My Word with Douglas E. Welch

Does your city need more art? How Would you do it?

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Sculpture, NATO Headquarters, Milano, Italy

This sculpture is interesting as it uses an old-world style to depict modern events. Its companion on the other side of the door shows Swords, cannons, and banners while this one depicts grenades, ammo belts, and machine guns.

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What is your favorite part of LA? Share in the comments!

My Los Angeles 77 – A Soaring Ceiling, Union Station

There is something special about starting or ending your journey at an exquisitely designed station like this. It makes the entire trip seem grander and more important — even if you are just going from Van Nuys to downtown or changing from the Red Line to the Gold Line or your way somewhere else.
Like many others, I am always struck with the architecture of Union Station and the hustle and bustle to be found there.

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What art has lasted in your town? Share in the comments!

Chiesa di Santa Maria del Carmine with mosaic tile artwork over the door

Another great view of his church and the mosaic artwork over its main entrance.

Mosaics are amazing not only because of the skill required to create them, but also because of their longevity compared to works on canvas, tapestries, or paper. The sun Can or fade them. The rain cannot harm them, for the most part. Their biggest risks are war, earthquakes and the human desire to replace history with something new far too frequently. 

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What are you waiting for? Share in the comments!

Waiting…

The family is waiting on a train just like they might have in the ’40s. Union Station is such a throwback but I love that it is the connection point for commuter and national rail and also 2 major subway lines here in Los Angeles. What a great way to keep a grand piece of architecture vibrant and productive.

Like many others, I am always struck with the architecture of Union Station and the hustle and bustle to be found there. 

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* A portion of each sale from Amazon.com directly supports our blogs
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Could your city or town us a piazza? Share in the comments!

Chiesa di Santa Maria del Carmine and Piazza

Another amazing part of Italian life is the piazza — the outdoor living room of Italian towns large and small. 

I sat at the cafe here, having my espresso and chocolate crossing and watching the world go by — a wonderful thing to do at any time of day. 

I remember this day specifically as I walked into the cafe and ordered a ”caffe, per favore.” As I am clearly NOT and Italian and with Milano being a big tourist town, he responded ”Caffe normale?” This was my cue to use my somewhat limited and strangely accented Italian to say let him know I spoke a few words and, indeed, wanted the usual coffee that the Milanese drink. He was quite happy I spoke Italian and I explained that my wife’s family was Italian so I had to learn the language a bit. 

This happened again and again in Milan and led to some great conversations in both English and Italian with shopkeepers, bar owners, and restauranteurs throughout my trip. 

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My Los Angeles 76 – Union Station at Christmas

Another place we visited with our Italian family. We were picking up my mother-in-law who was riding in from Fullerton. We walked across to Olvera Street and then headed over to the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion for the annual LA County Holiday Concert. It was a great way to spend their second day in town and Christmas Eve. 

Like many others, I am always struck with the architecture of Union Station and the hustle and bustle to be found there. 

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What does “city life” mean to you? Share in the comments!

Daily Life In Milano, Italia

Trams and bikes and people and history. This is what makes up a typical day in Milano

I only had a few opportunities to ride the trams in Milan, but their ever-present nature, convenience and the audible ambiance they bring to the town are amazing. Sometimes, we would sit in our hotel room with the windows open and just listen to city life go by. With is quite different than our life here in suburban Los Angeles.

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Down the street, Milano, Italia

Just one of the many amazing views as we walked about Milan last September. Along with their grand boulevards there are many tiny streets — almost alleys really — like this which give frames views of piazzi, churches and other architecture in the city. It is at times like these where you begin to wonder what year it is until you see something modern that snaps you back to your own time.

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What would your sculpture look like? Share in the comments!

Napoleon as a Greek god, Pinacoteca di Brera, Milano, Italia

Kind of a grand sculpture, don’t you think? But then Napoleon was known for an extremely large ego, so perhaps this explains it. 
Quite a dramatic centerpiece to the museum which also hosts the Accademia di Belle Arti (School of Fine Arts)

We passed through on our way to the Reunification museum and the Botanic Gardens seen in earlier pictures. 

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Do you do street photography? How? Why? Share in the comments!

On The Street, Via Dante, Milano, Italia

I have never been one to practice street photography much, probably because I’m too self-conscious about it and worry about bad reactions from people. 

That said, one afternoon we pulled up at a kiosk to rest our feet and have a snack while we waited to meet family for dinner. 

Via Dante is a large, wide, now pedestrian-only Avenue in central Milan, right near a major subway station. It is a main location for the evening passeggiata or evening stroll so familiar in Italian towns of all sizes. 

This location allowed me to casually sit and capture people as they strolled by without attracting too much attention to myself, so I felt comfortable enough to try out some spontaneous street photography. 

What’s interesting is that these photos bring back some of the fondest memories as they make me feel I am there again more than any photos of dusty history or buildings. 

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* A portion of each sale from Amazon.com directly supports our blogs
** Many of these books may be available from your local library. Check it out!
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