Half a Pine Cone

:-) now only the candle is missing :-))

Breathtakingly beautiful.

great close up, love the vivid colors

This is my kind of picture, Keith!! What a marvelous find! You and I both know that most people mentally discount this sort of subject and just keep on walking. Instead, you recognized how cool this picture would look, how unusual, interesting, and beautiful too! The details are awesome...what fun that you found it because your photography is outstanding! Love the angle, your dof and composition too. The wonderful inverted russet skirt is so neat to stare at, mentally putting the rest of the cone in place upwards around the center spike. I love stuff like that. Makes me wonder...have you been to Florence? There is a mind-blowing display of Michaelangelo's works there that showed me what world-class sculpture was all about. It was my first sighting of David--and it is, in fact, the original. It fairly glows with energy. I had zero idea what all the fuss was about...who cares...sculpture...yada yada. Until I got closer and looked up at it. BOOM. Totally floored. Words cannot describe the experience to standing near this incredibly powerful masterpiece. It's just incredible and changed my entire understanding of what sculpture's true intent was, what it really was. I never viewed sculpture the same way again and this deep appreciation gives me so much more enjoyment of every piece I see.

But you see, it gets better. Within this fairly small building are housed Michaelangelo's unfinished pieces as well. Again I was not prepared. To stand in front of one of these pieces is to become part of an unfolding experience which totally and utterly blew me away. The pieces are unfinished, but...are they unfinished at all? The figures seem to struggle to free themselves from the marble and if you have the right sort of creative mind, you will slowly see the figure that lives inside the marble. The experience, once again, is staggering. The understanding of how a person can release a figure from a block of marble...it's totally amazing. To stand there and see the figure in your mind's eye--to understand how such a talented artist can do this--it is a priceless experience and so profound. All around me, people walked past, none of them caring or understanding at all how magnificent each of these unfinished pieces were. Going to the Michaelangelo museum rocked the foundations of what I thought art was and forever changed me. If you have not had the chance to visit, I would try to put it on your bucket list. It is a profound experience from the moment you step inside.

Because of my understanding of visualizing elements that aren't there, I can put the pine cone back in place and so your picture is two masterpieces in one. Thank you for the show, Keith! And thank you for bringing me back to my day in Florence when I was just 21! :) *high five*

Thank you Janet........I thought you might like this one.

I have been to Florence...........many years ago.........but did not visit any museums. I'm afraid us sailors at our young age, were much more interested in the bars and cafés than museums etc. If I had my time again..................*sighs*

I did enjoy reading your thoughts though. Thanks for sharing them. I'm just happy that you mentioned me and Michaelangelo in the same comment :-)

Great capture...well done.
Have a good evening ;-)

Leeg geroofd door eekhoorntje

très original ce cône de cèdre , jolie prise

Thank you all for your most generous comments............whiich, as always, have left me feeling very happy!

Just made me smile Keith....I can't think why! :)

I'm glad I raised a smile from you Rosa..........I'm now smiling as well. Thank you.

Eine wunderbar komponierte Nahaufnahme, Keith! Die Formen und Strukturen der Nadeln gefallen mir besonders gut.

Thanks Wilhelm............glad you like it :-)

Half a pine cone

What a stunning find, Keith. The pine cone looks like a candleholder on a Christmas Tree. Only the candle is missing. ;-)