Memento Mori

Getting excited about Halloween, one of my favorite holidays. This image was created from a blend of two photos - one of silk flowers taken at the local craft store, and a skull I bought which is actually a candle holder.

London Gold

Beginning with a photo I took of the Parliament buildings in London, I used various textures to create the scratched gold look of the buildings and another texture for the background sky.

Autumn Display

I stopped by Whitfil Nursery to see whether they had anything new for fall, and I wasn't disappointed, although the cottage was closed until October so that more autumn goodies could be installed. Even though the weather is still more reminiscent of summer here in Phoenix, I'm in the mood to think about seasonal colors.

Echoes of Time

More experimentation with layers, textures and masks. I started off with my photos of the column, a decorative accent at a local nursery. Then I added the woman's face, which was part of a freize I found hanging in a local antiques store. These seemed to lend themselves to a sort of classical Roman theme, so as a final touch, I added the Latin text.

A Walk in the Woods

Continuing to experiment with textures, masks and ephemera. The Greek statue was taken from a photo I took within Villa Kerylos in the South of France.

Zen for Bees

This is just an experiment which started with a photo of a Buddha statue at a local nursery. Several textures and a mask were next combined using Blending Modes. One of the texture was the title page of an old German book about nature.

Sailing Along

Saint Mary of the Rosary is an 18th century Dominican church in the Dorsoduro district of Venice.

Passing NEMO

Photo by Stephen Bohn

The large, oddly shaped building in the background is the wonderful NEMO Science Center of Amsterdam. The current building was designed by Renzo Piano in 1997. The hands-on museum is the fifth most visited museum in the Netherlands.

Dresden Trio

The beautiful architecture of Dresden, as seen from our hotel across the Elbe River. I've added a watercolor texture.

Golden Ladies

This image ties into another one - the photo in my post of June 5, 2012. This structure was located just outside the Cine Comedia in the Eixample area of Barcelona.

Ornate

The intricately beautiful details sgraffiti on the facade of  one of the three most important buildings in Barcelona's "Block of Discord." Casa Amatler was designed in the Modernisme style for the chocolate magnate Antoni Amatler and built around 1900.

Fisherman's House

A boat, nets, poles and other fishing gear outside a brightly painted house in Vernazza, Italy. One of the Cinque Terre towns, Vernazza is considered by many to be the most picturesque.

Bridges on the Arno

Photo by Stephen Bohn

A view of the famous Ponte Vecchio and several other Florentine bridges spanning the Arno, as seen from the Vasari Corridor of the Uffizi. This 1 kilometer long "secret passage" was commissioned by the Medici family to connect the Uffizi with the Pitti Palace.

Blue Row Boat

A row boat floats on the decorative lagoon inside the Conservatory and botanical gardens at Bellagio in Las Vegas. Along with real and artificial birds, sunflowers, kites and a lighthouse, the row boat is all part of a seasonal display celebrating summer.

Frauenkirche Dome, Dresden

Looking up from street level to the dome of the magnificent Frauenkirche in Dresden, Germany. Like much of Dresden, the beautiful 18th century church was destroyed in the bombing of WWII and rebuilt after the reunification of Germany. It was finally reopened to the public in 2005.

Law of the West

Old law books line the shelves at the former Cochise County Courthouse in Tombstone, Arizona. The  Victorian era building has been operated as a State Historic Park since 1959.

Faded Beauty

The weathered facade of a building near our hotel in Venice. At first glance it would seem to be an abandoned building, except for the flowers in pots on the old balcony.

The Riddler

Photo by Stephen Bohn

One of two Sphinx statues guarding the Elbe River entrance to the Pillnitz Castle and Park. In Greek mythology, the Sphinx was part woman, and guarded the entrance to the temple of Thebes by asking a riddle. Those who failed to answer correctly were strangled and devoured by the Sphinx. In late Greek history, the riddle became: Which creature has one voice and yet becomes four-footed and two-footed and three-footed? Oedipus solved the riddle when he answered: Man, because he crawls on all fours as a baby, walks on two feet as a adult and uses a cane in old age.

Red and White

Original photo by Stephen Bohn

This photo was taken from the castle in Heidelberg, Germany. I haven't been able to find out what this particular group of buildings is and whether they function as some part of the local fire or emergency services, but I liked the way that the red and white of the vehicle matched the shutters of all the buildings. I've added a mask and postcard textures.

Verona Palazzo

The baroque Palazzo Maffei on the northwest side of the Piazza delle Erbe in Verona, Italy. The palazzo dates from the 15th century. St. Mark' winged lion, a symbol of the Venetian Republic and indication that Verona was once under Venetian rule, sits atop a marble column in front of the palazzo.

Leaving Venice

Photo by Steve Bohn

 Cruising through the Grand Canal past the San Giorgio Maggiore church and belltower on our way out of Venice.