Portrait Oil Painting

Cari Amici (Dear Friends),

I was amused recently when one of my close friends, a painter, said (as he has on more than one occasion over the past year) that he thinks that I am a strong enough artist that Angel [Academy of Art here in Florence, Italy] will not beat out of me what is so good about my art. It is funny how some of us have this discussion about the four major classical art schools here in Firenze and how they differ, as well as how they do not. And most of us strive for our own independence.

Educating myself on the work of others is something that I have changed my opinion about over the years. I did not receive the traditional art education and before coming to Firenze, I knew very little about art history. I sometimes choose NOT to see the work, being curious about what kinds of images I would create without much influence of much anyone else. Other times I feel that looking at the work of others helps me hone on my own taste and grow faster. Much in the same way as my picture taking, each time I see an image, I refine my own sense of composition. It is helpful to analyze my emotional response to try to find that elusive quality that makes me FEEL something in one artwork, and feel too little in a similar effort.

I am where I need to be at the moment, despite my impatience. I find when I paint at Angel that I am trying to piece together many different approaches. Here is a small detail image of a portrait of a model Mauro that I am working on at the moment. This image reminds me of my approach with pastels when I do street painting. I have since gone in and refined the shapes in the face. Shapes are the most important thing and I find myself getting lost in them. But here, I am playing with putting the background color into parts of the face. This follows one idea that every part of a painting is a combination of the same colors. Each part simply varies in how those colors are proportioned. Let us see where this path takes me . . .

Art Anniversary Promotion: Get more art for your buck. Hurry, this one-time offer expires on 15 February 2013.

Angel Academy of Art Florence Italy

Cari Amici (Dear Friends),

Well, the last day at Angel Academy of Art in Florence, Italy was this past Friday. While I am still occupied with end-of-term festivities and helping people move or store stuff for the summer, I hope soon to be back doing my own art full-time. Still, I wanted to share some images from Angel. This first is a group shot that we took in one of our model painting rooms. The second is of the beloved Jered Woznicki, who teaches mostly the advanced classes. I love the lean on both he and his companion skeleton.

This third image is a follow-up of my sight-size copy of the bust of a Roman soldier. You may see already some of the errors that I have made, in particular that overall, I have fattened him up a bit. Still, he will dry over the summer since I have other more pressing work to do. And really, I cannot wait to get to it.

If you are interested in my latest art newsletter about painting in Tuscany, click here: http://www.borsheimarts.com/news/2012_05-OldFlameArt.htm

And here is another fun surprise I received recently when my flatmate Gustavo told me that he was looking online for art by Surikov and found my name connected to it on one link, with one of my drawings posted on this site:
http://enlightenedmale2000.com/2011/02/05/drawings-the-male-form-chapter-two/ So happy June and …

Happy Father’s Day!

Angel Academy Florence Italy

Cari Amici (Dear Friends),

Not much time for writing these days, but I wanted to share that this week, I will have finished my painting of a plaster sculpture cast from a Carpeaux. I will post an image of that painting once she is finished and I have time to take a proper shot. In the meantime, please enjoy these images of my life at the Angel Academy of Art in Florence, Italy…

Caption for above: Sophie gave me these flowers recently. She bought them as possible still life models, but they did not work with the other objects. I asked, “Why me? Lots of people here would love some flowers.” She said, “Because you gave me flowers and I love that memory.” Then she had to remind me that several years ago, I used to ride my bike to school from Via Leonardo da Vinci. I passed a large wall full of jasmine and would pick some blossoms each morning. Once in the studio, I placed jasmine on each woman’s easel. [I would have also shared with the men, but I only had so many stolen scents.] Timing is everything and that night (last Thursday), a 70-year-old + Australian model, Victor, told me that it was his birthday and I gave the bouquet to him. He was delighted! And I think the world is all connected.

Caption for above: Martin applies charcoal “war paint” on my face. Several of my colleagues are cheering me on to the finish line with my cast painting.

Caption for above: This is my next cast painting, the Roman man with the helmet decorated with lions. I love his little pouty mouth, as if his helmet is too tight. Ha!

Happy birthday, Dad!

