yesterday. I thought they would be crushed as I dug them out of the suitcase, but they survived just fine. As bright and colorful and whole as they had been in the market, they are now smiling at me from my bulletin board next to the computer. A colorful little reminder of our time in Barcelona.
It’s funny, in all of our travels we really don’t buy too much. For me, the photographs and experiences are enough. Occasionally a small piece of art, an interesting mug for tea or a small item, like these flowers, call to me as a little something physical to take back from a place.
This month’s theme at Creative Every Day is “bliss” and I was having trouble with the word, until I realized that for me color is bliss. Bright, happy color. Like these little flowers.
One of the things I loved about Barcelona was the modern architecture. Such wonderful, creative buildings around the city. A feast for the eyes, with the lines and the reflections. Such a wonderful contrast of old and new in this place. It was a nice break from the older, historic architecture I love and have been photographing so much this last year.
Another new “view” today is my blog redesign! This is the project I’ve been working on here and there, using the technical side of my brain for a creative purpose. I’ve tried to make it easier to find posts by labels and also to bookmark or share. Let me know what you think… what you like and don’t like. I want to make this a place you like to visit, so please let me know!
