Amsterdam is one of Europe’s amazing cities. Home to world-renowned art museums, history, architecture, and some interesting people watching. We could wander their canal-lined streets for days, taking in the many sidewalk cafés and coffee shops.
With its endless parade of bicycles, caution is advised for those new to the city, where bikes always have the right-of-way over pedestrians and motor vehicles. You need to look both ways and step lively.
Seventeenth-century taxes were determined based on their canal frontage, so most buildings are narrow and tall. Buildings seem to hold each other up, seldom seeing one straight due to the rotting pilings and shifting marshy soil. Add the endless colors, and you have a subject not to pass up.
I photographed this block and went a little crazy with my post-processing software and the color saturation slider. Then came the application of a painterly process, resulting in this whimsical image. You will not see me do this to my nature photography, but it seems to fit the delightfully unconventional lifestyle of Amsterdam.
Photographer Chris and painter Robin Rohwer each week share a painting or photograph that captured their interest in hopes that it will also capture yours. They have a small studio and gallery in the Phoenix Building at 418 South Gay Street where you can stop and see their work. Their website is www.ChristopherRobinArts.com. All works are copyright-protected
