What I found in Khobar one morning.....

The Bizarre....

 

The Macabre...

 

The Incongruous...

 

The Sensual...

And the Festive...

If you went walking in your area, what would YOU expect to find???

Beautiful Decay

The old area of any city is automatically my favorite place to go sightseeing. It gives me a window to the past, an idea of what was, and is (in the case of preservation), important to it's people.

The abundance of beautiful woodwork and design shows the expert workmanship of the past.

But while beauty was important to the people of Jeddah, as is seen by the artistry and the craftsmanship of the balconies and facades, it was not the only objective.

The open spaces and the lattice work is a case of form meeting function.

In a time when no modern air conditioning was available, this very beautiful balcony would allow this building's occupants to open doors and windows in order to enjoy a soft sea breeze, while protecting their privacy.

Although we can see the ravages of time on some of these buildings, their beauty remains, eternal.

The next time you see a work of art, whether arcitectural or otherwise, take a close look and see what is behind the design.

There may just be more than meets the eye.   : )

Arabian Graffitti

Color My World...

I adore COLOR! I thrive on color! Color makes me happy and fuels my imagination! Living in Saudi Arabia, it is sometimes easy to think in terms of shades of beige and taupe. Houses, Sand, Stone, etc. So I have gone on an expedition to find the random bits of color in Riyadh.

The first thing I came across of interest was this bench outside someones home. What a nice idea! A resting spot in the shade of a wall for those days when some person, or very likely some cat, just needs to take a moment to catch their breath.....
And looking at the wall behind the bench, you can really appreciate what a bright spark of color that turquoise and mustard makes on that street!


A few minutes later, this row of rooms in the process of being torn down caught my eye. Pink, red, yellow, lavender, cream, and turquoise. You can't get much more colorful than that in an empty lot!

This is the window of an Indian restaurant in town. I absolutely love the window, and the building, but it looks like it would host an art studio or exhibit much more fittingly than it does the restaurant.

These intense blue tiles are another hit of color in this deeply hued brick building. They are very small (I'm guessing 2"X2" tiles) but very effective in livening up what otherwise might be a very forgetable spot.

Last are these blue on blue Arabesque tiles at the foot of some steps. Fantastic! I am now convinced that Riyadh is not as devoid of color as I once thought..... I just have to look in the right places.

More Afghani Jewelry

When my good friend Rehma saw my Afghani earrings (posted June 3, 2011) , she said that she had a pair that were very similar. She said she bought them on her honeymoon at Sawat Hill Station, Pakistan, which is just on the Afghani border, and has kept them for all these years.

This is a view of the pair. Gorgeous! I love the details and the handwork.
These bangle bracelets also belong to Rehma. I don't know if they have an interesting story as the earrings do, but they are so fun with the dangly bells that swing back and forth when you wear them.
They really don't make any noise to speak of, but just look at all those bells!

I Love, Love, Love these necklaces! The pendants are about the size of the palm of my hand! Look at the detail on them! This one has a metal stick attached to the lid, so that you could use it as a kohl container (although it would take a LOT of kohl to fill it up!) or you could use it for perfume oil and the stick could be the applicator. That is more likely what it is meant for.
And look at this one! It's like a little messenger bag, and the top opens up. You could use it to keep small mementos, found objects, or a handwritten poem.

What would you put inside?

Pattern and Design

Art is the imposing of a pattern on experience, and our aesthetic enjoyment is recognition of the pattern....
~Alfred North Whitehead

In the old markets, which by now you all know are my favorite places to hang out, there is pattern everywhere! The most mundane objects are arranged into pleasing displays that allow the viewer to see the most merchandise. As most shops are very small, this gives the effect of showing the customer an abundance of style and variety, while allowing the shop owner to relax and bargain rather than running back and forth to a storage area. Clever!

Stemming from these groupings of like objects is....... you guessed it! Pattern!

Line, shape, form..... this display exhibits these building blocks of design, along with unity, harmony, and balance.


Here is pattern and design in a stack of colorfully stripped rugs.

And cusions!

And tassles!

And yet more cusions!

And more tassles!

How could you not be cheered by sitting in a room furnished with these traditional, colorful textiles?

