Chani's Creative Space

I find it difficult to look back and to look forward because I am someone who lives in the present. Since I don't know what tomorrow will bring, I don't want to worry too much about what I will do, won't do or should avoid. But one thing is certain: in 2024, I will hold on, just as I did in 2023. Trying not to hurt others, trying to live reducing my carbon footprint. Living with eyes wide open to see beauty wherever it is. Making art out of it. May love and happiness be yours this holiday season! Water greens in Benalmádena (Andalusia, Spain) Shells on the beach in Benalmádena

It's been so long since we've been in Malaga's Lagunilla s neighborhood (2016). Since we were invited to a book presentation in a café there yesterday, we had some time to walk around the streets before the event.  As always, it was a shock to see how Malaga's center has become an intense tourist space. The shops were all open, the weather was nice, it looked like people were buying and eating to forget about what is going on in the world. After navigating through the absolutely crowded center, it was a relief to be back in Lagunillas, not far from those streets where I couldn't find a space to walk and think.  Since 2016, some houses have been demolished, others have been rehabilitated to serve as... tourist accommodations. So it will only be a matter of time before the small shops I saw yesterday ("ultramarinos", "carnicería"...) also disappear, when the owners get too old or die, and no tourist needs to buy there, because they get their food i...

These days, art may be my only refuge. Street lamp in Torremolinos (province of Málaga, Spain) 

The last boat brought me to safety back to my habits my questions  and my loved ones. Ferry boat arriving at the island of Fejø (Danmark)

No, I will not publish texts and/or artworks generated by so-called "AI".  I want a connection with my readers, and my texts and photographs will further be imperfect, just like the imperfect person I am. If I start using AI, that connection could be lost quickly. Some people say to me, "But our world is becoming more and more automated anyway". It is true, and while technology may be useful and good, we have the power to choose if and when we want to use it. I want inclusion, which for me means more than just using the right pronouns and maybe plain language. I want to live in a world where there are still people around if you want to get some money from the bank or buy a bus ticket or take the train. Art is allowed to be imperfect. Art needs time, and art needs the people who are behind it. Here a small watermelon. A new symbol. Watermelon

I wish the dark days we live in were already over. I ask myself so many questions and no one can give me a satisfactory answer.  Before the storm at Maglehøj Strand (Denmark)

When I was young, I was fascinatied by big cities. I wished I could live in London, Madrid, Paris. But the older I get, the more I find people exhausting with all their noise, their cars, their fights. Being in nature is what I love most. Just being there, not hearing people talking, not having to answer the phone. Looking at small things. With a dog, if possible. ;-) Fungi and grass (in Albuen, near Nakskov, Lolland, Denmark) Crab shells on seaweed (in Albuen, near Nakskov, Lolland, Denmark)

Recently, I sold a print on Fine Art America of a romantic broken ship that can be seen in El Puerto de Santa María (Andalusia, Spain). This reminded me that soon it will be time to go there again, like every fall - this time with our new dog Nubi, who does not know the place (in fact, he has to discover what life is like outside a kennel). I like water, harbors, abandoned ships, so I was happy to find another interesting boat last month in Nakskov, Denmark. Again some kind of art by nature. Time, rain and sun made this: Overgrown boat in Nakskov

Our former best friend Nicki died in July and we were devastated. We wanted another dog. But in a country where shelters are overcrowded, buying a dog would not have been an option for us. We searched the web a lot, but the possible candidates were already adopted or not yet adoptable. And then it happened very quickly. Last Friday we adopted Nubi, a two-year-old mix who has already taken possession of your homes and hearts.

My neighbor's flame tree is my shield from prying eyes. Under the flame tree

September, finally! Temperatures are dropping (a bit, at least in the mornings and evenings), which is a good thing. We are even expecting some rain tomorrow. Water reservoirs in the province really need to be filled. I am looking forward to hiking during the day instead of getting up in the middle of the night. Water reservoir in Álora (province of Málaga, Spain), seen from the road A 7078 to Carratraca

If it is too hot to hike very far, get up early, walk no more than 10 km and look around. There is always something to look at under trees and near streams. Elements of nature that might otherwise go unnoticed, but are there for you to discover. Under a chestnut tree between Pampaneria and Bubión (Spain) Moss and rocks near a creek in Pampaneira

In the Alpujarra region (province of Granada, Spain), people use curtains (mostly woven, sometimes string curtains) to protect themselves from the cold, heat and insects. Each house decorated in this way is a work of art - without knowing it. More Alpujarra curtains and other beautiful doors on my website . Door in Pampaneira Door in Bubión Door in Bubión

