One of the first things I noticed as I arrived in Madrid and started exploring the city was the abundance of beautiful, old wooden doors. Not just regular wood doors, but elaborately designed doors, such as the one on the Filmoteca Española as you can see above. The Filmoteca Española is Spain’s national film archive, … Read more
Every once in a while I’ll see a real estate photo that screams out as a perfect room for a (virtual) art installation. I saw this room with the funky 1970s wallpaper and orangish-brown paint and decided I would Photoshop one of my paintings into the interior. The painting is titled “Spanish Excursionism,” and is … Read more
I saw this street art while walking the streets of Barcelona at night, not far from the Picasso Museum in the “La Ribera” neighborhood. I’ve always been a fan of Spiderman and read the comics as a kid, but what grabbed my attention here is the depiction of his face. As you can see, the … Read more
I saw this graffiti in Madrid, accompanied by the message “Painting is Obsession.” As an artist, I agree with this sentiment! It’s hard to know if this message was written by the graffiti artist who painted the tag below it, but considering the abstract expressionist nature of the graffiti, I like them paired together for … Read more
I enjoy good food, but don’t exactly consider myself a “foodie,” which by definition is “a person who has an ardent interest in food, and who eats food not only out of hunger but also as a hobby.” I’ve also seen a reference to a foodie being someone who plans their travel around dining destinations, … Read more
On my first day in Madrid, after getting settled and some initial exploration, I visited the Museo Nacional Thyssen-Bornemisza, and enjoyed seeing their expansive collection of art. Afterwards, while enjoying a moment of rest and having some tapas at an outdoor restaurant, I noticed a store across the street which grabbed my attention. Between the … Read more
All of the planning (here and here), the time leading up to my first trip to Europe in 12 years, and I’ve arrived in Madrid. But between exiting the plane, going through customs, making my way to the metro station, riding underground to my destination, and coming up out onto the streets … I wanted … Read more
I was so excited for my trip to Spain that I think my planning elevated to a near obsessive compulsive level. As I mentioned in the last post, it started with an old school approach, reading and taking notes from Fodor’s Travel Guides checked out from the library. But once I had my list of … Read more
For a while now, I have had an urge to go to Spain; I want to see the masterpieces of my college art history days at The Prado in Madrid, and I want to see the architecture of Antoni Gaudi in Barcelona. I have long had an appreciation for the act of improvisation when taking … Read more