Monday, March 14, 2016

Burning, Trimming, and Mural Painting


Dear Art Lover,
      Lately, my neighbors have been making little fires all around these hills in Tuscany.  They are removing much of the grasses that have overgrown over the winter.  Today, my landlord and his brother will start trimming their olive trees.  I really hate to miss this!

     Tomorrow I leave for Firenze and will live there for one month as I work with a private student.  We will have fun on his new still life painting project (after his first project EVER was Leonardo da Vinci’s “Leda and the Swan” – a human figure, and animal, and a landscape!).  But, I love my new home and I want so much to see each season here as they unfold.  My landlord assured me that spring will not pass me by before I return, but … I love helping “my family” in Casignano each November with the olive harvest.  To be around for the trimming sounds interesting to me.  Here, it is dangerous work because the olive trees grow on the sides of the hills and they use ladders and saws.  It would be nice if I could be here even for added safety for them.  Oy yoy. 

     My mural project progresses slowly.  This is partially because there is so much detail work in creating a specific landscape, and I, sadly, get confused easily on which of my charcoal markings denotes the dark shape or the light one.  The other part, naturally, is that I have a fair amount to do before leaving tomorrow. 

     I took these close-up images last night.  It is weird to see them in this way.  I think the mural looks better in person.  However, I have not finished with these parts that I show you.  I just wanted to share how I am layering the acrylic paint and trying to get soft edges to create something of an atmosphere. Sadly, not much more will happen on  this for at least a month, in case you were thinking to hold your breath.  Hahaha…

Thank you.  And happy birthday to two very lovely ladies:  Giuliana and Dilya! 

Peace,

Kelly