Community of Artists Florence Italy

Cari Amici (Dear Friends),

My life in Italy has been quite different from my last decade or so in America. In Texas, I was mostly alone working on my art out in my home in the country. I liked it. I loved it, really. I have always enjoyed being alone when I choose to be, regardless of how few or many people may be around.

To be honest, I did not know if I really wanted to enroll in art school … or any school ever again. I am not a patient person on many levels and I felt hard-pressed at times to finish my college degree. But I am really enjoying being at the Angel Academy here in Florence, Italy. While I still treasure the time I can find to be alone, I am relishing so much camaraderie in being with other artists. We work so hard and long, but there are laughs that we share, although I suspect that a lot of “outsiders” might find our humor a bit dull (puns on shapes, tones, lines… that sort of thing – generally nerdy humor, if you will). For example, the delight in objects… recently Luca brought in a collection of items he bought in Istanbul: A pair of knives in elaborate brass sheaths, small lanterns, Asian tea pots, and other exotic things. The fun lasted perhaps only 15 minutes as many of us stopped our painting projects to take a look at items from Luca’s collection, ahhing and oohing over each one and trying to figure out what the history behind some of the items might be. We looked, we touched, we played with some of them, and we passed them from one to another so that we could appreciate each object on our own. The most popular item was the traditional wedding headdress for an Asian woman. Several of us tried it on. Here is a snapshot that Caroline took of me wearing the headdress. I am standing in front of my cast painting (a painting of a plaster cast model made from an original sculpture), the Carpeaux. I am not quite the “Girl with the Pearl Earring,” but a moment of feeling a bit royal was lovely.

Angel is a painting school and is very strong in still life painting. In fact, I was surprised that this school could change my mind about still life art, not having been interested in it much at all before I came here. We do support one another in our choices of objects (models, as Jered calls them) and the compositions we attempt. It is a wonderful environment. One recent afternoon, a student gave the Maestro John Angel a gin and tonic (hey,… it was ALMOST five o’clock and I have never seen this happen before here), which he offered to share with several of us who were curious about the taste. [I tried it; I will try most anything. But it did not appeal to me much… tonic is too sweet and lingers on the tongue, making me want to drink some water to wash it down. I will stick to my vodka or girly liquors, thank you very much.] However, another female student laughed and asked, “Maestro, are you bribable?” He joked, “No, but I am flirtable!” I smirked, “Subtle.” And we all burst out laughing as he gave me a hug. Not all days are charming in this way, but there is some joy in each day with these other artists. I find that my heart is a little less lonely than it might be otherwise.

Last evening lots of “Angels” and I attended the opening reception for the Florence Academy of Art alumni exhibit. Wow… and I love the interaction between AAA, FAA, and the Charles Cecil Studios. Oh, and the newest classical art school in town is the Russian Academy. The Corsini Stables hosted the art event and the place was packed with artists last night. And as a little plug, I was surprised and flattered when I met a woman who already knew of me and even remembered a blog post from years ago! We were standing near the vintage cars and when I mentioned the photo of model Vida [“Il Dono”] and me inside the car, I did not need to introduce myself. The woman exclaimed, “I know YOU, Kelly!” Later she and her husband saw the Princess Corsini and we were all invited to come out to an event happening in her garden soon. Not lonely at all – Firenze feels so surreal sometimes!

Mucha House Florence Italy

Cari Amici (Dear Friends),
One of my favorite buildings outside of central Florence, Italy, is what I simply call “The Mucha House.” I am not sure if this building done up in the art deco style is a private residence or an architect’s office or what, not being THAT nosy.
One of the “perks” of my current illness is that all scents seem to be amplified. My first day in the new studio at Angel Academy of Art had me reeling with a mixture of new paint, glue, body odor, aerosol paint (as students created black boxes for their still life compositions), smoke (which assails my senses so much worse than usual), perfumes, and a few other smells associated with construction and people and rain. The good news is that I can also smell the flowers even stronger than before, not that I wish to stay sick for this. So, you may see in this image here that the wisteria is in full-bloom, all over Firenze, in fact. I am loving that and hope you enjoy this image of “The Mucha House.”

P.S. After posting some new images of this lovely building, one of my artist friends sent me this link about the history of the house. Check it out!

