Forever Blowing Bubbles…

You all know the way that old tune goes.  My song, if ever I have one, goes…I’m forever sorting photos, tra la la la.

In late 2019, I decided that my current photo sorting system (if indeed, it was a system) was not working.  My plan to stick to location as the guiding principle did not work as well as I had hoped and I began to lose track of exactly where I was in this maze of a collection.  So, the realisation that it would be far gentler on the brain cells if it was sorted by year, slowly began to take shape. 

First of course, were many, many sessions at the altar of YouTubers, many of whom had excellent ideas and helped me to picture what my work-around would mean and how it would look.  I did have a few setbacks though, one of which was to try renaming photos (not a good idea for me, it turned out!) and another was to eliminate all those dreadful photos.  Fine if you’re a professional, not so good for me making travel memories.  To know yourself and have goals is important.

Northern New South Wales coast to deliver a birthday quilt

I began sorting with the earliest backups I had (something else I wasn’t good at) from photos taken in 2004 when I went digital (sort of).  I had managed to lose some from trips away that could now sadly, never be recovered.  There were also successes.  This deep dive into old collections allowed me to find photos missing from a London visit with my cousin and his family.  The biggest problem I had was not fully understanding how Picasa stored original files when edits were made.  So, losses of these originals were many and I’m not sure that all have been found, but at least I’ve tried.  What did really help me sort my photos was to keep original file numbers, if I could.  Order (numerical) in chaos, thankfully.

After the demise of Picasa, I moved on to Lightroom – that’s a whole new level of learning experience for you!  I actually do like its capabilities, enabling me to sort by date and time at a minimum.  And of course, another round of YouTubers to help me become familiar with it.  A special mention should go to the whole Covid experience that ensured, during lockdowns, that I moved forward with this project of 48,000 photos.  Last year, I managed easily to assemble all Year 2022 photos and back them up on multiple hard drives that are set aside just for my photo inventory. 

Adelaide's Art Gallery showcased Textiles
including those by Sera Waters

Of course, I’m still not done yet.  There are many files of photos that need double checking, just to be sure I’ve not missed any.  And one should not forget the boxes and albums of old-school photos and slides awaiting my attention. 

One question though, that I have yet to resolve for myself, is whether to shoot raw.  I’m perfectly happy with JPG for now, and my plan is to eventually make travel photo books for my family.  Another task that awaits is to start editing; selecting the very best from each year and to add family detail that will help future family learn how we lived in the 21^st century (if indeed they can access our digital archives!).  So, for now, I guess it’s back to YouTube then!

Loving a visit to Adelaide to break the photo sorting monotony

Learning from Others

Yes, sigh, I know; nothing for ages and then two posts in one day.  I've spent the day consolidating my list of outstanding posts going back now ONLY to 2015.  I will get there, eventually.  Whilst so diligently engaged, I found this post from a visit to the Portimao Museum, Portugal in 2011 and thought it worthwhile revisiting in light of my OTS (quilts-by-me blog) and other artistic endeavours.   

Portimao: Photo Marathon.  The Portimao Museum had organised a Photo Marathon Competition (2011) and on our visit we were fortunate to see the creative results.  Firstly there were 2 categories – Underwater (serious underwater camera work) and Digital.  Each category was then broken down into a series of themes to which the entrants had to produce 3 A4 sized photos.  Digital for example, had 8 themes and therefore needed to produce 24 photos.  These photos were simply mounted on card (no frames) and exhibited in theme order.

Seeing them made me understand why the winner had been chosen.  His work was essentially the tightest – all photos were portrait, all perfect close-ups that complemented each other, of subjects that spoke clearly of each theme yet related well as a whole.  The colours were bold and dramatic subject lighting was well balanced throughout.  In this way the whole worked as a complete presentation, flowing well as a design, almost mosaic like in quality, which fitted the surrounding old city (and its pavings).

Being a quilter I got a little caught up in this project.  A big part of working in textiles is taking the time to stand back, balancing the “pieces” or blocks into a well-balanced whole.  So, I learned quite a lot about the value of working in series; imagining connections between a single work, a series or indeed of a larger body of work – just like an artistic mind map.  Fascinating.

