Författare: Leya

Thursday Thoughts – A day at Phoenix Parc

/ Leya / 26 kommentarer

We had missed that in Nice they do not close their museums on Mondays – but on Tuesdays. Instead we went to Phoenix Parc near the airport, a short train ride and we were there.

Many flowers and some animals – a sunny and relaxing walk! One of the peacocks decided to show off his beauty – and we had a hard time figuring out if his front or back was the most attractive part of him…

The flamingos were spotted from down under the foliage, pruning and prancing…

So, feathers and flowers – another lovely day in Nice!

Lens-Artists Challenge #290 – Circular Wonders

/ Leya / 190 kommentarer

There is something particularly special and personal about the circle and how its curves comfortably rule every aspect of our lives.
― Kat Lahr

I spent a week in Nice and surrounding villages – and was greatly inspired by the art and architecture as well as the ongoing Carnivals. Last time we visited was in 1976…a long time ago. Honestly, I didn’t recognise anything at all, but loved what I saw. And the food was delicious.

A feast of colourful life filled our days. In fact I found so many lovely circular items, old and new, that I decided this challenge would be about Circular Wonders. For you to interpret the way you find most interesting!

This carnival in Nice is an old tradition. In 1294 it was first mentioned in writing, in 1873 it was the first carnival procession in France, and in 1876, flower floats were introduced. Today the Nice Carnival is the grandest and most important carnival (more than two weeks of festivities) in the Mediterranean area.

As the old towns and small towns here usually do, Saint Paul de Vence, Menton and Eze, offered lovely cobbled streets and wonderful art galleries, big and small. Fondation Maeght was impressive, and the Chagall museum in Nice was of course well worth a visit.

In my gallery below, the included Chagall is from his Bible series. Fête du Citron (with 140 tons of fruit used for uncountable circles…) in Menton had an Olympic theme. And every morning tables were beautifully laid on the beach – emanating strong spring vibes to a cold Swedish soul.

Wander into the center of the circle of wonder.

– Hongzhi Zhengjue

The next gallery is from the Opening Parade (this year the theme was Pop Culture) and the Flower Parade. Among the flower floats I recognised many fairy tale themes. When I said we were going to the ”Flower Parade”, an elderly French gentleman kindly corrected me – Bataille des Fleurs! Oh well, that sounded just perfect in French.

A circle is a round straight line with a hole in the middle.

– Mark Twain

Circles, half circles…skirts, dresses, hairdos, flowers, umbrellas, candy, and even a nose. Most impressive of these circular wonders, were the cycling musicians from the Netherlands – and they circled throughout the whole parade, lead by a biking conductor! There were all instruments from drums to trumpets and horns – and no one fell off his/her bike… some admirable skills there.

Come out of the circle of time

And into the circle of love.

– Rumi

Et voilá – I will end with some non-carnival flowers found in Nice, Menton and Eze. We had such a fun, lovely and uplifting week. And the icing on the cake was that –

Viveka (My Guilty Pleasures) and I chatted for a couple of hours and had a rosy drink while discussing the festivals and our outings around Nice. Unfortunately she had booked one week later than us, so this was only a short meet before we left.

Cheers!

Now we are looking forward to seeing your fantastic circles and half circles! Be sure to link to my original post and use the Lens-Artists tag. Hope you want to join in!

Big thanks to John, for last week’s brilliant lessons about tools of composition – inspirational posts en masse! Next week it is Patti’s turn to host, so please visit her beautiful site for more inspiration.

Thursday Thoughts – Nice again!

/ Leya / 29 kommentarer

Do you love dragons?

Warning – I do and always have…So, the night light carnival was absolutely mezmerising. Ever since I first read about dragons, I have loved them. My daughter played with dragons and built dragons instead of dolls or cars. I still love animated movies with dragons in them. Spirited Away (Hayao Miyazaki on Japanese myths of old) and How to Train your Dragon (charming and clever), both have much to teach us. Fun, inspiration and wisdom in one. I hope to see them again with little Myra.

Time for the Light festival then. Promenade des Anglais looked wonderful in the sunset. But now – let’s get started!

The Carnival King arrived in confetti showers. At least 10-15 meters tall. Impressive.

Then another king came along – you all know who he is!

This car was obviously every year in the parade. I don’t recognise the animals or drivers. Do you?

Now – my dragons! Some skilled building here and I don’t want to know how many hours’ work. Look at the details. He walked, moved his body parts separately, sent flames and smoke, and juggled artists from his neck and head.

We climbed down the stairs to see him from ground level too. What a treat! My little grandchild looked at the movie clip I sent, and was at first a bit scared, then fascinated. I hope she will love dragons too. My fascination still burns. It is good to keep the child in you even as a grown up.

Lens-Artists Challenge #289 – Tools of Composition

/ Leya / 67 kommentarer

John leads the challenge this week, and wants us to focus on the importance of Shape, Form, Texture and Light in our compositions. I guess most of us do, but without thinking about it. This tunnel in Eze, France, is smoothly showing off all these aspects. I simply take photos of what I find a beautiful view.

John suggests we choose to highlight one or more of these aspects, and present one or two of our favorites. We can decide to focus on only one aspect or include examples of all of them. I thought I would focus on my favourites, texture and light – but found I had some examples for all four of them. Some more of the latter though…

As John points out, the difference between shape and form can be difficult to decide, but artists typically consider shape to be two-dimensional while a form is three-dimensional. This picture above shows a shape of a house that has been stripped of its form. You can still see where the walls and staircases once was.

A house like this would represent a form – a square house in the middle of a square in a little town in Switzerland.

I too, find flowers to be one of my favorite organic forms as subjects for my photography. Cherry blossom in my garden is what I long for right now – but this rare orchid was a real treat on our short trip to Menton.

There are many unique textures created by the elements, and right now I want to highlight magma and lava – as there is an ongoing volcanic eruption in Iceland again. Lava formed to solid rock makes fascinating textures. My picture is from the Galapagos Islands.

Photos wouldn’t be possible without light, and capturing light is what photography is all about. Personally I prefer natural light, and will not use the flash unless I am desperately forced to. Which is…almost never.

You can find light everywhere – in the air, in lamp light, sun rays, grasses, glow worms, reflections in water, stones, rails… Backlight is a lovely favourite of mine.

Finally, a Morocco favourite from the small, colourful alleys in Marrakesh.

I am always waiting for some magical light….but, I seldom get it as I live far away from the sea. I feel the light there is often more magical than elsewhere. Except maybe for the desert. Every time I go somewhere close to a lake or the sea, I use some mornings and evenings waiting for ”that” magical moment. The fiery sky photo in the opener was captured on my recent visit to Nice.

Last week, Ritva challenged us to do some Window Shopping – a big thank you for a fun and interesting challenge! I realised I never do this unless I go abroad. It also brought new insight into other cultures and people’s interests. Next week, it is my turn to be your host for the Lens-Artists Challenge. Until then, take care and be kind.

Be sure to link to John’s page if you are participating, and remember to use the Lens-Artists tag. If you’d like to respond to our challenge each week and want to know how to get started, click here.