Amerigo Vespucci Anniversary

Cari Amici (Dear Friends),
Today was one of those days that caught me “with my pants down.” I mean that figuratively, of course! That means that I regret not having my good camera with me because today I received a surprise invitation and it would have been wonderful if I had not left the house nude this morning (without camera). I did have my little Nikon, but that is a POS [Piece Of S...] camera, and hardly worth the effort (read WORST PURCHASE EVER!)

Upon arriving in the studio this morning, the Maestro John Angel asked me if I would mind spending my lunch hour at a publicity event with the Sindaco di Firenze (Mayor of Florence, Italy), Matteo Renzi, that John, Lynne Barton (owner of the Angel Academy), Anna, and Jered were invited to attend. He had his good camera with him and likes the photos I take.

Today, 22 February 2012, is the 500th anniversary of the death of Amerigo Vespucci, whose name appears on two continents. Vespucci was a Florentine and Florence wants to celebrate this year with Americans through a variety of activities. The three main classical art schools in Florence (Angel Academy of Art, Florence Academy, and Charles Cecil Studios) that use English as the primary language in school are involved in celebrating the arts for this occasion. I am sure that I will write more about this as the year progresses.

In this first image, the Angel crew (Anna, Jered, Lynne, and John) are meeting up with Charles Cecil (right) at the entrance courtyard of the Palazzo Vecchio, which I had just visited in my last blog post.

The unveiling ceremony (which is what this turned out to be) was held in the Palazzo Vecchio’s Sala dei Gigli (Hall of Lilies), named in honor of the French, who have historically been defenders of Florentine freedom. [The Florentine fleur di lis has two extra stamen in its design, which otherwise closely resembles the French symbol.] You will see this French symbol in gold with a blue background on the walls of this room. Those are also there because much of the commissioned art back in the late 1400s was never completed by the same artists who had recently finished commissions on the Sistine Chapel in Roma.

Mayor Matteo Renzi . . . as a street painter, I am not sure what I am supposed to think of some of his actions… but then, in all honesty, other than his diverting traffic to the street on which I work on my hands and knees (see my book for more on this), I do not really know the full details of the struggles of the madonnari. I MUST learn more of the Italian language!

In this snapshot of the crowd, you might be able to pick out on the third row back: John Angel, Lynne Barton, Anna, and Jered Woznicki. In the row behind that, from the left: Charles Cecil and Sandro Zecchi.

This next shot is of the map that the three girls in Renaissance costumes and dolled-up hair unveiled. I must admit daydreaming through most of the several speeches, and not understanding the rest. However, I was told that the map of the world was actually purchased by Vespucci in 1424 from the Chinese! I cannot verify that at this moment, but I can simply leave you with the curiosity of the cat…

And finally, I was so thrilled to have been invited to such a cool thing and was thinking that it would be nice for me to have a photo of me with the Angel staff in this Palace. At the same time, it dawned on me that the reason I had lost the mayor was because his back was sitting right in front of me! He had taken the chair of the current speaker! I looked around for someone to use my camera to take a shot of me with him. One woman nearby was too enraptured by her phone and next thing I knew, a tall Italian man with an enormous press camera offered to take the shot for me. Ironically, the mayor’s eyes were closed in each one … so I leave you tonight with this image of us (with John Angel behind us) in the Hall of Lilies.

A Better Artist

Cari Amici (Dear Friends),

I have been struggling this week as I try to get adjusted to my new life here in Florence, Italy. I have returned to the Angel Academy of Art to finish what I started years ago -- learning to improve my understanding of painting, especially the chemistry of painting. I left three years ago because -- and I am embarrassed to admit this -- another student was making me very uncomfortable in school and I could not get it to stop. I decided to leave the school, postponing my own education until this person had finished and gone. It was not difficult since I needed to continue to grow my own art career anyway.

My work moved in a slightly different direction in this period and of course, when I was back in Texas, I focused on my stone and bronze sculpture. I recently told Maestro John Angel and Jered Woznicki (my instructors at Angel) that I was nervous about starting up again because -- to my shame -- I had not even done a life drawing for over a year and a half (except for one 3-hour session with a friend).