I sadly don’t have any photos of these photographic works at the Museum (no photos allowed) so I’ve included some general ones from their collection instead to add to the watery theme.

(By the way, I hope the new Tag boxes make searching easier...)

Voyages of Discovery

Exploring New Territory: 2015

Discovering new talents too!

This was a year of discoveries in more ways than “textile”.  We had a mini crisis with the Windjammer blog being “duplicated” and links redirecting folk to all sorts of nasty places (It’s fixed now by the way and both our computers professionally double checked for nasty viruses – all clean & clear!) and a mental breakdown when the camera memory card corrupted. 

Thankfully I managed to recover all but 10 of my precious photos - from a couple of thousand – about 8 weeks of travel to places we would probably never return.  (I’ll qualify that by saying - not because we don’t wish to, it’s just that living on the other side of the world makes it challenging in many ways to visit Europe regularly.)  The whole exhausting recovery process took months; figuring how to manage it and finally cataloguing files when retrieved.  Needless to say, I’ve been avoiding touching any photo files lately in case they vanish in a puff of smoke! 

So here I find myself in April already with NO entries in Textile Tourist yet.  So rather than take more time to include detailed research of textile offerings from each of the countries we visited, I’ll simply post up a few of the photos of interesting items we found along the way.  Somehow, I’d also neglected my homework in preparation for this tour and managed to miss quite a few textile museums, galleries or shops of interest.  I did find a link to the European Textile Network but the dots between our tour & those places did not always meet up.  Always wise in hindsight!

Sometimes the locals simply would not
share their textile secrets

Just so we are on the same table, I see Textile Arts encompassing patchwork & quilting, weaving, dyeing, tapestry, needlepoint, embroidery, textile design, spinning, knitted fibres, folk costumes and traditional motifs.  I know I’ve missed a few categories but it’s a start.  This list gives me a reference point to search for specific samples on my travels.  In some places we visit for instance, the best I might do is visit an ethnology museum.  A couple of excellent text references (to start with) are John Gillow’s “World Textiles” (an exhaustive techniques list) and “500 Years of Textiles” by Jennifer Harris. 

Even surfing the net yields surprising results - the Book Depository lists fascinating reference materials at a wide range of prices and Pinterest offers amazing catalogues of textiles visually.  I also find it interesting to talk to docents (trained guides) about their country specific textile collections at museums.

But I’ll leave the finer detail & last word to the experts. 

Bird on the Wire

It's been a while since I've done anything interesting at home.  I've been busy "spring" cleaning for our council cleanup day and reorganizing my garden shed.  This has helped unearth a few things to add to my quilt album, which is slowly taking shape. Yesterday though, I managed to sort through my photos and gathered a selection of birds.  Bird Island (forget the mullets!).   We live in our own little sanctuary.  

These are our house (visiting) regulars.  I've not yet undertaking a twitching expedition into the high ground to look for kites or waded in the mud to snap herons.  And the plovers are just too cranky any time of year....

Even More Who did what when...

Greco-Roman Period 30 BC – 640 AD

Cornucopia.  Egypt came under Roman patronage and was ruled from 27 BC.  This once great realm was reduced to the fate of a Roman outpost; its bountiful harvests providing Rome with sustenance. 

Coptic Christianity is said to have been introduced by St Mark in Alexandria during the reign of Claudius in 42 AD.  The religion gained a strong following and quickly spread throughout Egypt.  By the 3^rd century, Christians constituted the majority of Egypt’s population.  In 384 AD, Egypt’s “pagan” temples were ordered closed or converted and adherence to Christianity endorsed.

Muhammad "Ali Mosque

Medieval Egypt 641 - 1517 AD 

Medieval Egypt.  The initial Islamic incursion into Egypt came after defeat of the Byzantine army by Caliph Umar’s army.  Alexandria was surrendered to him under treaty on Nov 8, 641.  Taxation of the Copts led them to revolt against their Arab rulers and by 706 Arabic became the official language of the government. 

This was the start of a complex and turbulent period.  In 969 the city of Cairo was founded as the royal city of the Fatimid Dynasty.  Years later, the “Lion”, Saladin, fortified Cairo building a massive citadel in 1174 that overlooked the city.  Egypt became part of the Ottoman Empire in 1517.  This is the start of Egypt's Early Modern period.