The best thing you can do in a picturesque village is to stroll through the (narrow and steep) streets, enjoy the architecture, pet cats and dogs that follow you, take a deep breath and realize that you are there and nowhere else. You are in the here and now. You use your phone only as a camera (it takes worse pictures, but faster). Later, when you are back home, on the noisy concrete coast, you will want to remember the sound of water running in the middle of the street, the smell of overripe figs and mulberries. Street decorated with plants in Pampaneira Street with irrigation channel Another street with irrigation channel Quiet street and sky

We overworked people who live in the turbulent world of the coast, finally gave ourselves a weekend to look, smell, walk and read. Ferruginous water. Chestnut trees, mulberry trees, ferns.  We hadn't been to the village of Pampaneira (population about 350, in the Alpujarra region of Granada, Spain) for years, since my mother bought me a beautiful red poncho there.  People used to come by car or bus, buy a poncho or a rug, drink a beer, and leave. ;-) I wish I could have stayed there, at least until the end of the summer, or maybe forever. We met a dog that could have been the brother of our late Nicki, same color, same coat, same eyes. But the dog was free and happy and we knew that he had an owner. For him the best constellation ever. Enjoy some views of the picturesque Pampaneira, by day and by night. (I will post more pictures of this wonderful place in the coming weeks). Panoramic view of Pampaneira Roofs in Pampaneira Pampaneira at night

We would have liked to find some water further up in the Río Fuengirola (also called Gomenaro, in Mijas, province of Málaga, Spain), but all we found was a dry river bed. Still, the place was beautiful. A silence for which we were grateful. A silence that is almost a luxury those days.  Enjoy! As always, prints and stuff are available through my website . Felled timber in Mijas Reed on the river bank Reed in the river bed

To stay safe in the extreme heat, we are forced to change our routines, going out very early and then waiting for the night to cool down to walk a bit again. On the weekend, time to read and swim, but also to watch the nature around us.  Nature never sleeps.  I have always loved cacti; we found this one in Álora (province of Málaga, Andalusia, Spain).

Summer is there and at the Costa del Sol, as usual, it is too hot and too dry (fine for those who stay two weeks and want a tan but not for us who live here and have to work). But in the small spa town of Lanjarón (some of you may know the name because you can find this water in many supermarkets) and surroundings, in the province of Granada, you can still find some (ferrous) water in the streams, and I was happy to find some art made by nature. Yes, art is everywhere. You just have to look around. Leaves in water in Lanjarón Leaves and ferrous water in Lanjarón Leaves, moss and ferrous water in Lanjarón

As always, it is much too dry. Maybe they would not call our place "Costa del Sol" otherwise. But we have been blessed with a few drops in May and, above all, June. Plants are awakening to new life at the most amazing places. Happy solstice, BTW!  Hope out of the gully in Torremolinos  (Andalusia, Spain)

My friends and regular readers know how much I love the place. Located on the edge of the province of Málaga, but in the province of Córdoba, the town of Iznájar and surroundings have magnificent views to offer.  This year, however, it is a bit depressing to see the reservoir at 16 percent of its capacity. Maybe it is time for those who govern us to start thinking about how to manage water better. Iznájar lake (reservoir) in June 2023 Little water, but still a beautiful landscape

We were looking for some nature and found it where we thought, disappointed, that the hike was over and had not much to offer. We were able to cross Fuengirola River (also called Gomenaro River) because it had little water. Then the adventure began, with the diseminado Chaparral. Moss and leaves in Fuengirola River  (also called Gomenaro River) in Mijas (province of Málaga, Andalusia, Spain) Same place, detail The Río Fuengirola (or Gomenaro)

The day I can walk anywhere from home without fear of finding nothing but concrete, that day I will be free. The day I can hear birds again instead of building cranes and trucks. The day I breathe sea salt again instead of dust. No, I am not talking about vacations, but about some harmony at my doorstep. Torremolinos (Andalusia, Spain), calle Pan Triste

We finally got some rain and it brought some color to our streets. Gully after the rain in Torremolinos

A humid forest always has a lot of beauty to offer to the hiker: mosses, mushrooms, vines and other elements. Even without sun beaming through the trees, they are shining their own light. Enjoy! Moss with branches and leaves Mushrooms on tree trunk Lianas and moss on tree trunk

I am so happy when I can walk for hours in the forest and enjoy the "noises" I can hear there, which to me are not noises (like traffic noise, screams of arguing people or naughty children, or incoming phone calls). I enjoy listening to and watching birds, deer and rabbits. I am so happy when I can be in a place where there are no skyscrapers, no cars, no concrete pedestrian zones offering things I do not need, where instead I can find water in all its forms, yes, even as rain, which has become a foreign word here because people have forgotten how it looks like and feels. I wish I could have stayed longer in the Hoge Kempen National Park (Belgium). Enjoy my  whole album on my FAA website! Trees reflection Pond in Ziepbeek Valley Approaching storm over pond Pond near Station As Another pond near Station As