Sometimes it is difficult to learn something when you think you already know something about it.

Being aware of this, as well as having watched other older students come in and flounder with their egos a bit, I really wanted to do as Maestro John Angel suggested, “Relax and it will come.” I wanted to learn the process thoroughly and it was important to “get it” early on so that I could “own” it and then be free to learn about what comes next. This was my mindset as I began to paint the figure in front of me. We were to use a medium-sized house paintbrush and wash in a solid shape on our canvases that matched the gesture of the model. The idea was to think in terms of FORM and MASS vs. outlines.

Then we were to add the construct over our massed-in shape . . . simple lines that placed the parts of the figure (head, limbs, etc.) where they would ultimately go, without actually drawing those parts. This takes time because it is the foundation of the entire painting. It is not enough to have the proportions correct. One must find the energy in the piece at this early stage. Otherwise, no matter how technically proficient the painting is rendered, it will be dull.

Once you are happy with this, start to articulate those construct lines. This means that you will take a smaller brush and create the outer lines of the abstract shapes that will become the figure. For example, the leg has specific edges that show off various muscles and joints. These edges will all have their own slopes and lengths and will relate to all the other parts in a particular way. Once the articulation is done to satisfaction, the artist can then design the shadow shapes (vs. light shapes). This is the start of the tonal work that will define the masses.

I hope this makes sense. Anyway, I do not usually work quickly. I am horrible at measuring things since I have a sort of impatience about being that tight … or maybe organized. Try as I might, I rarely measure the same thing twice and arrive at the same number. (Is that not related to the famous quote about the “definition of insanity”?)

So, I was VERY surprised when I found myself happy with my proportions on the canvas! I could hardly believe my luck! I checked and cross-checked, comparing various widths and heights, even diagonals (since I see better in triangles), trying desperately to find a relationship between shapes that did not match those I saw in the model. I really wanted to make sure that I did each stage SEPARATELY and that I understood the process that I came here to learn. And I felt that I was doing things well. So, what was the problem?

I did not believe that I could do that. But then, during the model break, I looked at the works of the other students who had more experience at this than I do. And I was further along the process than they were. I have never been particularly competitive (except with myself) and thus, I do not look at the work of others in order to decide how my work compares. But in this case, I knew that some things take time and we work within a system. The teachers know how to pace the class, despite some students working at different speeds. I was too far ahead and I lost confidence.

When Maestro returned to the room, I asked him if it was too soon for me to be drawing the shadow shapes. He said, “Yes, you have done it wrong.” I wanted to argue, “But you have not even looked at my canvas and now you are on the other side of the studio!” But I rarely argue something if I know that I do not have all of the information. When I am drawing or creating in any medium, I am not often aware of what others are doing and where they are looking. How did I know whether or not he saw the work I was doing earlier?

Frustrated, I went back to my canvas and wiped out all of my lines, returning to the simple mass I had painted in the beginning. I thought that was the fastest way to let go of my ego and learn the process the right way. In hindsight, I wish that I had waited on that. Once the model was back in position, Maestro came over to my easel and described each step again. And I kid you not, I believed in every ounce of my entire body that I had done exactly as he demonstrated! Even the measurement points that he said I must consider were absolutely the same ones that I HAD considered and measured! Now, I really felt frustrated because he kept saying that I had done it wrong because no one gets it right on the first try. But for the life of me, I still had no clue where I took the wrong turn.

After class and close to tears (I HATE that about myself since it makes me look so weak when I long ago discovered that I must release that energy somehow and prefer it be in a peaceful manner), I again asked Maestro to tell me what I had done wrong. So then he said, “Constructs. You have never been good at making the constructs. No one gets that right on the first try.”

That night at home, a friend called to see how I was doing in school. I must admit that I got all worked up again as I relived my frustration. He cut me off with his hearty laugh. I was not amused. What’s he on about? He said, “You . . . struggle? If anyone would get it right the first time, it would be you!”

