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Happy Stitching!!
I’ve shared many photos of our trip to Spain, but I haven’t said much about how what I saw is working its way into my head design-wise. I was definitely inspired by the color, freedom, and spontaneity evident in Antonin Gaudi’s work. The color and playfulness, combined with a deep understanding of form and function, will stay with me.
But there is more to Spain than the work of Antonin Gaudí. I paid particular attention to the colors of the buildings in all of the cities and villages that we visited.
The colors are generally warm, and tend to be light to medium in value. The overall palette is loaded with beige-neutrals, warm grays, pale yellow to gold, peach, salmon, and pale greens…
If you are like me, you have stopped noticing what you see every day in your own home town. It’s so much fun to look around and see something new everywhere you look!
Even the back side of a block of basic apartment buildings is interesting to look at.
White walls and buildings were less common, but they sparkle when you find them.
Strong, dark colors were rarer and stood out from the crowd. There are probably lots of deeply colored buildings, I just didn’t find them.
Gaudí’s mosaics are the most famous, but they are not the only mosaics to be found. These columns can be found in the Palau de la Música Catalana designed by Lluís Domènech i Montaner.
I saw more white walls in the coastal villages. And a lot more blue… blue doors, blue trim, blue water.
As I think about and remember the places we visited on this trip, I see these colors in my head. I’ve begun drawing my next quilt and I know that at least some of this warm and lovely color palette will be in it.
Antonin Gaudí also designed Park Güell, Palau Güell, and Casa Mila in Barcelona. Park Güell was high on my list of places to visit.
There are so many whimsical shapes covered with mosaics!!!
I didn’t love the lion’s head (below), but it’s the only thing I didn’t love.
There are two levels to the park. The part with the undulating bench is on top, in the sun.
The bench marks the perimeter of the space. I especially liked seeing the transitions between different tile colors and styles on the bench. And I liked that the drainage holes were well designed and obviously work.
The plain circles that crop up like dots are really fun!
You can see the more formal garden in the background in the photos above and below.
The views of Barcelona were lovely.
A colonnade holds up the ‘top’ of the park. It is massive, and the columns angle to provide maximum support.
Stone and tile… everywhere you look! And beautiful ironwork…
The non-formal part of the park is more organic. Rock work, no tile.
The whole park feels happy and very alive!
It was hot summer so the flowers were not as plentiful as they would be in the spring but those that were there, were lovely.
We arrived at the park early and missed a lot of the crowds and heat. If you go, do that :-).
It’s time to break up the vacation posts with a quilt! This is Jackie Hillman’s Whimsical Quilt Garden — isn’t it lovely!
It’s a quilt you could stand in front of and savor for a long time. So many cute details!
FYI: If this is a pattern you want, order it soon. The pattern is going out of print and I still have some in stock. Once those are gone, it will only be available as a digital ebook.
Thank you, Jackie, for sharing your quilt with us!
You take an elevator most of the way up and then there are narrow passage ways and stone stairs with the occasional place to stop and look out. Barcelona is beautiful from above!
This is also where you get to see the mosaics and other building details up close.
You walk a stone spiral staircase back to ground level.
You can’t see them, but there were a lot of people up there with us. There was not a lot of time to linger. That made taking this photo more interesting/challenging. Do it too fast and vertigo sets in.
Steve and I hope to go back to visit the Sagrada Familia when it is finished.
You have to buy tickets to go inside the Sagrada Familia. Entries are timed to control the crowd. I am Catholic so I did wonder if, or how often, mass is said. Pretty often as it turns out.
The space is massive and filled with colored light. You find yourself looking up, a lot.
This space is about light and color. The shapes feel organic and alive, and amazingly modern.
We also went up into one of the spires. That’s for tomorrow.
Piece O Cake Blog 