Sunday, February 28, 2010

The painting of Old Town


There's a lot of painting going on in Old Town and I can't decide if it's a good thing or not.  I happen to really love the look of the plastered buildings as the old paint flakes off to reveal underneath layers of colour.



 

Plus I love the golden look of the whitewashed buildings when the sun shines on them.  But a crew of painters is slapping new paint on some of these treasures and I'm not liking it much.



This building is so beautiful with its golden tones. Now with the new purple and green paint it just looks like another painted building to me.



Then there's this one that had weathered to a soft multi-coloured hue like green tea ice cream.



Last week it was transformed to baby blue and white.

 

Maybe I'm just being too precious in my aesthetic.  What do you think?

These buildings are vacant and in need of restoration.  If this is the first step to protecting them, I'm for it.   But I wish they'd consulted me about the colour schemes. 

7 comments:

  1. I'm with you. They should have consulted a specialist and tried to maintain the character of the buildings. Great befores and afters. Of course, usually the afters are better than the before.

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  2. Thank heavens you caught the "before" images !! What a shame about the colour choices.

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  3. Thank heavens you caught the "before" images !! What a shame about the colour choices.

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  4. Do you suppose that the faded colors were once just as colorful? Maybe the sea air will weather them quickly.

    I had similar thoughts while in Cork. I noticed people were taking advantage of the newer, brighter colors available when repainting houses. It really made the streets a lot brighter on a misty day.

    I like both looks and I'm glad that you could capture some of those buildings.

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  5. I agree - the new colors are rather flat in tone even in the bright light - I love that you captured the before and after. On the other hand, the new colors add a fresh feeling to the street scape and show that the residents are interested in maintaining the buildings.
    I love reading your blog every day I get on line - thanks, Joanna! - Allison and Ches

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  6. The second corner building WAS beautiful -you are right! Now it's just another painted building!:(

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