Thursday, May 7, 2009

A world of backyards / Um mundo de quintais


Curious houses in economic neighborhoods: They start to be all equal, being "configured" over the years according to their tenants living. Their backyards, for example: Some have vegetable plots grown with care, from where always something is taken to the table, some others are mere piles of weeds and junk, others have exquisite gardens, others a little of all this, not to mention those who aren't anything, totally and lazily cemented... Small and so different worlds, with only a wall to separate them.
Curiosas casinhas dos bairros económicos: Começam por ser todas iguais, e com o passar dos anos vão sendo “configuradas” de acordo com o viver dos seus locatários. Os seus quintais, por exemplo: Alguns são hortas cultivadas com carinho donde sai sempre qualquer coisa para a mesa, outros simples pilhas de mato e tralha, outros jardins primorosos, outros um pouco de tudo isso, para não falar dos que não são coisa nenhuma, preguiçosamente cimentados por todo... Pequenos mundos díspares, separados por um muro apenas.
Fabriano cold-pressed 7"x 5" - 140lb (18x12,5cm - 300g/m2) paper
Available in my Etsy shop / Disponível na minha loja Etsy

11 comments:

Suzanne@threepeats said...

I agree, how we use space says a lot about who we are! More Amercans are starting vegetavble gardens because of the economy. It will be interesting what space they use...part of a large lawn...or a hidden area near a shed?

Paulo J. Mendes said...

Suzanne, I think sooner or later all available space will be used to grow vegetables, as it will get more and more expensive to import them from the other side of the world. It will be interesting and a change for better even in our busiest cities. Maybe we'll see vegetables being grown in balconies and rooftops.

In my country we still following the opposite path: Urban backyards being transformed into car parkings, domestic agriculture being misregarded, etc... One day we'll learn the lesson too, I hope.

nancy said...

Nice painting. Love the garden theme. Today I will pick, cut cabbage from my garden! We have more things planted than ever before. Organic I might add!

Paulo J. Mendes said...

Lucky and wise Nancy! I am sure that there is more flavor in one of those cabbages than a full box of the chemical ones we see in the supermarket. And there's also the special flavor of eating something that was grown at home.

GlorV1 said...

Oh we are in the category of a "lot" of everything in our garden. My husbands gardens excessively because he feels our huge yard, (football field size) should be filled with everything. Of course we give mostly all away. I have a smaller garden nearer to the house that produces just the right amount of tomatoes, chiles, lettuce and more.I love the way each of your figures except the guy with the bottle is transfixed on what the man bent over is doing. Even the dog is watching him. I love your painting, very stimulating so I think I will go in my yard and see what else is coming up. Thx for sharing.

Paulo J. Mendes said...

Wow, Gloria, a yard with the size of a football field is a country itself! You can spend hours just getting around and seeing what's new in the garden, not to mention pleasant time under a shadow just listening the birds or reading, or painting. Hope you enjoy every inch, every happy second on it.

nancy said...

OK, a football field....Wish you were my neighbor Gloria.

Julio Rodrigues said...

A minha horta está a progredir de vento em popa…pimentos, tomates, pepinos e um vegetal brasileiro o giló que muito apreciamos. O problema é que é difícil cultivar couves aqui por causa da humidade. Continuo a pesquisar o assunto. Esta cena está muito bonita e imaginativa.

Paulo J. Mendes said...

É engraçado como uma coisa que aqui se vê em cada esquina, como as omnipresentes couves, já se torna difícil de cultivar do outro lado do Atlântico... Desejo o maior sucesso nas suas pesquisas: Pode ser que exista alguma variante que se dê bem por essas paragens e permita matar as saudades de um bom caldo verde :))

Carlos Romão said...

Gosto imenso dos temas e do traço das suas aguarelas, e ainda das cores e dos deliciosos pormenores com que sempre nos brinda. É um regalo vir aqui.

Paulo J. Mendes said...

Obrigado, Carlos. É um prazer ter a sua visita, assim como visitar as sempre belas imagens da "Cidade Surpreendente".
Um bom fim-de-semana!