By Norma Hopcraft
Today I have some shots that I hope spark your creativity and send you to your workroom or drawing pad, or simply to the kitchen to make a meal with a bit of je ne sais quoi.
I'm inspired by architecture, which is the art of light and space. People live and work, breathe and have their being within architecture. Let's take a look at some from the Middle Ages.
After the hijinx at the port, we explored at the top of the hill, in Dinan's centre ville.
Dinan has a fine assortment of medieval half-timbered houses. Get carried away with me: these houses are 1,000 years old. They have witnessed the births and deaths of countless generations of Bretons. Families and friends eating, sometimes meagerly, sometimes feasting together. Marriages lived out, heartfelt prayers said.
The walls, ceilings, floors get embued with the spirit of all these activities, creating an ambience for the next generations to savor.
Here in the centre-ville of Dinan is a half-timbered structure, supported by more recent columns, I'm guessing. I went in one of these houses. They're dark.
A detail from another half-timbered house in Dinan. How would you feel about having your house supported by timbers harvested 1,000 years ago?
A biscuiterie -- a cookie shop -- under the colonade formed by this ancient building. How French!
These timbers were fitted together with splices and pieces and who knows what. What are you piecing together today? Tell me, in the comment section.
Splices and pieces and a more recent column below. Would you like to live in one of these spaces? I imagine that the lives lived within them leave a person feeling crowded with personalities, with stories, with hijinks.
These are the gates between Dinan's centre-ville and the port of Dinan. France is replete with these reminders of history, of times past, of the people who preceded us. What are your thoughts about ancient homes and walls and gates? What do they inspire you to do? Please feel free to comment below!