Hmmm. Now I knew that Maestro was right (sorry, Si). I had done it all wrong, but I would need to figure it out on my own. That meant that I needed to DO more … more constructs, in this case. In that instant, I had a flashback of the time that my friend Vasily Fedorouk yelled at me in front of our stone carving students. He apologized to me in private that night as we stood outside under the stars. But having understood where he was coming from and that, in effect, his gruffness showed his affection and passion for art, I told him that, “My grandmothers love everything (artwise) that I do. But they will never make me a better artist. You will, and so we are ok.” My friend is perhaps too often my cheerleader and I need to figure this stuff out.

The image below is of the first step in this painting process taught at Angel. [I still had corrections to make then.] Unfortunately, I could not document the other steps I did that day because my digital camera is dying. I really need to break down and do the research and get another camera quickly.

Sbandieratori Villa Bardini Florence Italy

Cari Amici (Dear Friends),

Here are some more images from the art reception for “Annigoni’s Legacy – Angel Academy Student/Faculty Exhibition” at the Villa Bardini in Florence, Italy.


The Sbandieratori performed that night as they have since Angel Academy instructor Martinho Isidro Correia joined their ranks.

The group is officially called ”Sbandieratori dei Borghi e Sestieri Fiorentini” and is the team of Florentine flag wavers, drummers, and trumpeters. They are available for events in various size groups, normally a smaller group at Angel’s previous exhibits on Via San Niccolò (also in Florence). However, the Villa Bardini had such a lovely and larger space that we were able to enjoy a more full experience.

The Sbandieratori combines a type of martial art with the military disciplines of the Middle Ages. Today the Sbandieratori bring a festive feel to any event in Florence, as well as an “elegant, noble and strong, sturdy and vibrant” youthful vigor. I hope you enjoy these snapshots of their performances as the sun went down over Florence and the Villa Bardini.

Angel Art Exhibit Villa Bardini Florence Italy

Cari Amici (Dear Friends),

Hello again. I wanted to share with you some of my snapshots during the art exhibit “Annigoni’s Legacy – Angel Academy of Art Exhibit.” The reception was on 12 of May, but the show continues in the beautiful Villa Bardini here in Florence, Italy, until 30 May.

The exhibit was hung salon style, which means the artworks filled all the available wall spaces, one on top of another. I include a few images here for your enjoyment and also to introduce two lovely young painters that you are likely to enjoy for many years to come. They are my friends and both are charming people. Ti presento Dana Nechmad and Terra Chapman.

I will be going back again for another look at the art, as well as the fabulous garden that overlooks Florence. Exhibit openings are fun, but sometimes the only way to really look at the artworks is to go back when the place has fewer people in it.

Annigoni's Legacy - Annual Student & Staff Exhibition of the Angel Academy of Art
Villa Bardini, Via Costa San Giorgio 2
Florence, Italy [Firenze, Italia]
Tel. 055 246 6737

Art Model in Florence Italy

Cari Amici (Dear Friends),

Artists depend on good models for great figurative art. Here in Florence, Italy, a lot of artists have worked with a great male model, Ernesto. He has worked for Florence Academy and also Angel Academy of Art, as well as posing privately for artists, including myself. Ernesto is wonderful to work with and is also a terrific person.

So, you can imagine how difficult it is for artists here in Florence to lose Ernesto. He and his girlfriend are leaving Italy. Ernesto’s last day of modeling was last Friday at the Angel Academy of Art. So, as much as his girlfriend told me that he hates surprise parties, that is just what he got.

Student artists and teachers alike signed a card and pitched in to help me buy some torte (cakes). The chocolate cake with the powdered sugar on the left was made by scratch by our friend Skye Campbell. The other two cakes (one fruit covered in typical Italian style and the other a chocolate torta with a wee bit of alcohol inside) came from Patrizio Cosi on Borgo degli Albizi, near Piazza Salvemini. This is one of my favorite pasticcerie. There are many wonderful pastry shops here in Florence, but I happened to be drawing another model, Sarah, that afternoon at a friend’s studio on Borgo Pinti, and logistics being what they were . . .

I still cannot tell if he was really surprised or if he had a heads-up, especially when he whipped out a bottle of limoncello to share. Limoncello is a famous lemon liquor made in southern Italy (although I have several Italian friends here in Florence who enjoy making their own as well). Allora, the drinks, fruit, and chocolate were pouring! It was a sweet gathering.

