January 24, 2021 • 64

Lens-Artists Photo Challenge #132: Striped and Checked

I love the playfulness of Ann-Christine’s challenge this week.  It’s a wonderful choice to brighten this winter day.  For me, stripes are cheerful and bold.  Checks are dramatic.   As I dug through my archives, I uncovered a few images which highlight stripes and checks in different contexts–nature, architecture, and art.  

Stripes in Nature

Every year the Meier Gardens Sculpture Park in Grand Rapids, Michigan fills its greenhouse with thousands of butterflies.  These elusive butterflies are very hard to capture, but with a zoom lens and a lot of patience, I was able to bring some of these stunning insects into sharper focus.  

I asked the Zebra,
Are you black with white stripes?
Or white with black stripes?
And the zebra asked me,
Are you good with bad habits?
Or are you bad with good habits?~Shel Silverstein

Stripes in Art

I love this Egyptian funerary headdress at The Art Institute of Chicago.  The artistic details are astounding. Below, I’ve included a poem written during Egypt’s New Kingdom (1539-1075 B.C.).

 

The Flower Song (Excerpt)

To hear your voice is pomegranate wine to me:
I draw life from hearing it.
Could I see you with every glance,
It would be better for me
Than to eat or to drink.

Stripes in Architectural Details

I couldn’t resist reposting two images from my archives. On the left, you can see an arcade in Melbourne, Australia filled with checks and stripes of all types–made with glass, tile, iron. On the right you can see the iconic striped pavement in the Lisbon’s Rossio Square. It was an optical illusion and a visual delight.  

Arcade, Melbourne Australia
 
I uncovered this final image deep within my archives. It was shot on a frigid winter day at Jones Beach, a popular seaside spot for those of us who grew up on Long Island, NY. I love the Art Deco details in the pavilion and along the boardwalk. Here, you can see the clean, dramatic lines radiating from the arch decorated with mosaic tiles.
     Stripes and Checks in Jones Beach, NY

I hope you join us this week for Ann-Christine’s Stripes and Checked Challenge. Please be sure to stop by and see her post. Remember to link your post to Ann Christine’s, and use the Lens-Artists tag to help us find you in the Reader.

Looking back at last week LAPC#131: Emotions challenge, I can sum it up in one word: Wow! You delighted us with your images focusing on a rainbow of emotions–joy, excitement, wonder, surprise–to name a few. Your images were a real visual treat and gave all of us a lot to admire and smile about.

Next week, it will be Amy’s turn to lead the challenge, so please stop by and join the fun on Saturday, January 30th at noon.

Once again, I’ll end my post with a note of gratitude to all of you in our creative community who remind me of the enduring power of creativity and community in these difficult times. Your continued participation, support, enthusiasm, and creativity inspire us!   Have a wonderful, creative week and please stay safe.

 

Categories: LENS-ARTISTS, Lens-Artists Photo Challenge, Photography

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64 replies »

  1. Hi Patti, I have been to the Arcade in Melbourne. That’s a beautiful place. I think I focused most of my pictures on the sweets behind the windows rather than the whole picture. How narrow-minded is that? Rossio Square is amazing. I’d get dizzy and fall over, probably. LOL. Have a great rest of your weekend. 🙂

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  2. I love those old style arcades, Patti! Lots of them in the UK, bring back good memories. 🙂 🙂 Love the funerary headdress, too. Oh, to have that poetry written for me! 🙂 Have a great week!

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  3. Wonderful pictures for the stripes and checks challenge Patti! I loved the stripes and checks in the architectural images. And who would have thought about the veins on leaves as stripes. Great imagination.

