Laume's Studio

I am now totally enamored of old walls. Well, I've always been enamored of old walls, but now I seem to notice them everywhere I go. I was uptown the other day and realized there was all sorts of intriguing architecture that I had only noticed in passing. So today I went back, parked, and wandered around, up the alleys and back down the main street, really seeing things up close and intentional-like.

This looks like it could be in the side of a castle. Nope, just down the alley between an old hotel and a car dealership.

A couple of winters ago we had a big fire uptown. Snow everywhere and yet the entire building went up in flames. There had been an antique business in the building. They'd closed down earlier in the year, moved everything out, but decided to bring some of the merchandise back to take advantage of holiday sales. Sadly it was all still there when it burned. They had the most awe inspiring breakfront and dining room table in dark oak, carved in nature symbols. They had a beautiful green upholstered victorian chair and settee. I couldn't afford any of it but I went in to visit it often. All gone. The shop had old satiny smooth built in cabinets and walls in hard woods and a real tin tile ceiling. Also gone. I wonder if anyone tried to salvage any of the old building bits and pieces? The photo above shows what was exposed on one of the neighboring buildings when the rubble was cleared away. The wall on the other side had just been refinished. I wish I'd managed to take a photo of it before it was recovered in new stucco.

This wall is also on the side of an exposed building from a fire that happened sometime over twelve years ago. I don't know how long before that, I only know it's been a vacant lot as long as we've lived here. There are bushes and trees establishing ground in the space. I wonder why it was painted two colors at one time?

Here's the edge of the same wall. I like the strip of bright blue sky and green leaves, the new bright colors contrasting with the faded colors of history. If you want to get a really good look at the mutable colors and textures in these photos, remember you can click to open them up.

I went out taking photos instead of working on my own walls today. I'm at a NOT FUN stage where it's all about unloading shelves, wandering back and forth from the house to the storage and garage measuring furniture again and again, archeological sites discovered when shelves are moved for the first time in over a decade (okay, this part is kinda fun), scrubbing floors and walls (back to NOT fun again). Wandering around snapping pictures - easier. Although looking at all the textures and colors of the old walls inspires me to get back to creating my own new old walls.

I've got a few more photos but they need to be edited a bit, so I'll save them for another time. In the meantime, if you want to look at even more old walls, I've added a flicker photo box in the sidebar with an "old wall" search.