Travel – Page 3

Today’s Pic: Side Street Surprise

October 25, 2012 by Lonnie Lardner

(Pic #1) “Mila” demonstrates the art of zen gymnastics in a Barcelona courtyard.

La Sagrada Familia Church, The Magic Fountain, The Picasso Museum — all made the list: The Top Ten tourist attractions in the city of Barcelona, Spain. All definitely worth seeing.

“Lua” explores gravity and a moment of peace.

But “Mila” and her sister “Lua” did not make the list — yet they will remain one of the sweetest travel images I take home with me. They are two little girls I happened to encounter in the Raval pharmacy section of Barcelona near the Museum of Contemporary Art.

They took me by surprise when I happened to be photographing some radical street art in the neighborhood and found them playing fearlessly on these bike racks: tossing their tiny frames up and over, around and through. They didn’t mug for the camera, nor did they seek praise. They just played.

At the end, Mila took her arch position pose (above) and just chilled. Self-posssesed and lovely, she shared a Mona Lisa smile.

Killer Street Art: Unintended Collaboration

August 21, 2012 by Lonnie Lardner

(Pic #1) Detail of graffiti art outside Comme Des Garcons store on 22nd St. and 10th Avenue in the Chelsea district of Manhattan.

They may be total strangers, but graffiti artists, band promoters, and illegal “poster pasters” often meet on the same gritty, decrepit, forgotten walls that make up our urban landscape. Over a period of years, they unknowingly create partnerships in art making, and change the face of our neighborhoods – for better or for worse.

Together, layer after layer, they build a sensual, textured, visual story I can’t help but explore and dissect. If you take the time to discover these hidden-yet-public treasures, you might be surprised by their simple beauty. The experience is free, and if you’re armed with a camera, you might celexa take home some very sweet original art.

(Pic #2) Earliest known street art: Pompeii

This week I catted around streets in the artsy section of Chelsea in New York. Galleries everywhere, but my art could only be found plastered and sprayed on bricks and mortar. Below, I divided up sections of work from the whole (a large building housing the edgy fashion house, “Commes Des Garcons.”)

Graffiti is nothing new. Archeologists say hundreds of public expressions, in the form of political opinion and social commentary can be found on the walls of Pompeii — dating back to 79 AD. (Pic #2)

“Papered and sprayed:” Inconspicuous entrance to “Commes Des Garcons” in Chelsea.

Munich: Funky Factory Art (Part 2)

December 31, 2010 by Lonnie Lardner

(Pic #1) A voluptuous curve at Kunstpark Ost

Pure Abstraction: A German factory complex produces many quirky, unexpected works of art — and it’s been closed for years.

The twists, turns, and torn edges of a German industrial park have me asking – “Why am I obsessed with pipes and vents?” Why am I drawn to decaying wood, broken glass, and rusted metal? The only answer that makes sense to me is — “because it’s art.” We can probably argue that one all day — but to me, if it has texture, if it has sensual lines, if its colors make you feel something, OR if it messes with your head — it meets the criteria.

(Pic #2) Industrial Graffiti

The structures I encountered in Munich’s Kunstpark Ost, (also known as Kultfabrik) did all of those things. I tried to capture their essence with my Canon Digital SLR.

The complex is now home to dozens of trendy nightclubs, with asthma intentional graffiti on the exterior walls (Pic #2). But the structures function basically the same as when they served as a dumpling manufacturing plant. The exposed brick, bulky flex ducts, and shiny air vents, all add to the artistic experience. I even love the shredded concert posters layered and peeled like a Rauschenberg assemblage (Pic #13).

Artist Beatrice Wood once said, “The only works of art America has given are her plumbing and her bridges.” Well, I’d just like to add a few pipes from my own collection, 6000 miles away.