I could spend an entire weekend taking photos in this market and still find more of interest that I would have to return for the next weekend. In every shop, around every corner, I find a feast for the eyes. The textiles, the jewelry, the people. Even the above 100F can't keep me away!

Close up and beautiful

I just adore rummaging around through old markets. The grungier the better. On these days I go out early in the morning and leave my daughter home, since she does not share this love of grunge with me. I never buy too much, never spend too much money, but I search and I dig, and sometimes I enjoy my time. I know that there is treasure out there. I also know that my idea of treasure does not necessarily coincide with the general population's idea of treasure.
These bits and pieces of chain, for example. Not shiny, not sparkly, but they catch my eye regardless. Partly because of the pattern, and the shadoes they make hanging in the shop. I wonder where they come from. And how old are they? Often times the shop owner doesn't even know. He may not even remember where he picked them up from.


I love this display. I love the composition! The repeating circles. The horizontal, vertical, and radiating straight lines. The color. My eye is pleased.

Treasures indeed! Old metal. Pendants. Beads of amber, turquoise, and coral,,,,, the real mixed in with the fake so that only the practiced eye knows the difference. And if it's pretty, who really cares?

Old bedouin rings. The style is big and clunky and it drives my husband crazy trying to reason why women would have wanted to wear these rings that would have been so impractical to their lifestyle. I look and don't question. I come only to enjoy.

Amber beads! Big, bold, and luscious! I want to take the entire bowlful home and spend my days gazing at them, but the price prohibits me from following through on that particular whim......

Portraits of a culture

I love taking pictures. I especially love taking pictures of people, but thus far I have refrained from posting or blogging any of the portraits I have taken. I have a few reasons for this. The main reason being privacy, and my fear of having those portraits misused. Saudi Arabia is a very conservative culture, and most people aren't terribly receptive to having their pictures taken to begin with. Especially in Riyadh! So when I find someone gracious enough to allow me to take their photo, the last thing I want to do is to put that photo out there where there is a chance of abuse.

Today, however, I break my self imposed ban on posting portraits on my blog. With full permission. I was in the older section of Riyadh taking pictures of sandals, textiles, rugs,,,,, anything in which I could find some pattern that to catch my eye, when I came across two young men in a shop. They were kind and patient enough to stand while I made adjustments on my camera and took a few pictures, and then they were curious as to where they might see the photos later. When asked if it might be alright for me to post their portraits on my blog, they said that would be no problem. So there you go....

I really appreciate the people who trust me to take their pictures. I show respect, and I do my best to get an interesting and flattering shot that the person will be happy to see. So thanks, guys. I hope you are pleased.

Afghani Jewelry and Inspirations

Beads and antique jewelry are weaknesses for me! So when I went to Deerah to see what I could do about some precious (ruby, sapphire, emerald, and topaz) beads that I had bought, whose holes are way too small for any of my wire, it was only natural that I would find MORE beads that I absolutely Needed! Coral, jade, pearls, garnets, and ohhhhh, the turquoise! How could I possibly say no to these things??? After all, I had made the earrings a while back to match my friends Syrian necklace, and I had been inspired!


The earrings above are garnet, seed pearl, and silver lined tubular beads with hand forged sterling silver wires. I love the vintage look!

This pair is made with turquoise, pearls, and crystal. A little shiny for my taste, but I do understand that not everyone subscribes to "the older the better" point of view that I hold to. So for anyone who likes a little more sparkle.......

These are also made with turquoise and pearl, but the turquoise is a duller variety and the pearls are seed pearls. Definitely inspired by the antiques around me, and the pair in turquoise and coral that I had made for my friend.


Then, just as I THOUGHT I had finished my shopping, I ran into an Afghani shop owner that I had been looking for! I had bought a blue pashmina and a couple of antique "dillahs" from him at least 2 months ago, and had been trying to find him again ever since. I wanted to buy another pashmina from him, and in 3 trips to the market, just couldn't locate his shop! Ironically, he was just standing on the street, and greeted my husband and I as we walked past. "That's him! That's the pashmina guy!" I screeched after we had taken another 3 steps. We turned around and followed him to his shop, and of course he knew I needed this choker and earrings, as well as 2 more pashminas! Oh, Happy Day!
Now, I am off to make some more earrings!