Chani's Creative Space

Happy Holidays to you all, friends and colleagues! I wish you every happiness this holiday season and throughout the coming year. 2021 can only be better. Stay creative and healthy! View of the harbour of Benalmádena, December 2020

Reality being beyond satire at the moment, I prefer to focus on beauty.  Those pictures are taken in Torremolinos during our lockdown (as we were not allowed to leave our municipality, which is possible again now, although we still may not leave the province).  What you cannot see on the pictures: a lot of rubble and rubbish, that people brought there although there are containers everywhere in town. 

Yeah, another finished year on @Animaloonies (on Twitter)! Again, we have been drawing 12 inflated creatures, one per month. Just like before. Normally, I would have said that time has gone fast.   My favourites are the wolverineloon and the ostrichloon. Enjoy! January: Mythicalloon (Griffin) February; Hyenalloon March: Kangarooloon April: Sealloon May: Wolverineloon June: Goatloon July: Ostrichloon August: Giraffeloon September: Whaleloon October: Spiderloon November: Raccoonloon December: Kidloon

I suppose I am not the only one who is longing to see this year end, without being sure that next year will be really better. I wish I could be in the landscapes I can only dream of at the moment. Wetland Black mountain

Two abstract visions of rough landscapes near the ocean. Lava and water Sunrise on water

I went to the mountain last Sunday. Like many others, as we were locked up in our municipality (and still are). A nice day, sunny, not too warm, but I felt dizzy, unprotected from the misguided decisions of our politicians. Almost on top of our mountain Feeling dizzy

 It is still dark but I am not scared. Not scared

Ten days ago, we went back to  Valle de Abdalajís , the first place we visited in June as we finally were allowed to go out of our municipality again and move within the province (but not further).  We came on time to experience the olive harvest on a sunny day, before a so-called perimeter lockdown was imposed in this area, turning it against to a lost paradise for us.

Would it be nice to live as a snail? To be allowed to live a slow life, without having to meet urgent deadlines, rushing to shops, driving or flying anywhere, but with my house on my back, discovering the world on my own way. Snails near the small town of Barbate (Andalusia) Snails near Barbate

This year so far, I have learnt a lot of ugly words. And that in all the languages I speak.  Ugly words

When people talk and say nothing or spread lies, the only right thing is to disappear into nature and to listen to it. I prefer wind to words, rain to sentences. Listening to the sounds of nature

Nature is the only place where I can find some peace at the moment, far away from news channels that enter your house like enemies to attack you every day.  Pitres, province of Grenade (Granada). It took us five years to come back and to be reunited with its beauty. Between Pitres and Mecina Between Pitres and Mecina

Autumn is coming, and we are still suffering. I wonder how long it will last before they let us live normally. Autumn is coming

It is high time to post the last pictures of our trip to Soest (province of Utrecht, The Netherlands) in July. It now seems almost unreal. The summer has almost gone, but life is still not normal at all. The "Soester duinen" The "Soester duinen" The old fishing port in Spakenburg The old fishing port in Spakenburg

The sheep ran into the barn as the shepherd told them a wolf was lurking around. They stayed there day and night, for weeks and months, maybe years, shivering. No animal raised the question whether the wolf was still there. 

Words are not necessary here. I just had my camera with me all the time during one week.

 Yeah! The mythical alphabet that we started on February 24th on Twitter for @AnimalAlphabets was finished two days ago, on Monday August 17th, with the last letter of it, Z for Zitiron: Here is a collage with all other letters, A-W: Afanc, Brownie, Cat Sidhe, Dryad, Each Uisge, Frost Giant, Golem, Hatsadiling, Ijiraq, Jasconius, Kitsune, Llamhigyn Y Dwr, Mizuchi, Nian, Otso Bera, Peryton, Qebehsenuef, Rainbow Fish, Sarimanok, Tailypo, Unhcegila, Valravn, Will-'o-the-wisp, Xanthus and Yowie (my favourites being Afanc, Ijiraq and Jasconius):

Life sometimes feels like an eternally long road. Especially when everything is different, because forbidden or impossible. One can enjoy during the journey though, looking at the birds, the sky, the cattle. Here some pictures of the polder landscape near the small town of Eemnes , The Netherlands (prints available through Fine Arts America):

In those difficult times, I am still trying to use my brain, listening to the scientists I trust, even if others are shouting louder in the media. Nothing is certain, the information we get is imperfect - but luckily, we have professors emeriti. Uncertainty