Anyway, since I rarely post photographs of people on this blog without their permission, I decided to share with you a charcoal drawing of Ernesto. This drawing was created by my friend Joseph Farris, during Ernesto’s last modeling session at Angel. He is not finished with it, but I was at Joe’s flat earlier today photographing other works of his and asked him if I could share this drawing with you.

Next time, I will show you some of the works I have been creating of Ernesto. I have been working furiously to try to finish these (or get them to a point in which I could finish them) before my friend leaves bella Italia.

Ringrazie tanti, Ernesto!

Street Painting Melinda Gallo

Cari Amici,

On Monday, I began working as an assistant to Canadian painter and current instructor at Angel Academy of Art Martinho Correia. Martinho is teaching a 2-week workshop on Painting Methods of the Great European Academies and I am happy to have been asked to assist so that I can learn something about this painting technique.

Allora, I am quite busy now as I prepare on my few “off” hours to return to Texas for a summer of teaching and sculpting. Luckily, I recently received an e-mail from the famous blogger Melinda Gallo with the attached photo taken on the 2nd of June here in Florence, Italy. I print it here with her permission. I heard about Melinda Gallo’s blog about her life in Florence last fall from my friend Lisa (who heard about it from her husband). And this past April, I met the writer at an ex-pat’s lunch in Piazza Della Signoria. Anyway, she caught me as I was re-creating William Adolph Bouguereau in 1888 titled “L’Amour au Papillon” or “Cupid With A Butterfly.”
If you want to visit Florence, you must certainly read her blog

Enjoy . . .

Leonardo da Vinci + San Gennaro Angel

Cari Amici,

This past Friday the 13th I attended a lecture on Leonardo da Vinci by the Maestro John Angel at the Angel Academy of Art in Florence, Italy. Perhaps it is horrible for me to say, but Leonardo has not interested me too much before. So I was a bit surprised at how much I enjoyed this lecture!

In his opening statements, I thought that the Maestro was brilliant to illustrate his basic premise with a recipe by Leonardo: that the most famous Renaissance man was curious and creative, but that his ideas rarely seemed to pan out.

This gesso sealant (for a painting canvas) recipe is written in one of Leonardo da Vinci’s manuscripts in Paris and is cited by Richter (R628):

One coat of mastic in white turps
Three coats of grappa (acqua vitae) and arsenic
One liberal coat of boiled linseed oil
One thick coat of white varnish, applied with a stick
When dry, wash the whole with urine.

I must say that the grappa and arsenic amused me, especially after seeing how some people drink here! As master painter John Angel pointed out, “Arsenic is not harmful to gesso, just pointless and very harmful to the painter.” But this type of thinking just might explain why Leonardo’s “Last Supper” (in Italian, “Il Cenacolo” or “L'Ultima Cena”) was already in need of repair during the artist’s own lifetime.

It was surprising to me that for such a famous artist who produced so few finished works, I saw several art pieces in John Angel’s lecture than I had never before seen. One that particularly caught my eye is one that the Maestro said that not everyone acknowledges as done by Leonardo. It is the “San Gennaro Angel” (pictured here), a sculpture in terra-cotta in a church in San Gennaro, just outside of Florence, Italy. The Maestro later e-mailed me for clarification:

“However, it looks like a Leonardo (based on the style of the drapery, etc.), and it seems unlikely that anybody else would have borrowed the style of a young unknown artist (at that point, nobody would have known his style). Its date fits with Verrocchio's Pistoia altarpiece, placing Leonardo in the area at that time (the late 1470s), and gelling with the need for him to get out of Florence for a time, in order to let the "backside game" scandal die down a bit. I have attached a jpg of the sculpture. It was proposed as a Leonardo in the 1990s, I think.”

“Playing the backside game” was how Leonardo referred to his penchant for 10-year-old boys. The scandal refers to the time that Leonardo, along with three others, was accused of sodomy. The charges were later dropped, perhaps because one of the other three was part of a rather powerful family.

Anyway, another point worth noting: It is strange that Leonardo da Vinci is so often referred to as a scientist, when he discovered no scientific principles. He is, however, a champion of the empirical method, preferring to collect his data from pure observation of nature vs. a manipulation of variables or basing his ideas off of the work of others.

