Inspiration in Barcelona, Spain

 Museu Nacional D'Art de Catalunya

There was a plethora of things to get inspired by in Barcelona, and one of my favorite places was the Museu Nacional D'Art de Catalunya. The museum houses an extensive collection of Catalan art from throughout history. Below you’ll see some of my favorite artworks from their current exhibitions.

 View of the Barcelona from the steps of Museu Nacional D'Art de Catalunya

 Painting on the interior dome of the museum

I’ve always had a special affinity for Byzantine paintings. I love the use of gold leaf and dimensional texture in the halos. This is a detail of the Virgin Mary.

 Ballerina, Pao Gargallo

Untitled mural by Xavier Nogues

I laughed out loud when I saw this painting: two bandits and a ginormous glass of red wine. I wonder what mischief they are planning!

 A beautiful eclectic cabinet, Josep M Jujol

 Chandelier, Josep Puig I Cadafalch

 Salvador, Unknown Artist

Yellow Aster Butte Trail to Gold Run Pass near the Canadian Border

Mt Larrabee (right), American Border Peak (middle), 

and Canadian Border Peak (back)

Matt and I spent this Labor Day hiking up the Yellow Aster Butte Trail in the Mt. Baker Snoqualmie National Forest, near the Canadian border.

View from the top of Gold Run Pass

The hike is short, but steep: about 3.8 miles round trip and 1800' elevation gain. It was a good workout, and once we popped out of the trees the views were spectacular.

 Douglas’ Spiraea

Wildflower season is late this year due to an unusually cool spring.

 Lupine

I was playing with my camera on the “super vivid” setting, just to see what would happen. It really brings out the color, but I think I also lost some depth and midtones.

 Looking back at Mt. Baker from the Yellow Aster Butte Trail.

Mt. Baker is still completely covered in snow, in September! There is still so much snow there, Matt’s co-worker went skiing last weekend.