Some Places Deserve to be Famous

    There are some tourist attractions in the world that are really
    not worth your time.
    Attractions that when you get there you find yourself thinking "that's it?"
    or "I thought it would be bigger in real life."
 
    The Alhambra is not one of these places.
    The Alhambra deserves its accolades.
    And you'd be hard pressed to find craftsmanship of this caliber
    anywhere else (hey Sistine Chapel, are you taking notes?).

    And even though I spent several weeks in architecture school
    meticulously studying the roof of the Sala de las Dos Hermanas
    and making drawings like this:

     which of course meant I had understood and mastered its logic...

     When actually confronted with this masterpiece up close,
     could you blame me for forgetting all of my pervious knowledge
     about muqarnas and geometric patterning?

    While I focused all my attention in school to that one ceiling,
    I was happy to discover that it was just one of many impressive moments
    scattered throughout the expansive Alhambra complex...

 
    So while you might come to the Alhambra thinking

    you already know it all...

    do prepare yourself for the likelihood of leaving

    with some stars in your eyes.

 
    And if you get lost, just keep an eye out for the eager animals,
    ready to guide the way.

The Arches of Alhambra

    While my trip to Granada and the Alhambra will get more extensive coverage
    in upcoming posts I wanted to dedicate this one to the often overlooked arches
    of the Alhambra (compared to the ceilings, which are of course spectacular
    and will have their time in the spotlight later).

    But for now let's all take a moment to revel in the sheer splendor of Arabic,
    hand-painted, hyper-patterned, muqarna fabulousness.

    We really don't make them like we used to, do we?

    P.S. Happy Summer Solstice

2001 Elephants New Arrivals!

    2001 Elephants is pleased to add some new designs to the collection:

    

    elephant dangles and studs

    baby octopi studs

    dark fish

and light rainclouds

    dark green octopi

    and light green octopi

    and for the finale...some rectangle mosaics

2001 Elephants

    In homage to Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Oddessy....

   Bjørn Hoffmann and I would like to present:

   

    our line of hand-made, wooden earrings    

   

    there are Octopods

    and Aztec warriors

    tiny elephants

    and rain clouds

    and slightly off topic but just as pleasant are the mosaics

and my personal favorite, the fish

    let me know if something catches your eye

    more photos and concept drawings to follow soon....