Another story that I found a bit . . . non lo so . . . disturbing, curious, perhaps simply the yin yang of human behaviour? Anyway, apparently Leonardo became a familiar face in hospitals, entertaining and spending many hours with the old and the sick. And then, after they died, he would claim their bodies and dismember them for his personal anatomy studies.
And on that note, I am off to sleep . . .

Ciao, ciao, ragazzi!
Kelly

PS Many special thanks to Maestro Michael John Angel for the lecture and for taking time to respond to my e-mail asking for clarification on a few points. And for sending me this image of Leonardo’s sculpted angel. Here is a link to the Angel Academy of Art:
Maestro John Angel at the Angel Academy of Art

Angel Art Exhibit - Florence, Italy

Cari Amici,
What a fantastic night last Thursday was! We held the reception for the “2008 Annual Exhibition of the Angel Academy of Art” that night. Along with other staff members, I helped Thomas Galdy hang the show. This in itself was educational for me as I watched and listened to him as he generously explained his thoughts in hanging artwork.




Martinho Correia, a painter and one of the instructors at the Angel Academy, is also one of the Bandierai degli Uffizi or “The Flagwavers of the Uffizi.” Although the house had been packed for about an hour, once we all heard that familiar drum beat in Florence, Italy, everyone followed the sound outside to watch Martinho and some of his fellow bandierai throw Florentine flags in the air back and forth in a lively performance. It was quite the show on Via San Niccolò.

[Photos of the bandierai were taken on my camera by my dear friend Hélène Delmaire.]


In the crowd outside I spotted my new friend Caitlin Andrews. I met Caitlin and her friend Teo Ninković while I was drawing in the streets of Florence as a madonnari. Although I had not heard her sing before, I invited her to sing at the reception and Angel’s director Lynne Barton was delighted to invite her as well. Caitlin did not disappoint with her animated performance in front of the delicious still lifes from the Angel Academy students. I will try to include video on my blog later.


I am afraid that, as in most gatherings of huge amounts of people, I did not get to see or speak with many that I would have liked to and I did not take enough images either. So much was going on and there was lots of positive energy to be absorbed! With her permission, I share with you an image of Hélène and me in front of one of her drawings in carboncino on exhibit. We unknowingly both wore our hair in an off-centered ponytail. Fun night! Thank you for reading and sharing it with me in this way.

PS. Buon Compleanno e baci, Hafiza! (25 Maggio)

Angel Academy of Art
Martinho Correia’s Art Site
Martinho’s Blog
Caitlin Andrews' Blog

Moving David from Florence Italy

Arguably the most famous sculpture in the world, Michelangelo’s ‘David’ may be moving. While Florence is trying to manage high traffic in her central historical district, there are some people considering whether or not to move the large tourist attraction outside of the Accademia and the city center. (Pictured here is the fake ‘David’ that is exhibited in Piazza della Signoria.) Read more at:

http://theflorentine.net/
http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/art/2008/01/davids_home_is_in_florence.html

Another article I found via artsjournal.com discussed Michelangelo’s drive to be the best and conceal his efforts while becoming this (by burning most of his drawings). It is a good article, and here are a few of my favorite highlights:

The critic Waldemar Januszczak, who had the chance to scrutinise the [Sistine] ceiling from close quarters from the top of a television scaffold, wrote: "I could see the bristles from his brushes caught in the paint, and the mucky thumbprints he'd left along the margins. The first thing that impressed me was his speed. Michelangelo worked at Schumacher pace. Adam's famous little penis was captured with a single brushstroke: a flick of the wrist, and the first man had his manhood."

. . .
Before he dipped the brush in the paint and set to work on his God and Christ, his Adam and Mary and all the rest, how did Michelangelo prepare himself? We know that, unlike his peers and predecessors, he did not use cartoons to transfer existing designs directly on to the wet plaster, because there are no the telltale peg marks left in the plaster's surface. We know that in some cases he worked from small drawings because a grid can be discerned over the finished work, indicating that he upscaled from a smaller sketch.

