Dunnottar Castle, Scotland, Overlooking the Setting of ARTIFACT

My debut mystery novel, Artifact, goes on sale this week. There are links to buy the book in the side-bar of the blog, but since this is a mysterious photography blog, I'm going to keep things related to photography! (You can read more about Artifact here.)

The setting for the book was inspired by my travels to the Highlands of Scotland, especially the Dunnottar Castle ruins. The site of the ancient fortress is a chunk of land on cliffs that stretch out into the North Sea, only accessible by walking down a steep path and up another one. It's no wonder the site was used as a fortress beginning in the Dark Ages and played a role in Scotland's history throughout the centuries.

In ARTIFACT, historian Jaya Jones travels from San Francisco to London to a Pictish archaeological dig in the Highlands of Scotland, piecing together the secrets of a lost Indian treasure that are hidden in a Scottish legend from the days of the British Raj.

 —Gigi

New York City Gargoyles, Part X: Lions

Wrapping up a look at New York City architectural details with some lions. Except for the second image below (which is Gramercy Park), these are all in the Upper West Side of Manhattan.

 

Yes, that's a dragon in the foreground in the above photo, but the two lions from the previous photo are in the distance.


—Gigi

New York City Gargoyles, Part IX: Unexpected Places

I thought I was done with my New York trip photos, but I realized there were several photos of building ornaments I really liked that I hadn't yet shared. These photos didn't fit the themes of my earlier posts, so I've sorted them into two last posts. This week is an assortment of carvings. These images are all juxtapositions of some sort, but mainly they're just some cool carvings worth sharing on their own.

 

 

 

—Gigi

Instagram Gargoyles

Last week I posted the last of my gargoyle highlights from my recent trip to New York City. (I have a lot more, but need to stop somewhere!) It took a long time to sort through all the photos I took, which made me tempted to supplement the photos on my next trip with some instant gratification. Yup, Instagram. And when I decided to download the Instagram App on my phone this week, I knew I should take the first photo of a gargoyle. The little fellow in my garden is reminiscent of the Irving Place gargoyle from NYC.

—Gigi

New York City Gargoyles, Part VIII: Upper West Side Carvings You Might Miss

You need to slow down and look carefully to spot some of the most interesting creature carvings on New York City buildings. Below are some panels carved into the facades of apartment buildings in the Upper West Side of Manhattan.

From afar:

Up close:

From afar:

Up close:

From afar:

Up close:

—Gigi

New York City Gargoyles, Part VII: Upper West Side Doorway Details

It was incredibly difficult to narrow down my photos from the Upper West Side. In the neighborhood between West 82rd and West 85th Streets, you can't walk more than a few steps without looking up to find a stone carving looking down at you from above a doorway or under a window. Many of the stone figures in this area are in the Art Nouveau style. Below are some of these faces.

—Gigi

New York City Gargoyles, Part VI: Midtown and Lower Manhattan Architectural Details

Sometimes you need to look pretty hard to find the most stunning architectural details on skyscrapers.

The Flatiron building, designed by architect Daniel Burnham, is an icon of New York that continues to capture people's imaginations over a century after it was built—and if you look a little closer you can see even more unique details.

High on the Flatiron building are several detailed carvings, including the creepy Medusa head shown below. 

I caught a glimpse of the famous eagle gargoyles of the Chrysler building, but I have yet to find a good vantage point from which to view them. If anyone has ideas about a good place to get a view of those famous metal gargoyles, please let me know! 

None of my planned architectural walks included Lower Manhattan, so I was pleasantly surprised to see that many buildings in the financial district are ornamented, too.

—Gigi