Thursday, June 13, 2013

A Pause to Refresh

Last post I promised to take you to a little out-of-the-way terrasse for some liquid refreshment.



On a hot day nothing quenches a thirst
quite like a cold beer.




It's quiet here, even with a rather impassioned discussion going on at another table by a group of university students.  




Soon we're left alone to enjoy the soft light filtering through the leaves of the large tree that grows rather surprisingly within the courtyard.




Its leaves throw dancing shadows on 
the neighbouring brick building
while the rust of the spiral staircase echoes 
the orange-toned wall.




I find something so satisfying about the simplicity 
of the place. Nothing fancy.




But the way the lines and shapes flow into each other fascinates my artist's eye...




and sends me into a bit of a reverie...

(*P.S. Just noticed that Bonnie of Pixel Dust Photo Art is opening her virtual gallery for this weekend's theme of "Dreamy" so I'm wafting this last image over there to float on her wall. Do pay a visit to her site to see other's dreamy pieces of photo art.)

34 comments:

  1. Anonymous14 June, 2013

    That's a beautiful courtyard. Love the photo with the soft sun filtering through the leaves.

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    1. There was a "soft focus" feeling to sitting there. Very peaceful and relaxing. A golden moment.

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  2. Beautiful,thank you Lynne. The colours are wonderful.....I see echoes of Luis Barragan in the simplicity and colour.

    Ruby

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    1. Thank you, Ruby, for introducing me to the work of Luis Barragan. Those echoes you mention are resounding loud and clear!

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  3. Great photos, such colours and textures, and the place looks familiar I was there once. Yes, I remember sitting next to an older couple that were sharing a glass of wine. I couldn't help over hearing when she said " I love you so much, I don't know what I'd do without you" The fellow looked up and said "Is that you talking or the wine?" she replied "That's me talking, to the wine"

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    1. Ha ha ha! Very funny. I think that might have been me and Pierre sitting there that you overheard. Although, perhaps not, as I doubt that we would have been sharing a glass of wine--more likely a bottle.
      ;-)

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  4. I like the sunlight on the hand holding the glass. Summertime and the livin' is easy.

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    1. That's precisely what I like about that photo as well, how the sunlight etches the hand against the darkness! (I think you might also like the person that the hand is attached to.)

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  5. Fantastic photos:) Greetings

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    1. Thank you so much! Greeting to you, as well. Thanks for stopping by.

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  6. wonderfull, Lynne. I love the feeling of BEing there!!

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    1. Lovely to see your BEaming face again, and to have you BE here with such a kind comment.

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  7. Thanks for the wonderful pause - and sharing the beer :) Love all the photos, but especially that last one - like dreams within dreams... And I also wanted to mention that I love how creatively you are placing your watermark! So clever. I tried putting a watermark on some of my stuff, but it always seemed to detract. Yours compliments... Thanks for the refresher :) It's been in the 90's and 100's here this week, with a huge forest fire not far away... Enjoy your weekend! :)

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    1. Whoa, that sounds hot hot hot where you are! I had some lovely warm days while in Montreal but not unbearable. Thanks for noticing my watermarks. I actually take a ridiculous amount of time trying to get each one to "feel" right. Generally I slap on a drop shadow and or a bevel/contour, try to find a lighter shade than it's background, and then reduce that layer's opacity. Photoshop is my friend. Glad to have had you stop by to share a refreshing sip!

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  8. Love the shapes and colors Lynne. The second photo looks like a glass of molten lava.

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    1. Molten lava, yes, bottled and imported from Mt. Etna!
      ;-)

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  9. Looks like a very relaxing place to sit and enjoy a cool beverage. Although my choice would be different. I could never get past the smell of beer to even try it. But a nice iced tea would work for me. Very nice piece for PAF.

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    1. Nice to see you again, Ida. I think a glass if iced tea would be as equally refreshing as a beer, in fact; and certainly more energizing. I'll call the waitress over to serve you one.
      :-)

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  10. it's so lovely!!! nothing like elegant simplicity to please my heart - and the strong summer glow, how it makes me smile with joy :-)
    my favourite one is the second one, it is so gorgeous, perspective, colours, mood!

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    1. This is that same terrasse where the silver-haired lone woman was sitting in the other photo you liked so much. A place rife with atmosphere, in a quiet way (much like the Miles Davis album, In a Silent Way, that I used to like so much). Lovely to feel the warmth of your smile.
      :-)

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  11. I love that final shot - very effective - plus that beer has turned into a lava lamp!

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    1. You and Jann are on the same page with the lava comments about the beer! Must be the European influence. I hadn't thought of it myself. A glass of beer as a lava lamp--delightful!

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  12. Love your 'dreamy' edit and the graphic elements of the second last composition, Lynne. Quintessential urban Montreal hideaway!

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    1. I was so pleased to find you back online and happy for the opportunity to join in with something I thought could fit with your proposed theme. Those graphic elements probably speak to the painter who is coming alive with such great energy in you.

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  13. Sometimes less is very much more.(I wonder who first made up that expressive phrase - I think it was someone quite famous.)

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    1. Yes, that phrase has been around for a few decades now. Definitely post-Rococo!

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  14. You do indeed have an artist's eye for colour, lines and light. Lovely images, Lynne.

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    1. Thanks, Hilary! I remember in my first year at art school one of the instructors telling us that we'd learn to look at the world in an entirely new way.

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  15. Seeing this was the next best thing to being there... could almost taste the beer...

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    1. Did you try licking the computer screen?

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  16. There was so much chatter going on at this place I didn't hear the glasses clinking!! I had to wait until all the fuss had died down and have now snuck up to my barstool and placed my order...fab photos, am envious of your sunshine since we had snow last week! :-)

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    1. Glad you could make it! Snow, here, is thankfully just a (bitterly cold) memory now. To every season, turn turn turn (around on the bar stool). Stay cool~

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