But what the norm for his preparation was we simply don't know – because Michelangelo didn't want us to know. Throughout his life he hated showing drawings to outsiders. Vasari claimed that this was because they revealed the endless effort he expended in reaching the perfection at which he aimed. Though he was dependent, like all Renaissance artists, on the patronage of the powerful, even men like Cosimo I were unable to get him to part with a single drawing. Before moving from Rome to Florence in 1518, he burned all the drawings in his house in Rome. Another terrible bonfire took place, on his instructions, at his death. Even Michelangelo's closest friends possessed only a tiny number of drawings, all of them highly finished.

. . .
Then, even while the agonies of the tragic tomb continued to pile up, [Pope] Julius threw another amazing job at Michelangelo. The walls of the Sistine Chapel, the private chapel of the papal household, were already adorned with works by 15th-century masters including Botticelli and Perugino. The ceiling was painted blue, dotted with gold stars. The chapel had long been in disuse because of a large crack in the ceiling. Now Julius wanted it to be drastically renovated, and commanded him to paint 12 large figures of the Apostles on the ceiling.

Imagine the Sistine Chapel ceiling looking like a child’s bedroom of blue and gold heavens !!!

Read more:
http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/art-and-architecture/features/the-sistine-chapel-was-created-500-years-ago-by-michelangeloor-was-it-773079.html

All in A Day’s Work – Drawing

So, I am coming to the end of my projects. Here is what my weekday often looks like: from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., I work on my charcoal drawing of Sara. Then from 2 to 5 p.m. I work on my charcoal drawing of a plaster cast of a sculpted ear using the sight-size method. I do not actually see it as an ear. For the longest time I have only seen abstracted shapes, such as the duckie, the infinity symbol, and the sideways apostrophe mark.

Monday, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays, I draw from live models (portraits the first two days, one 2-hour pose of the figure on the third day) from 5:30 – 7:30 p.m. I host the Wednesday evening sessions of lots of artists sharing model expenses. Thursdays are art history night, often with two events at two different art schools here in Florence, Italy: Angel Academy of Art and the Charles H. Cecil Studios. Fridays, I have the option to draw from life again or usually, just catch up on other projects or maybe even go out with a friend.

After drawing each night, I then work some more on my drawing of Sara (without the model) until 9 p.m. Much of working with charcoal means using the point. By this I mean that the charcoal stick must be sanded to a fine point in order to be applied to the paper, especially when trying to remove any blotchiness from using other application methods. My figure of Sara is 60 centimeters tall. She has taken up a lot of time, but I am happy with the progress I am making.

The rest of the time, I am either living life, meeting new people, or doing laundry or something. Perhaps this is not the exciting life some imagined – being in Italia and all – but I am really refining my skills as an artist and I love it.

Construction of a Painting

I started one of my “Naked Gondolier” series paintings this past Sunday. I am doing it in my spare time, whatever that actually means. Anyway, I used the drawing I did of “Mario” that I showed you recently in a previous blog entry as the step-off point. I like the idea of the light in a figure emerging from darkness.

However, I also wanted to imply the gondola, as well as a bridge. I mean, what else spells out Venice (Venezia) in bella Italia? I am not looking to create details, but I do want to elicit an emotional response to the romance of this city. So, I began my disegno, starting with line and a vague idea of three tonal values. I photographed my beginning and then, in Photoshop, started playing with various lighting effects.

Not happy with any one thing, I decided to just start painting. Sometimes these things have a way of speaking for themselves, you know. Yesterday, I asked the Maestro John Angel if he could give me some pointers. I felt lost because I liked the light under the bridge, but it might not work in this particular painting. I was not sure that I wanted the reflection of the bridge to alter the shape of the dark water on the left. And the list went on. I could see why artists do works in series – it becomes possible then to choose one element for each artwork and play with it. Too many notes being played at once only makes noise, not music.

Allora, I concluded my confession to the Maestro with a, “I think that I am trying to do too much with too little.” Tilting his head slightly and with a pensive hesitation, he responded, “You took the words right out of my mouth. But also, I think you are afraid to lose too much.”

Wow. He just summed up my life.

So, I will add the darks and get back to you.
Thanks for reading.