‘Windows have a way of limiting what one sees and, at the same time, intensifying the vision.’ — Ronald Blythe
When I set off to write this post, my intention was to talk about and show you some drawings of what I call our ‘Kiwi Nest’ (our flat in Auckland), but soon I realised, when reviewing the drawings I’ve done, that these weren’t of the interior of the living space - these were all, actually and almost without exception, drawings of the views looking out through the window of our lounge.
I have lived through many windows looking out at many different city views: Valencia, Amsterdam, Brussels, London, Melbourne… not to forget my hometown, Xàtiva. And now, Auckland (Aotearoa New Zealand).
This was precisely what captivated me when stepping into this apartment for the first time and one of the reasons my partner and I decided to rent it: both walls to the street (lounge and bedroom) are huge windows from floor to ceiling, bringing in lots of light in but also setting up a big picture view in that fourth wall as part of the interior space.
Almost as if really in a nest (hence my naming of the place as our Kiwi Nest).
I am fascinated by the relationship between inside, outside, and in-between spaces (I am an architect, after all!). There’s this interesting duality of a private window looking towards the city that draws a framed picture in, and the inverted composition of windows that build the facades in the public space and give the city its backdrop, almost like a theatre curtain. I started exploring these relationships and elements some years ago through some digital drawings in London:
But what is fascinating about Auckland and the view through my Kiwi Window, in particular, is the duality between urban and land forms. Maungawhau (Mount Eden) frames the view at the back, looking southeast, while the Waitakere Rangers are seen to the West far away, beyond the city edge.
The window builds a frame that forces us to pay attention to the picture’s edges. Something I recently explored drawing and painting after studying and learning from Chris Ware’s drawings.
The view presents layers of proximity and distance in terms of urban form, while the presence of trees reveals the change in seasons. It’s Spring at the time I write this post, and finally, the tree has come back to life, adding light green to the view. The sky is vast, and clouds travel at high speed usually. From time to time, I can glimpse ‘the long white cloud’ at the back, crossing across Maungawhau.
The best pictures, though, are those on a stormy day: the sky turns into an intense blue, and the building in front of ours gets briefly warm light from the western Sun.
Pause for a moment and enjoy the view through your window, wherever that is.
Dream of it. Draw it.
✏️✨
Happy sketching!
ana
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All images and text © Ana Vila
PS.
I have regularly been taking photos when the light and colours had an appeal - I am a big photo taker as a way of capturing visual notes. These are some recent photos through our Kiwi Window:
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