Krakow

I have just got back from poland and the amazing city of krakow! It was ever so cold and I've never worn so many pairs of socks but it was a fantastic trip. There were so many beautiful buildings, and around every corner there was something truly magnificent to look at.

Can I go back now please?!

The churches in Krakow were particularly interesting, the intricate patterens in the wallpaper and the architecture kept my eyes wandering for quite sometime. It was impossible to take everything in because of the scale of the buildings, but one thing I did manage to focus on were the stain glass windows. They rely on the light in order to portray there message so they are usually rather high up which ironically makes them harder to see, yet still so beautiful!

St. Mary's Basilica

Below is a window we all got a little too excited about. I was actually one of the few to get a clear photograph of it simply because it was so far away and the light was too bright to pick up any of the detail. Thankfully I found that 'sunset' mode on that old banger of a camera of mine, and it managed to get an image as good as this.

And of course as an illustrator, it would be a crime not to go and visit a polish poster gallery! And so we spent a good hour or so browsing a very small poster gallery called Galeria Plakatu - Poster Gallery, not far from Krakow city centre. There was about 20 of us crammed in to a room that only looked big enough for 5 eagerly browsing through the collection. One in particularly managed to catch my attention and after examining it's qualities for far too long I decided to make a purchase and now it is mine!!

The marks used to describe the men's beards/stubble are so appropriate, and the detailed little bugs on the background are gorgeous when you look at them up close. All the textures put together make it so successful and it was said to be 'definitely a Jadine poster'.

Auschwitz Friday 19th November.

A visit that we felt we had to make when visiting Krakow, and can I say I am 'glad' that I went? It was an experience I will never forget and it made everything real which I felt was extremely important because these horrific events really did not happen all that long ago. I don't really have anything else to say, it was an emotional day and I couldn't really speak when I got back to the hotel, here are some images.