Dear Art-loving friend,
While I was sculpting stone in Bulgaria this past
July, I met a slew of artists. One of
them was Marino Jugovac from Grožnjan [known also by its Italian nameGrisignana]. It is a part of Istria, the north-western part of Croatia.
Grožnjan is a beautiful little town, full
of stone-paved streets, old buildings, and lovely views from its hilltop
location. Marino had invited me to visit
for a long weekend during an arts festival, held annually in late
September. Normally, many told me, the
foliage is a bright red during the festival, a vision I wish that I had
seen. However, it has been a strange
year for weather for many, Croatia included, and autumn has not really arrived
yet.
Grožnjan / Grisignana is a city that is known for a
two-string “cello” called “Bajs,”
instruments that are played in Istrian folk music. There is a "string" of music fests during the summer. They are famous for jazz, too. Also, in 1902, a set of railway tracks named the Parenzana were
built so that trains may aid in the transport of agricultural products and
general commerce. The trains no longer
run, but many bicyclists and hikers follow the existing trail through this beautiful
region.
According
to the brochure: “In the 3rd century B.C., all of Istria including
this region was settled by the Illyrian and Celtic tribes.” Romans began to dominate by 539 B.C. and
later (around 339 B.C.) Istria was under Byzantine domination. In more current times (1358-1797 A.D.),
Istria was under Venetian administration.
Grožnjan prospered
under Austrian rule. There is a lot more
to her history, but in 1954 she became under the rule of Yugoslavia, after
which three-fourths of the families decided to leave. Proclaimed in 1965 as a city for artists,
Istria is now part of Croatia. This
means that she, for the time being, is NOT a part of Schengen territory (hence
my immediate interest).
Allora, through my lack of language
skills, I arrived not really sure that the festival was happening during my
visit. I had looked at various Web sites
and it seemed unclear to me what was or was not going on in Grožnjan. But before 2 a.m. I was on the overnight
train from Firenze to Trieste (Italia) and my friend was there to pick me up in
his car at the station around 9 a.m. It
was not a far drive (one hour?) to Grožnjan.
After a coffee (only an expression for me since I
rarely partake), I got to explore the area a little bit, snapping off a few
images as something caught my fancy.
Then we had pizza for lunch at a new place in town called “aModoMio” (My Way). It was very good! After that, Marino took off for a bit and
returned with a blank canvas (60 x 80 cm).
He told me that he was giving it to me so that I could enter the
competition. We walked over to a “loggia”
(covered porch) and the canvas was stamped on the back. I was given a number and became officially registered! Now what?
Apparently “Extempore”
is an arts contest that wants to insure new work.each year, days or hours old even! They do so by having many registration points
in the cities and towns in the around Istria, including Trieste in Italy. Artists bring any canvas or art support they
choose and have it stamped on the back to verify its “blankness” as they
officially register for that year’s competition.
After that, we drove out to San Valentino
(population of 3, I was told) to paint for a bit in Marino’s studio. It was lovely to pass giant pumpkins being
harvested by, I supposed, the other two citizens. After a little tour and then a delicious nap
lying in the outdoors, I started on the only real idea I had had after seeing
that I was to work with acrylic paints and stuff very stiff old scraggly
brushes. I am not known for my speed, so
I can tell you that I was a bit mortified at the idea of creating something
pleasing in a matter of hours using materials that are not my own.
Thankfully, engineer John Borsheim had given me an
interest in Nikola Tesla and electricity in general. Often when traveling I find myself taking
photographs of insulators and such, thinking to send them to him once I am home
again. Marino had suggested that I try
something way more abstract than my usual work.
I tried to see this as an opportunity, since I have wanted to loosen up
a bit anyway and push myself in a more free direction.
Here you may see my inspiration: a spider-like
arrangement of electric wires. They are
actually right around the corner from Marino’s Atelier / Gallery in Grožnjan
and come out the wall of his sister’s home.
All I had with me was my camera, so I looked at the image on my small camera
screen, drawing the lines in charcoal onto the canvas after I painted and let dry the yellow
and grey background colors. I wanted to
enjoy the process of being outdoors to paint and just breathe in clean air,
away from any city.
I had hoped to see a lot of artists around as Marino
took me back to Grožnjan. I had a room
for myself above his gallery in the center of town. But he said that most were off in their
studios working away. By the time dinner
was finished and Marino had left me in town, even the tourists had gone. But what a lovely evening!
I will be back tomorrow to tell you want happened on
festival day!
Thank you,
Kelly
Kelly Borsheim, sculptor, painter, writer, teacher
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