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This old original dairy factory in the back roads of South Taranaki is someone’s home. I know because..

1. There is a sky TV satellite disk installed.
2. There are pots and a car parked around the other side.

I like it because it reminds me of buildings in Italy and France (without the fancy balustrades of course). This photograph below – being from Nice in France.

I also like the dairy factory for the same reasons – its aged patina, its wooden shutters and its pastel hues. It seems so out of kilter in a country town full of dairy factories and farm buildings that are practical and functional and made of simple wood and brick and that are  definitely not pink. I always wonder about who built it this way and why?

 

 

Pink is Nice.

Pink is Nice. Or rather… Nice is pink. Nice, France… that is. Lots of lovely faded pink buildings. And pale blue and pale green and pale yellow…One can’t help but smile at these gorgeous old buildings in such wonderful summer/beach colours. So pretty and so much faded, past it’s best, glamour. The wonderfully ornate architecture, gorgeous shutters and delicate wrought iron everywhere  in the most pretty faded pastel palettes. I never tired of these grand old ladies.

Reflecting on the Len Lye Centre

Our new contemporary art gallery and Len Lye centre looking rather stunning at night, reflecting one of our oldest hotels (The White Hart – now fully restored) in the night lights. I love the contrast between the shiny modernistic mirrors and the gracious, old and beautiful building being reflected…how two so very different buildings compliment each other so well. Opposites attract and look good!

Inspiration on Pinterest…

I have been loving Pinterest recently – getting loads of inspiration on a whole range of things including art and photography but also great ideas I have collected about up-cycling furniture, gorgeous patterns and colours and drawings, wish list interiors and gardens, and awesome inspiring words. Please have a look and share anything you think is inspiring for you, or just leave a comment or share a pin. It is so great to see all the other people’s ideas and collections and passions. Share the love I think.

Rework of an old scene….

Sometimes it is important to go back over old work and look at it with fresh eyes. In this case, what caught my attention was the simple wooden structure against the early evening sky. It was a pleasant enough picture but I was feeling creative so I have played with it…The sky now a deep mass of indigo/pink and purple and the simple white building bathed in a pink glow…

I like the effect. It feels like a light beacon / a pink symbol of safe harbour against the darkness threatening overhead.

The changing city skyline and lego bricks…

I watched this group of older school boys…they were completely engrossed in building a city skyline entirely from white Lego bricks –  it was part of an interactive public display at the Auckland City Art Gallery recently. The structures that had been created by others so far were striking in their elegance, complexity and intricacy creating a fantasy city skyline of magical, wonderful, imaginary towering structures. It was also temporary, as each structure could be dismantled or added to by the next person and turned into something new and different, always changing and evolving – an interesting way to consider a city…

 

Reflecting on the new and shiny….

It is certainly going to be interesting!

Reflections of the church buildings across the road… as seen on the first of many stainless steel curving panels forming the exterior of our new contemporary art gallery and Len Lye centre. It’s currently under construction in our city centre – not without controversy I might add.

Will it last? Will it stay shiny? Will it rust in our sea and salt laden air? Will it blind drivers and pedestrians? Will it get too hot? What will our high rainfall do to it over time? Who knows…certainly not me….but who cannot fall in love with the idea of a unique, original, elegant building? I personally cannot wait to see how it looks finished. There is a place in cities for protecting heritage and old buildings and there is also a place for new and innovative approaches and fresh, risk taking ideas…the best cities celebrate both!

 

I’m back!

I know it’s mid february and its been a while since you heard from me…Forgive me for an absence, I needed a break to regroup, focus, and re-energise as I felt I was in a bit of a rut creatively speaking! (I also got married and the princess started school – so it’s been a time of lots of change for me). You will see a few little tweaks on this blogsite – a fresh new banner image for 2015. Let me know what you think.

The Black Box Art Studio facebook site is also back up after a break…please join us there for more informal news and updates and sharing of information/ideas/thoughts….It’s agreat forum for sharing comments and suggestions. You can find it on the right side of the blog page.

I am also busy working on a website which will be operational soon as well. So, it’s very exciting times and I thank you for hanging in there with me…Without your support, Black Box Art Studio (Blog, Face Book and website) would not be here and I would not be as motivated by you all to be creative and inspired.

So, I am back with some new images, plans and inspiration. Here is a photo of the back of a building I saw recently. I have been spending lots of time in different cities recently. I loved how someone had, for an unknown reason, painted one huge corner portion of the building in a bright yellow. it contrasted so well with the gritty brick and industrial window and graffiti.

Not yet, but….

 

Sometimes a photo has to wait until the right moment. This one has sat quite a while, neglected and forgotten. By chance I came across it today and immediately liked the old, highly decorative and symmetrical church building contrasted nicely with the modern green spiky plant and the shot of deep blue in the foreground – a fence?  What for I wonder….

Glimpse of a different life…

While on the top level of a double decker bus recently, I had an unusual view of the world. Being so much higher than normal it altered my perception somewhat of the streets and buildings I passed. Having a view directly into second story windows gave me passing glimpses into many people’s homes and workspaces…While downstairs at street level is open to the public  or carefully protected for privacy, the second story windows were generally wide open and offered a real glimpse into anonymous lives lived in a busy city. It made me wonder about who lived here and who looked out their window directly into tree leaves and city street scenes…