Blogs New and Old

I'm sad to go but I've decided it's time to bid adieu to Visions of Whimsy and start afresh with a new blog.
The content will be a little different, less art heavy, but if you still want to find me you can. I'll be at Read Write Think Repeat doling out opinions, thoughts and yes the occasional picture or two. Please stop by.

Giovanni Battista Piranesi

There is currently a free exhibition of Giovanni Battista Piranesi's work at the Keith Murdoch Gallery in Melbourne. The exhibition features a number of stunning etchings and paintings all centring on the topic of Rome. Looking at these artworks took me back nine years to when I visited that ancient city myself and now I long to return. Here are some of my personal favourites.

The Tiber River

The Trevi Fountain

View of the Sibyl in Tivoli

I couldn't find my particular favourite, Stenographic Insulate Tiberinae, it's a view of an island in the Tiber  and the composition blew me away. I also thought it would be a great setting for a story. If you know where it is online please let me know.

I hope you enjoyed this itty bitty post, have a great day.

At Abbotsford Convent

Below you will find a Doctor Who fan fiction I wrote on the train. It is inspired by one of the creatures in the series but doesn't feature any of the main characters.

 

Walking through Abbotsford Convent at night is not a scary thing. It has been repurposed and renovated into an outdoor cinema, a restaurant and a bar. People fill the spaces with their laughter and conversation. There is nothing to frighten you in Abbotsford Convent.

              I blink.

              Silence descends, the people are gone. Empty chairs and half-drunk beers are all that occupy the restaurant now. I walk towards the cinema and bar listening intently for the sound of a crowd. I round the corner. Nothing but rows and rows of deck chairs littered with blankets and bags as if everyone has gone to the bathroom at once. An old film begins to plays on the big screen.

              To my left is a corridor. A narrow tunnel through the building to the other side. Framed by the tunnel is a square of grass and a small stone bench haloed by the last light of the day.

              I walk through. When I emerge I raise my hand to block the sudden sunlight. When I drop it there is something else behind the bench. I don’t know how I missed it before, but the most beautiful statue of an angel stands before me, her hands raised to cover her face as though in tears.

              I smile… I blink.