Art Workshop in Tuscany

 

One of the sample views of this area, from Castelvecchio in Tuscany

Dear Art Lover,

 

     I occasionally am asked when I will teach another workshop.  And 2018 is the year.  I am pretty happy in what I call paradise and home now.  It took me a while, but now I would like to share some of it with you.  So, I started my research to see what was already available to you so that I could offer something different.

     It seems painting is the thing, especially in plein aire.  And the subject is very well covered in Tuscany, Italy!  I decided that sculpture is too complicated for space, materials, and later shipping your project home.  However, as I was reminded when I broke my wrist this past June, bas-relief sculpture  is not only VERY do-able, but even more than 3-d sculpting, relief really lets your work on your drawing skills, your composition ability, and your story-telling.  Naturally, those are skills also used in painting. 

Detail, The Gates of Paradise:  Florence, Italy

     I have set this for June 8-15, 2018.  Hopefully, we will have fireflies as we have my last two Junes here.  Magical they are!  I will meet you in Florence, Italy, [Firenze, Italia] where we will tour some prime examples of bas-relief sculpture, including seeing the famous Gates of Paradise.  By that evening, we will have moved up into the Medieval village that I call home:  Castelvecchio.  It is one of ten castled stone villages in an area collectively called Valleriana, the hills just north of Pescia.  Pescia lies between Firenze and Lucca, another charming walled city in Tuscany.

     Here is the link if you are curious for details:  http://www.borsheimarts.com/workshop_Bas-ReliefSculptureInTuscanyCastelvecchio2018.htm

     Accommodations here are with families, who let out apartments or small houses.  The prices are affordable and in January I will be posting a few images and prices of a variety of places from which you may choose.  The economy in the mountains seems a constant struggle and I would like to help out as I can.  That means that I will help you secure the place you like the best, but I will not add on any fees and your lodging payments go directly to the homeowner.  We will have a great time in a really pretty area and I will share with you all of the art information that I can, with six hours minimum of studio time each day after our Firenze adventure. 

    So, if you are looking for a last-minute stunning gift idea for the artist in your life, even if that is YOU, perhaps this is the sort of experience that would really make your 2018 and beyond.

http://www.borsheimarts.com/workshop_Bas-ReliefSculptureInTuscanyCastelvecchio2018.htm

Peace, Happy Solstice on Thursday, and enjoy all of this winter’s holiday festivities.

Thank you for being a part of my life.

Kelly Borsheim, artist

http://BorsheimArts.com

One of the beautiful views in Valleriana you will see during the art workshop 2018

https://www.patreon.com/KellyBorsheim

Yoda in the Snow

 

Yoda in Castelvecchio, Italy

Dear Art Lover,

     So, I was up till about 4 a.m. last night, determined to distribute my art newsletter to the subscription list before going to bed.  [Sign up here if you would like to receive this in your e-mail inbox:  http://www.borsheimarts.com/contact.htm ]  My neighbor has told me that if I close the shudders, my house will stay much warmer.  I did not move to be surrounded by trees just to close them off from my view, but recently, I thought to try this.  Thus, when I finally woke this morning, I discovered on Facebook that it was snowing in my village before I had even seen the outside for myself.  Oy!

     Shortly afterwards I let Yoda, my neighbor’s dog, out of his house, before a neighbor dropped by and whisked me off to her place for an impromptu lunch invite.  But afterwards, I let Yoda out of my house and he and the dogsitter went for a wee bit of a stroll before dark.  Here is a taste of our little winter adventure just outside of Castelvecchio. Sadly, the snow changed to rain as the day went on.  This is my first time seeing snow in Italy.

     Oh, so before I forget, this recent newsletter included a link to a new art workshop I will be teaching in June 2018 in Tuscany.  We will start in Florence, Italy, then move up into this Medieval village.. but no worries… the snow will be gone by June and instead, I hope that we shall see some fireflies!  Here is the link if you are curious:  http://www.borsheimarts.com/workshop_Bas-ReliefSculptureInTuscanyCastelvecchio2018.htm

Peace,

Kelly Borsheim, artist

http://BorsheimArts.com

No, these are NOT palm trees, but "Cavalo Nero"

Tuscan Christmas Trees

Dear Art Lover,

     While Pescia is known in Italy, especially in Tuscany, for growing flowers and shipping worldwide, apparently the small village in Valleriana (the hills north of Pescia) called Castelvecchio is the home of Christmas trees.  Father and son team Renzo and Alfio Marchini grow the trees on various plots of land around Castelvecchio.  Renzo told me recently that not only are their trees shipped all over Italy, but also in Switzerland.  That surprised me, for I never imagined Switzerland having a lack of trees!

Alfio and father Renzo ship Christmas trees all over Italy and more.

     So, if you would like a happy tree that is freshly cut from the hills in Tuscany, contact Renzo or Alfio at (0039) 0572.40.00.86  Enjoy these selected images of the trees in their happy birthplace and the men who find them homes for their Christmas joy.  Vivaio Alberi di Natale!

Peace,

Kelly

P.S.  Please check out the “Raccolta e Regalo” sale I am having on selected artworks.. good through Dec 31, 2016.  http://www.borsheimarts.com/SaleArt2016-LaRaccoltaeIlRegalo.htm

http://BorsheimArts.com

Alfio and friends are filling orders for Christmas Trees!

Looking up towards the Pieve (Church) in Castelvecchio, Italy

Raccolta dei Alberi di Natale - Overlooking Sorana, Italy

Christmas trees grow surrounded by olive grove and beans.

Castelvecchio Italy Stone Carving Symposium

I am writing to you from Castelvecchio di Pescia, in northern Tuscany.  This is my first real stone carving symposium.  Many exist around the world.   We have seven sculptors here from the following countries:  Bulgaria, Germany, Japan, The Slovak Republic, Spain, Thailand, and USA.  The symposium is a way for a place to gain a sculpture garden for perhaps less money than if they outright bought sculpture suitable for outdoors.  What happens is that an organizer works with his community.  They supply the stone, the transport of such, the carving sites, usually air compressors, with hoses, electricity, and tables, etc. for the creation of the art.  Artists are given their own working space, although usually they are together on one site.  Often it is a place in which tourists and locals alike can watch the progress of the sculptures being created. 

Artists are also given places to sleep and freshen up, as well as provided all meals.  When possible, the community also gives artists a stipend to cover travel expenses and money with which to live and pay bills.  In any event, during the event, artists are taken care of and allowed to do what we do best.  We are often happy because it is fun to work in proximity to other artists and art lovers.  And we get to travel to new places! 

You may remember my friend and street painting colleague Kumiko Suzuki from my book "My Life as a Street Painter in Florence, Italy."  She is also a sculptor of stone.  She and  I came by train from Florence to Pescia and were greeted by Rita and Maurizio, who drove us to Castelvecchio.  Yesterday, the sculptors were driven up into some nearby mountains in the same valley, near a town called Vellano.  There at the quarry, we chose our desired stones to carve.  We will be working with "Pietra Serena," a stone native to these parts.  It is grey, with a light brown closer to the surface, but is sometimes confused with concrete.  You may see it in most of the construction in Tuscany, including Firenze (Florence).

Well, the wonderful sons of some of our hosts set me up with this laptop so that I could work on this blog writing while my stone was being delivered from the cave (Italian for "quarry").  My stone is in place at my work site now... I must go.  The last day of the symposium is 3 August... come on over if you can!