More Who did what when....

Middle Kingdom 2040 – 1773 BC

Reunification centred at Thebes, with lands stretching as far south as Nubia.  

After a series of conflicts, Mentuhotep II controlled all of Egypt from the City of Thebes (Luxor).  It was to become the centre of power of a reunited Egypt and launched a flourishing Middle Kingdom.  The State made a rapid recovery under his strong leadership, trade revived and the unified county prospered.  This period saw the rise of a middle class and widespread patronage of art and culture encouraging classical forms to take shape.  Kings ruled due to the nature of their personality and politics rather than divinity alone. 

Colossi of Memnon

Rock cut tombs replaced pyramids in large and elaborate burial grounds (necropolis, usually sited across the Nile to separate the cities of living and dead.  Essentially this was to deter plundering of tombs and the vast wealth buried with them.  Walls were covered with reliefs and frescoes as in former times and subjects were much the same.  However, narratives of warfare replaced scenes of country life as military campaigns surged into Nubia to secure gold deposits and trade routes.  These renditions were lively and linear.

Painting was still bound by convention but there were some daring attempts at depicting foreshortening, shoulders and backs.  We begin to see the use of tempera as a medium – ground pigments and a binding agent such as egg white.  Portrait sculpture extended into expressions of personality and mood; the results were often introspective and severe. 

A period of instability followed as invaders from Asia moved into the Delta and the kingdom divided again.  However advantages were apparent, including exposure to chariots, composite bows and bronze weapons.

New Kingdom 1550 – 1069 BC

"Pharaohs" rule over a Golden Age, controlling lands as far as the Levant and Sudan.  

The New Kingdom would become 500 years of settled progress and advancement.  The term Pharaoh is coined for its rulers and reflects the elaborate administrative system that had been built up around the king.  Whist his power was absolute and strong, rulers dispensed law and order in more personal fashion. 

Most impressive monuments of this period are the grandiose temples.  Burial still demanded elaborate care and temple plans evolved from ritualistic requirements.  This was workmanship on a grand scale; columns were cut from single pieces of rock, plans were still bi-laterally symmetrical, and architects made use of clerestory lighting.  Despite their massive size, columns were decorative rather than functional.  The Temple of Ramesses II and Mortuary Temple of Queen Hatshepsut (not the first queen to rule but the first to make herself a pharaoh) are classic examples of this period.  During the New Kingdom, most of the pharaoh’s tombs were constructed in the Valley of the Kings. 

Thebes

Under the pharaoh’s patronage, craftsmanship reached new levels of technical skill and sophistication.  Conventions are broken and frontal poses were attempted. There was a relaxation of stiff rules and rigid themes - informal and intimate poses contrast strongly with traditional formality; rigid lines become free-flowing and there is more realism in detail – a freer expression.  Proportions of work no longer depend upon rank and stature.  Figures showed an emphasis on movement and action.  However, as is evident in the statue of Akhenaton and portrait bust of Queen Nefertiti, sensitivity of facial expression is still hampered by a standard of spiritual beauty which they adjusted to the likeness of their subjects. Ritual simplification of form in painting and sculpture however eventually led to a cubic block look.  This period is characterised by a fondness for volume enclosed by flat and unambiguous planes.  Despite this, there was still no use of perspective.

As Egypt’s wealth grew, so too did the religious orders.  However, a break from orthodox religion was instituted by Akhenaton (1379 – 1365 BC) during his reign.  He married beautiful Nefertiti and promoted Aton as single god.  His career ended in political strife and military coup and a gradual decline became evident until the reign of the Ramesses Dynasty.  Ramesses II is considered one of Egypt’s greatest builders and is known to have signed the first recorded peace treaty.  Despite this reinstitution of stability, it checked the development of artistic expression and workmanship. 

The period ended with powerful Theban priesthood controlling the upper Nile and the last of the 20^th Dynasty Pharaohs ruling from the Delta.  By the end of the New Kingdom, Egypt was almost bankrupt. 

