Category Archives: Museums and Galleries

Musee des Arts et Metiers in Paris – Part One

One of the best days out we had in Paris was at the glorious Musee des Arts et Metier. This wonderful museum opened right at the end of the 18th Century in what had been an abandoned medieval priory — Saint Martin des Champs. The museum has been expanded, most notably with a more contemporary addition in the 1990s, but the elegant old priory contains some of the most beautiful of the displays under those ornate and vaulted ceilings.

Musee des Arts et Metiers in Paris, France. Housed in a converted medieval priory, this is one of the landmark museums of Paris. Made famous by the novel The Da Vinci Code, it contains a Foucault pendulum.

One example of the treasures within is the room that houses a Foucault Pendulum. I know that the former purpose of the space was reverential, but it still maintains an air of ‘sacred space’ in that hushed room with the pendulum right in the center.

Foucault Pendulum beneath the vaulted ceilings of the Musee des Arts et Metiers in Paris.

The Foucault Pendulum within the Musee des Arts et Metiers in Paris.

When we were there, I noted that the glass table which has the pendulum suspended above it and the glossy flooring all around it appeared to be quite contemporary. That was a bit of a surprise. But as I was doing the research for this article, the information that I discovered explained all of that.

In 2010, the cable that held the pendulum snapped, damaging it badly and shattering the ancient marble floor beneath it. So the more contemporary appearance is a result of the reconstruction in the museum.

All of the photos above are available in my ZENFOLIO PORTFOLIO You may find them in the Portfolio tab under FRANCE — then under PARIS.

Enjoy!

An Art Deco Beauty In Cincinnati, Ohio

Another happy announcement! Here’s my latest book — Midnight In The Station — and you can find it by clicking on the title to the left.

Again, this book, like the others, is available in iPad ebook, softcover, hardcover, and downloadable PDF file for any electronic device or computer.

This was a midnight visit to the Union Station in Cincinnati, Ohio and it’s truly one of the loveliest Art Deco buildings I have ever been in. It’s a tribute to that city that it has been restored so beautifully and, in addition to the Amtrak service that still operates several days a week, it also houses several museums.

I have created a new widget on the right sidebar for Ebooks and Print Books. Just click on that link and it will take you straight to the online store! All books may be purchased by either credit card or PayPal.

Enjoy!

New Book on Barcelona — Online Now!

I am very pleased to announce the publication of a SECOND book this week — Brief Bits Of Barcelona. This book is available for purchase in several formats — ebook for iPad, hardback, and softcover. Barcelona is one of the places in Europe that we would return to again and again, so I hope this book either encourages a trip there or brings back some of your own memories.

Click LINKS BELOW to purchase
Brief Bits of Barcelona in PRINT
Brief Bits of Barcelona in EBOOK

I’m already working on the NEXT book, so come back soon for the launch of yet another one (and another, and another…).

Momentum In Melbourne

For the last several months, I have been p-a-t-i-e-n-t-l-y (for the most part!) breathing deeply through all of the pre-launch-date stages of presenting some NEW BOOKS to the world. These are the first of a series that I’ll be producing and I will be offering them in both print versions and ebook versions. Also, you’ll have a choice of two types of hardback version or the equally groovy paperback version. And for those of you who just love your iPad, I’ll be creating a downloadable ebook version, too!

In the meantime, in addition to actually creating even more books, I am setting up new pages or sections on Facebook and Twitter and Instagram and Pinterest because if you don’t NETWORK like crazy, you aren’t ‘with it’ in the greater scheme of independent marketing. And all of that set-up takes time, too. Thank heavens I have thousands of images to draw upon from our years overseas.

Now — wasn’t that worth waiting for? I’m practically dancing in my chair as I type!

So — here we go…

Do you have older family members who were in Europe during World War II? Parents or grandparents perhaps? Are you a military buff? Are you simply curious about that time period? Then the first of my new books, Echoes Of Place: The Haunting Energy of War in Battlefield France, is for you.

Click On Links Below To Order
Echoes Of Place in PRINT
Echoes Of Place in EBOOK

Come back soon for the launch of another book (and another, and another…).

A Peek Inside At Federation Square in Melbourne, Australia

Following on from yesterday’s photo essay on the exterior of Federation Square — soaring spaces, modern lines, lovely light — all of these are elements that add to your enjoyment of a visit to the buildings of Federation Square in Melbourne, Australia. Here’s a peek inside!

The multi-story high atrium at Federation Square in Melbourne, Australia

The descent from street level down into the atrium and toward the National Gallery of Victoria’s Ian Potter Gallery at Federation Square in Melbourne, Australia

The lobby of the Ian Potter Gallery inside Federation Square

Photo Of The Day: Fundacio Joan Miro in Barcelona, Spain

Gray and blustery day, monotone concrete building — why not a post in black and white?

I have a more than 6 month backlog of images to edit and send to my agents in London and New York, so I will be feeding a bit of this and that from around the world to this website along the way.

Opened in 1975, the Fundacio Joan Miro in a hilltop suburb of Barcelona, Spain has all of the concrete clad vibe of the modern architecture of that period. This wonderful museum houses an extensive collection of the contemporary art of Joan Miro and should be a highlight of any visit to Barcelona.

An extensive collection of Spanish artist Joan Miro’s work is housed in the Fundacio Joan Miro in Barcelona, Spain.

Totally Transfixed in Melbourne, Australia

Had to share this with you. As I was pressing the shutter, I knew I had captured a unique moment. The three men sitting motionless on the bench and the woman standing as still as a statue were all completely mesmerised by the same thing — an art installation at the NGV museum in Melbourne, Australia which consisted of a long strand of what appeared to be metallic tape as it was blown back and forth between two large electric fans. It was an interestingly silent moment!

3 seated men & 1 standing woman are mesmerised by metal tape blowing between 2 large electric fans at the NGV art museum in Melbourne, Australia

A Wanderful Life

The Neverending Journey