Redes. Webs.

Insects on a Scottish tartan. Insectos sobre una tela escocesa

There's a story called "Crooken Sands"  by Bram Stoker that tells  us about the importance or tartan design in Scotland, as it is related to different clans. Here, an excerpt:

"Arthur Fernlee Markam had not taken his family into his confidence regarding his new costume. He was not quite certain that he should be free from ridicule, or at least from sarcasm, and as he was sensitive on the subject, he thought it better to be actually in the suitable environment before he allowed the full splendour to burst upon them. He had taken some pains, to insure the completeness of the Highland costume. For the purpose he had paid many visits to 'The Scotch All-Wool Tartan Clothing Mart' which had been lately established in Copthall-court by the Messrs. MacCallum More and Roderick MacDhu. He had anxious consultations with the head of the firm—MacCallum as he called himself, resenting any such additions as 'Mr.' or 'Esquire.' The known stock of buckles, buttons, straps, brooches and ornaments of all kinds were examined in critical detail; and at last an eagle's feather of sufficiently magnificent proportions was discovered, and the equipment was complete. It was only when he saw the finished costume, with the vivid hues of the tartan seemingly modified into comparative sobriety by the multitude of silver fittings, the cairngorm brooches, the philibeg, dirk and sporran that he was fully and absolutely satisfied with his choice. At first he had thought of the Royal Stuart dress tartan, but abandoned it on the MacCallum pointing out that if he should happen to be in the neighbourhood of Balmoral it might lead to complications. The MacCallum, who, by the way, spoke with a remarkable cockney accent, suggested other plaids in turn; but now that the other question of accuracy had been raised, Mr. Markam foresaw difficulties if he should by chance find himself in the locality of the clan whose colours he had usurped. The MacCallum at last undertook to have, at Markam's expense, a special pattern woven which would not be exactly the same as any existing tartan, though partaking of the characteristics of many. It was based on the Royal Stuart, but contained suggestions as to simplicity of pattern from the Macalister and Ogilvie clans, and as to neutrality of colour from the clans of Buchanan, Macbeth, Chief of Macintosh and Macleod."

Read the full story from the book Dracula's Guest:

http://www.gutenberg.org/files/10150/10150-h/10150-h.htm#The_Squaw

Fractal flowers and leaves. Flores y hojas fractales

This is one of the deterministic fractals' properties: autosimilarity. If I zoom in the fractal, I'll see the same pattern in all scales. I have changed the color but can still see my flowers and leaves.

Precipicio. Precipice

Molinete de tres aspas. Three blades windmill

Artistic versions of an urban intervention

Two artistic versions of the concept of an urban intervention and how it affects the urban tissue. The first one is showing tall buildings. They are based on fractals.

Artistic versions of an urban intervention by Myriam B. Mahiques is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.

Graffiti under Los Angeles´ bridge. Graffiti debajo de un puente en Los Angeles

Inspired by the multiple graffiti painted under Los Angeles´ freeways, specially the ones in front of the Cathedral of Santa María de los Ángeles, designed by Rafael Moneo. Graffiti appear and are cleaned, this time there are some small graphics over a kind of plastic canvas plus the grey stains left behind on the concrete walls.

Posters for a tire shop. Posters para un negocio de gomas

Two versions of the same poster, I think the blue one is better, the wheels are more readable. And the graphic design stop here, I don't enjoy drawing letters....

Monoblocks with rooftop gardens. Edificios de monoblocks con jardines en el techo

At street level, the landscape is completed with parks and trees.

Montainous Landscape. Paisaje Montañoso

This digital painting is like a poster. I´ve been influenced ultimately by my eldest daughter, she is a future graphic design. Mi idea is to intertwine the sky with the snow and the mountain. All part of the same landscape.

Spheres and ribbons. Esferas y cintas

Ojo. Eye

Stonehenge revised

A virtual modification of Stonehenge, though my picture was never Stonehenge. I´d like to imagine the stones´ arrangement like this.

Cangrejo. Crab

America

"Kathy, I'm lost," I said, though I knew she was sleeping

I'm empty and aching and I don't know why

Counting the cars on the New Jersey Turnpike

They've all gone to look for America

All gone to look for America

All gone to look for America¨

From the song America by Simon and Garfunkel

Garra. Paw

"To look at," said the sergeant-major, fumbling in his pocket, "it's just an ordinary little paw, dried to a mummy."

He took something out of his pocket and proffered it. Mrs. White drew back with a grimace, but her son, taking it, examined it curiously.

"And what is there special about it?" inquired Mr. White as he took it from his son, and having examined it, placed it upon the table.

"It had a spell put on it by an old fakir," said the sergeant-major, "a very holy man. He wanted to show that fate ruled people's lives, and that those who interfered with it did so to their sorrow. He put a spell on it so that three separate men could each have three wishes from it."

From The Monkey´s Paw. By W. W. Jacobs

El nacimiento de la flor. The flower´s birth

Ferns. Helechos. (Jungle series-series de la selva)

Pájaro con alas desplegadas. Bird with spread wings

Spread your wings and fly away

Fly away far away

Spread your little wings and fly away

Fly away far away

Pull yourself together

'Cos you know you should do better

That's because you're a free man

From ¨Spread your wings¨. Lyrics by Queen

Cerdito. Piggy

After the elections in my country, I am thinking of this beautiful songs from the Beatles....

Have you seen the little piggies

Crawling in the dirt

And for all the little piggies

Life is getting worse

Always having dirt to play around in.

Have you seen the bigger piggies

In their starched white shirts

You will find the bigger piggies

Stirring up the dirt

Always have clean shirts to play around in.

In their styes with all their backing

They don't care what goes on around

In their eyes there's something lacking

What they need's a damn good whacking.

Everywhere there's lots of piggies

Living piggy lives

You can see them out for dinner

With their piggy wives

Clutching forks and knives to eat their bacon.

Esfera y óvalo. Sphere and oval

Frozen Landscape. Paisaje Helado

STARVATION

The once-strong Viking looked up from the cattle bones scattered on the floor, to his wife  and children´s eyes. He sadly reflected that it had not been a good idea to go after Erik the Red, and even worse trying to found in this arid landscape, an European prestige based on livestock. They would not survive that raw winter, but perhaps he could find a temporary solution until the gods had mercy on them. He tenderly caressed his dogs, and without any doubt, he brandished the big hunt knife, over and over again.

On the other side of the primitive island, the Inuits dragged the whale dodging the icy fiords. That night there would be party in the tribe.

I´m the author of this short story, and it was selected -together with the digital painting- to be published at Orizon Literat, P. 59, Year III, No 6 (20), Nov-Dec 2010. ISSN 1844-4229. The story has been published in Spanish, English and Romanian.

Spiral. Espiral

Tejidos. Tissues

A kind of Manierism in the orthogonal tissue. The abstract stain diluted in the Euclidean shape, that´s trying to escape from its strict square limits. Two versions of the same idea.

Fauna marina. Marine life

Lagarto. Lizard

Pétalos. Petals