Late Dynastic Period 712 – 332 BC

Breakdown. This was a period of warfare but it did see some prosperity due to trade. There was a short period of Egyptian revival but in a rapidly changing world, the old ways could not flourish.  Ultimately, Egypt continued to suffer from invasions and this instability did little to promote culture.  It became a period of decline in all fields and the last Persian invasion of 343 deposed Nectanebo II.  He was to be the country’s last Egyptian ruler until 1952. 

Macedonian & Ptolemaic Period 332 – 30 BC

Honour, Infamy then Scandal.  In 332 BC Alexander the Great made his move on Egypt.  The relationship was one of mutual acceptance and whilst Alexander ordered the restoration of all temples destroyed by the Persians, he was busy building the Mediterranean cosmopolitan city of Alexandria. 

Would Alexander recognise his city today?

Following his death in 323 BC, one of his generals, Ptolemy, became the first in a long line of Ptolemaic rulers.  Alexandria flourished and became famous for its Great Library and Lighthouse.  One of the Ptolemy kings even started a canal to join the Nile to the Red Sea (270-269 BC) to open up the trade route to India.

Cleopatra became famous for her collusion and double-dealings with the Caesars.  Her relationship with Marc Anthony led to their downfall and the end of the Ptolemaic Dynasty.

Designing Matters in Portugal

Terciera Museum

Azores: Azulejos.  Blue and white tiles – what more can I say?  Introduced by the Moors in the 15^th c this popular form of decorating both internal and external walls is still popular today.  Rather than explain the history of azulejos, you best check out wiki.   These are just a few of the ones we saw during our stay in the Azores.  I would have happily replaced tonnes of lead ballast with tile, but sadly the captain reneged on this plan. 

Cascais: Paving.  We were taken by traditional pavings of basalt and limestone pieces meticulously set by craftsmen in amazing designs.  Of course, these artistic pavements are not limited to the narrow streets of old town Cascais. We first made their acquaintance in the Azores.  Ships and sea motifs are quite common in this art that has been practised long before Greek and Roman times.

This is Horta in the Azores.  Cascais had similar pavings

Lisbon: Manueline Architecture (1490-1520).  Who could not be attracted to the excesses of Manueline style?  Elaborate, rich, excessive are terms that slip easily off the tongue when describing this mix of Renaissance & Gothic motifs.  Lisbon of course, is the centre of excellence when it comes to definitive examples of this fine style.

Sines: Roman Ruins.  Although more famous as the birthplace of Vasco da Gama, one of the first to make incredible and slow voyage to India, Sines has hidden treasures inside the medieval district that predate this event.  We’re talking fragments of nearby Roman settlements.  These pieces, 2000 years old, can be found in their compact Archaeological Museum of course.  Romans were the wanderlusts of their time and they build fine cities with many functional and beautiful features.  Nearby, an excavated Mirobriga stands as a testament to these skills.  Interestingly, Sines claims even earlier Iron Age settlements.  As we sat on the beach near our anchorage, sipping our evening “sundowners” and contemplating the meaning of life, we wondered how many others before us had walked on the sand and sailed its seas.  A quiet moment for some almost mind-bending reflection…. 

Old Portimao

Portimao: Photo Marathon.  

The Portimao Museum had organised a Photo Marathon Competition (2011) and on our visit we were fortunate to see the creative results.  Firstly there were 2 categories – Underwater (serious underwater camera work) and Digital.  Each category was then broken down into a series of themes to which the entrants had to produce 3 A4 sized photos.  Digital for example, had 8 themes and therefore needed to produce 24 photos.  These photos were simply mounted on card (no frames) and exhibited in theme order. 

Ceramics on exhibition at
the Portimao Museum 2011

Seeing them made me understand why the winner had been chosen.  His work was essentially the tightest – all photos were portrait, all perfect close-ups that complemented each other, of subjects that spoke clearly of each theme yet related well as a whole.  The colours were bold and dramatic subject lighting was well balanced throughout.  In this way the whole worked as a complete presentation, flowing well as a design, almost mosaic like in quality, which fitted the surrounding old city (and its pavings).

Being a quilter I got a little caught up in this project.  A big part of working in textiles is taking the time to stand back, balancing the “pieces” or blocks into a well-balanced whole.  

