If I were to play word association linking Sicily with souvenirs, the immediate follow-on would be “heads”. Glazed ceramic heads of a (Moorish) man and a (Sicilian) woman are as everywhere as everywhere means when you’re exaggerating an otherwise valid generalisation. Unsurprisingly, there is a story behind the heads and, equally unsurprisingly, there are variations […]
Sicilian ceramic heads with a gruesome past Read More »
(This post is really all about the tile photos. But as virtually all of my photos did not survive the transfer from my old website to this new one, it is currently (September 2019) without photos) “Mallorca” is a bit of stretch as these tile photos only cover Can Prunera Museum, Soller, and a random
Ignoring the fact most of these plants wouldn’t survive outdoors in the UK, here are some ideas for funky, colourful Sicily-style plant presentation. All photos taken around the beautiful, tiny island of Ortigia, Sicily in August 2018. Here are some potentially useful links, which make me realise there is more effort required than merely painting,
Ortigia, Sicily – plant pot ideas Read More »
Galleries are exhausting, places a novice critic wanders around slowly, nodding sagely, frowning and expressing seemingly-knowledgeable scrutiny. If you know nothing of significance about art and artefacts, once you abandon any pretense to the contrary, wandering round a gallery really amounts to looking for pieces you’re drawn to because they look pretty/interesting/unusual/familiar. A taxi, a
Having spent around two months in India over the past year, it has proved impossible to maintain my avoidance of the numerous stalls selling bangles, necklaces and earrings. Prior to my India trips, I had only rarely worn one bangle, maybe once every five years a pair of earrings and only occasionally a few of
India – The discovery of £3 jewellery Read More »
How many people in the UK have a “Made in Belarus” watch? I’m thinking not many. Luch is a Belarusian watchmaker based in Minsk, nowadays 80% owned by Franck Muller, whose Swiss watches are both complicated and exclusive (ie expensive). I particularly like the old fashioned/classic/retro look of some of the watches. Mine is the
Luch watches – Made in Belarus Read More »