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  4. Patti, these are just terrific!! I love the first one and because I love Egyptian history, that second one is great. Our girls always wanted to go to the Egyptian section at the Cleveland Museum of Art, so I got to enjoy it often. 🙂 But that Lisbon terrace is fantastic if a bit disconcerting or maybe discombobulating.

    janet

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    • Hi, Janet. Yes! Definitely discombobulating! I was dizzy standing there. I love Egyptian art/history, too. Our son loved the mummies in the Met in NYC. We spent many hours in the Egyptian wing! I’m sure you did, too, in Cleveland. Glad you stopped by, Janet. I hope all’s well.

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      • We’re doing well, Patti, and I hope you are, too. Looking forward to getting a shot (so to speak) at the vaccine and then doing some more serious traveling. 🙂 Our older daughter and her husband are moving from Pasadena to Redondo Beach, only a few blocks from the beach, so I’m itching to go visit them there, although it means an extra hour of driving time.

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      • Oh that sounds wonderful (living near the beach). I hope you get the vaccine and can travel there as fast as possible! Our son won’t get vaccinated until August in Canada, so we’re looking at a visit (hopefully) in September. We’ll see.

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  8. Oh I do so love your striped butterfly on the striped leaf Patti – of course I love the others as well but that one, for me, truly sings. Also loved the curvy pavement of your architectural image. Terrific response as always.

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  14. “For me, stripes are cheerful and bold. Checks are dramatic. ” I had never thought of it that way…but I can see how you think. Love it. Your images are gorgeous as always – but as much as I love architecture and arts (Rossio Square is fantastic…I felt dizzy there too) Nature’s art is unsurpassed. The butterfly image is magical! Sitting there in all his glory on the edge of a striped leaf…I’d have it framed.

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    • Hi, AC. Wow, thank you, too for the inspiration this week. Don’t you love how people interpret the challenge so uniquely? No two posts are alike. That lovely butterfly was a real treat when I discovered it in my files. This is a fun challenge, AC. Just what we all need!

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    • Hi, Khürt. It made me dizzy, too! I hesitated before I stepped on the pavement! It really was an optical illusion. Glad you like the beach chairs. I liked how the b & w brought out the striped and checked designs. Thanks so much for your thoughts. I hope you can join us.

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  18. Hi Patti,
    I think the photo of the arcade is fabulous. i’d love to explore that place. I could find lots of goodies.
    It’s incredible the amount of things you see when you’re trying to fidn a specific one.
    The butterfly on the leaf is beautiful. Aahhh … memories of Jones Beach when we sat in the sun with gobs of baby oil. LOL
    Great selections … Be Safe … 😷 🙏🏻 😊 Isadora 😎

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    • Wait, wait…you grew up on Long Island?? Where?? I’m a “North Shore” girl and I married a “South Shore” guy! Yes, it’s true what you can find once you have a theme in mind. The leaf/butterfly was a fun surprise. Thanks for your thoughts and kind words. I hope you join us!

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      • I wish I had grown up on Long Island. I loved every minute of living there. I moved to Babylon – South Shore – (a small fishing town) in 1970. My daughters were 5 & 2. We wanted them to grow up outside of the city (Brooklyn). I lived on LI until I moved to Florida in 1989. I loved the fact there were two private areas in Jones beach designated to Babylon residents only. I wish they would have had better weather and lower taxes so I could have stayed there. 😀
        YUP … added my pics early this time … lol
        Have a GREAT week, fellow Long Islander.😊 Isadora 😎

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      • Oh, you were in Babylon after Brooklyn. And then, Florida. Got it. I know what you mean about better weather and lower taxes. The traffic is pretty crazy, too. I will check out your post, too. Yes, and have a great week!

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  20. I love these images, Patti. The graphic nature of lines in your images is so appealing. Love your monochrome of the Melbourne arcade which brings back memories of visiting it, your beach chairs are so well seen and your composition of the zebra butterfly is excellent. Great quotes, too. 🙂

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    • That’s very helpful, Jane! It helps me to understand what you’re seeing when you look at them. I love Shel Silverstein. It brings back memories of reading to my son❤️. Take care and stay well, too. It’s crazy out there!

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