So, I learned quite a lot about the value of working in series; imagining connections between a single work, a series or indeed of a larger body of work – just like an artistic mind map.  Fascinating. I sadly don’t have any photos of these photographic works at the Museum so I’ve included some general ones around Portimao instead.

Could that be a fishing boat?  Arade River, Portimao

Impressions

Colourful Lady Liberties

NYC of course!

Well, I’ve been busy talking about everyone else.  So here’s just a very few of my favourites – a quick rush, a few brain freeze moments and lots of memories.



UN Building

Textile Town

And lastly...


Beep Beep

Historic Homes of Cape May

Cape May is gingerbread cute.  What more can I say?  Except get out your exterior paint colour charts and live it up a bit!  Our house is a lovely shade of grey, trimmed with charcoal (not quite black).  It merges very successfully with the surrounding bush of eucalypt green and soft grey trunks.  Our local council approves.  They’re not too happy with homes that don’t melt into our nearby national parklands, sandstone cliffs and riverscape! 

Home for possums, bush turkeys and kookaburras.  Oh, and us!

So when you see homes that positively vibrate with colour and personality, it sure makes you itch.  We saw all of that and more in pretty Cape May.  We were, except for a quick trolley tour of town, on foot and only had a day or two to do chores and explore, so I didn’t “capture” as many stylish houses as I’d wished. 

One feature we just loved is that so many homes fly the American flag proudly or decorate with swags of red, white and blue. 

Candy green, pink and lemon

Architecture is just so elaborate

Grand columns

And plenty of flags

Not Your Average Camera…

Finally back at the helm with a few interesting observations from our last cruising season cruising.  Now I know this isn’t exactly textile talk but…. 

We arrived in Greenport in August on a grey and stormy day.  As always, we were seeking shelter and deep water.  Greenport village had it all – history, friendly people, a boutique brewery and one of a number of curiosities, a camera obscura. 

Camera obscura,” meaning darkened room” is an optical device with a long history; Greek philosopher Aristotle (384-322 BC) is said to have been familiar with the concept.   Essentially, it is a device enabling an image of surroundings to be projected onto a screen; colour and perspective are conserved.  So, it’s hardly surprising that Leonardo da Vinci knew of it.  By the time artists were travelling and sketching “en plein air” in the 18^th c, the camera obscura had assumed more modest and portable proportions.  I am sure we made one using a shoe box at school too (but that wasn't in the 18^th c!).

So, why was I interested?  Well, the camera obscura was indeed a pre-curser to the invention of one of my favourite bits of kit – a camera.  And then, there’s Grand Designs.  Yes, Kevin McCloud had taken us on a tour of a London build “The Jewel Box” in his second series of "Grand Designs".  The owners had incorporated a camera obscura into specially designed blinds, which allowed an image of the house to be projected onto a wall in their studio.  Amazing stuff!

Sadly, the camera obscura in Greenport’s Mitchell Park was closed on the day we visited.  Good light is a pre-requisite and those storm clouds were still lurking about as you can see from our photos!  One day, I’ll find one and it will be open…

Out the door again

The house is a hive of activity today. We are off again!  This time down memory lane; first to KL and then on to Viet Nam for more than 3 weeks.  Not enough time to get to everything before we leave but at least the camera was repaired in time - just!  So I have great expectations.

I am not expecting to have too much time to email whilst we are away. Better to be doing it, that is, travelling, rather than sitting at a computer in a cafe or hotel room, wouldn't you say?  Learnt that lesson flying over Everest.  Too busy taking photos, which in the end turned out rather badly, and then didn't have any time left to take "the experience" all in.  Also some things, unless you are an expert photographer, can never be duplicated on simple 5x7's. Especially when they're taken through an aeroplane window.....

My poor Khan has also packed his bags today to go and live with his new family.  He deserves to have a full-time family and I can't always take him with me whenever we go away.  Besides, animal quarantine is never a guaranteed solution.  The places we travel and the experience of being separated for long periods would take its toll on both of us.  I should have taught him how to send emails!!

I'm going to attempt to limit myself to six reports - six of the best so they say - on any particular area/country/town  visited. This challenge should encourage brevity and better photo inclusions. Please do not use my photos or words. 

(Five years later and I'm still working on the brevity bit. Ha....  Ed)