What we saw during our motorhome trip (2)

 

 

Like yesterday's storyboard, this one is built of pictures of typical Spanish 'things'

(sorry, I am looking for a better word in English but don't succeed)

 

The first one is near a museum shop where all kind of local products were being sold. The vehicle is a typical agricultural appearance and quite handy on the small roads and terraces of the vineyards.

 

When we were ready to continue our trip, we had to cross this bridge. There are lots of these old bridges in our neighborhood. They cross the usually dry 'barancs', but in time of rain need all the height to enable you to drive there

 

Ah, siesta time in the village. Everything is quiet, all tiny little shops closed, except for the bars and terraces. Very, very Spanish!!

 

This mural had the quality of a 'tromp d'oeuil', so realistic with the market stalls...

 

At the end of day 1 we arrived at our final destination and got a glimpse of the 'grandeur' of the place!

 

More on that in the next issue, see you!

 

Regina

What we saw during our motorhome trip (1)

(please click the storyboard for a better view)

 

In this storyboard you can see from left to right:

 

-gourds

 

-firewood near a roadside grill

 

- almond trees

 

- the Alcoy castle

 

-baskets

 

These pictures were taken on day 1 of our trip. At that time most almond trees had lost their blossoms and fragile leaves had started to come out.

 

Firewood is called 'lena' in Spanish, though it is mostly somewhat thicker than these fine ones; I suppose this size is to get the fire started

 

The gourds were wonderful, they looked like hams from a distance. Until today I have not yet discovered them in any Spanish garden.

 

Baskets are being made  near our village, in the village of Gata de Gorgos. There are several shops selling all kind of basketry, hats, furniture and rugs. Gata de Gorgos is also hosting a textile exposition once a year. Quilt like textile, fabric paintings and so on hang from the balconies in one of the narrow village streets, out in the open! No quilt police here, no protection from the weather, simply exposed outside. Last year I visited the annual expo on its final day and by that time many of the works had lost their colour, paint had washed out. I suppose you have to be earlier to really enjoy the art, it may be a Spanish 'something', but seeing this for the first time I was in a kind of shock, as I am used to the tender loving care with which quilts in other countries are being handled.

 

The Alcoy castle is on top of a very narrow hill. To me it really looked like the way a castle was described in history books. Maybe I can visit it one day...

 

That was it for today. As always: thanks for visiting!

 

Regina

Villages while driving by and through

 

 

 

 

In this post some images of Spanish villages we drove through on our recent motorhome trip.

 

As you can see: no exuberant colours, the dark pink house was about the only one colored one we saw. If I miss one thing of the Caribic it's just the colours...

 

What we see everywhere are electricity cables, most are still hanging from poles and run from one house to the other, simply crossing streets. It is therefore very difficult to make pictures without these, so I chose to simply show!

 

In a future post I will show the landscape which reminded me somewhat of New Mexico, same dry atmosphere, even something that looked like a canyon to me. But that is for next time!

 

Bye for now, thanks for visiting,

 

Regina

Roadtrek trip!

Finally! After over three years we made our first camper trip in

Spain.

 

It was a test to see if the necessary changes to the electrical system worked out fine. Well, they did!

 

We went into the mountain range that runs parallel to the coast.

A complete different world it is, over there. Sleepy villages with very tiny streets. Many tints of terra and ocre, no frills, hardly romantic.

Yet the country is charming, but unlike France not idyllic. I love the no-nonsense atmosphere here, and above all I love the very gentle people.

 

Always willing to help, being friendly and subtly improving my sometimes poor pronunciation of Spanish

 

 

 

 

Back home I put the photographs on the computer and even started to edit a few. The one above is a mix of two pictures, one of a field with grasses and tiny flowers, the other of harvest baskets

It is a start, more will follow.

 

See you next time!

 

Regina

Fabrics

(yellow is white in real)

 

Hi!

 

It's been a while, again...

No excuses, just nothing other than that I was busy

 

 

Last week we went to a theater play and as this does not happen so often here in our village, I did my best to dress up a little.

 

I have a kimono jacket that I often turn to in these situations; it is of a black/neutral georgette, quite lovely as I may say so myself, but I have plans now to make me a new one!

 

There is a dark blue linen in the cupboard that is suitable for my design, but I would like to make it a bit more outstanding than just the solid blue.

 

So, this morning I visited our local charity shop, where I had seen a lovely georgette dress on a manequin last week. Fortunately it was still there and for 5 euro's it is mine now!

 

(the yellowish color on the right is white in real, other colors are dark and a lighter blue)

 

You probably understand by now why I love the design of the fabric; it has it all....contrast, dots, spirals in suggested stitches. I can imagine how it will look in a similar jacket as the one below

According to me the fabric as a whole makes a Japanese impression, the colorcombination at least looks like some quiltfabrics I bought long ago at a quiltfestival.

 

Making much art? Currently not

Making/restyling fashion? Yes!

 

 

Thanks for visiting, till next time!

 

Regina

 



Just because

 

... they are so beautiful

 I had to show this picture

on my blog today!

 

For years I have been surrounded and have collected pods...

in some way these hard leftovers of what once was a flower

attract  me even more than flowers themselves

 

this might be because of their neutral colours, the woodlike structure and in this case of course

 

 a very special kind of dots

 

I especially remember the screaming orange coloured

 flamboyant trees

in full bloom in July, on the island where we used to live

 

This is a picture of a lotus pod,

edited in Pixl-o-matic on my tablet with filters

Earl and Night

 

I like to play with that app sometimes, like this Sunday morning

 

 

Happy Sunday, friends!



Dots, ceramics

 

Hello!

 

Today is a day full of possibilities for me:

no appointments, no musts or whatsoever

 

the only thing I have to do is finding inspiration for my new painting

which will have to be: WATER (in the broadest sense)

 

So despite limiting myself ref. surfing time on the www, I had to go there and (like often) came across some eyecandy, oh boy..!

 

 

As you may know I love many things, materials, colors though of course I have my favorites... During my creative life there have been many questions from friends to participate in all kind of workshops (with different materials). Mostly I refused. Not because I did not want to try, on the contrary, it was more the fear that I could get hooked and would develop yet another passion...

 

Nowadays we have the luxury of being able to enjoy a myriad of art and/or decoration without going to a museum or participating in workshops. That luxury (I really feel it as such) brought the images in this post.

The above pottery is of Christina Guwang, a French ceramics artist, she makes the most fantastic 'bols'. I just love the simplicity, the neutral color scheme and of course the dots!

 

 

this ceramic piece is of Alan Wallwork, a British potter

The rhythm of the dotted pattern makes my heart sing...I just get happy of looking at it. I have tried to analyse this phenomenon but until today did not succeed to explain why, what it is that exactly makes it a feast to look at. Must be something psychological, I don't even know whether I want to know, haha

 

Last but not least this picture

 

 

my favorites are:

nr 3 top row, 1 and 2 middle, and 3 bottom

This is students work of the MIT in Cambridge, USA

 

These patterns could be sewn on my Pfaff machine one day!

 

 

So far my eyecandy for today. Gonna use my possibilities, see you!

 

Regina