Parco della Montagnola Bologna Paintings

Dear Art Lover,     

     My first time in Italy was in 2004.  My art [14 works, 3 bronze sculptures and 11 paintings] had arrived there a year earlier, thanks to a request from Museo Gilardi in Forte dei Marmi.  I backpacked around Italia for six weeks.  Anacapri and Firenze [Florence’s real name] were my favorite destinations, a hard choice to make with so much beauty and art around that country!

    Here is what I wrote on my Web site in 2005 about Bologna:

      Bologna, Italia

     I had not originally planned to go to Bologna. I was not avoiding it, I just did not know anything about it. However, one of the benefits of hosteling is meeting many travelers who give you feedback and tips along the journey. A girl named Anna that I spent a couple of days with in Perugia told me that she loved the energy in Bologna. Someone else said the same thing.

     So, after I left the Amalfi coast to head north for an art reception Cristiano Merra held for me at the Museo Gilardi, I had to figure out what to do with some extra time. I had originally planned to go to Caprise Michelangelo after leaving Cristiano's in Forte dei Marmi, Italia. But when I asked the hostel which bus to take, I began to understand that it was highly unlikely that I would find the birthplace of Michelangelo without a car. As it turned out, the hostel in Bologna had an opening . . .

     I look forward to returning to Bologna -- there is still so much more I have yet to see!

     I have been back to Bologna several times since then for a variety of reasons and usually not alone anymore and never for very long it seems.  But each time, I go back to visit my favorite sculptured fountain there in the Parco della Montagnola, Bologna.  It is not hard since it is quite near the central train station.

Parco della Montagnola, Bologna, Italy - The Fountain

     Traveling alone gives me guilt-free time to do as I like.  In 2004, I took time to paint this sculpture from several vantage points.  Here you may see an image that an Italian woman took of me at work one afternoon.  

For more images of Bologna, visit this page:  http://www.borsheimarts.com/painting/2005/bologna.htm

The August Art Sale continues… see postings here on my blog this month or the corresponding album on Facebook.  Offer ends 31 August 2015.  These works are located in Cedar Creek, near Austin, Texas.

Today’s listings:

Parco della Montagnola, Bologna

24" h X 36"   [plus a frame, not yet shown... will post in comments later]
Oil on Canvas
© 2005   Kelly Borsheim   - Offer:  $950

Study for Parco…
10 x 15 acrylic on watercolor paper
© 2004   Kelly Borsheim   - Offer:  $75

Torso Study, Parco…
15 x 10 acrylic on watercolor paper
© 2004   Kelly Borsheim   - Offer:  $75

Payment plans accepted; no finance charge, as usual.

Peace,

Kelly

~ Kelly Borsheim, sculptor and painter

http://BorsheimArts.com

 P.S.  Happy birthday Nathan and Mark!

Move to a New Apartment in Florence, Italy

Cari Amici,

It feels weird being out of touch for this long, but events got away from me. I was coerced into moving out of my apartment when I realized that the contract I signed up for was not the contract I found myself living with. I was left homeless in June and it is difficult to affordably rent an apartment for only one month, especially near the summer. I am grateful for the many friends here who supported me and to Inga, James, and Jason who showed up at night to help me move the first load.

So, the night of the 15th was my first night in a new flat in Florence, Italy. I found some lovely women to room with and they speak very little English! So, although I am no longer living inside the central part of Florence, I like the energy in my new home. However, I also contracted some annoying cough and cold. Allora, I will have to get settled in slowly to accommodate my work and healing schedule.

The first night en route to my new place, some of my friends and I caught this lovely sunset over the Ponte Vecchio. Trust me, my image does no justice. It was great to share the awe with people I know. What a beautiful night!

Last night, I stopped in at the High Bar on Via Dei Renai, 27/A. Owned by Luigi and Laura, Florentines who lived and met in London years ago, the High Bar is very neighborhood oriented. Some of my paintings hang in this space. Luigi is the kind of bartender one imagines: he can choose something to cures what ails you and he listens to your problems better than most priests (and without the obligatory ‘Hail Mary’s penance afterwards), giving advice if he thinks it is warranted. They both know most of their visitors by name, and often know what is new in their lives.

So, last night, I took my laptop back from storage in a friend’s flat and went to the High Bar to get connected again. I told Luigi of my raffraddore and he suggested a nice hot tea with limone, menta, e miele (lemon, mint, and honey). I also enjoyed the aperitivo that he had prepared for the evening. My favorites being the unusual combination of chickpeas and oranges in a sauce for dipping pita bread and crostini with red cabbage.

So, thank you for the e-mails I received. I apologize for worrying some, but I am in a healthier space now. Buona notte e grazie!

Easter Lamb

Cari Amici,
Today in Piazza della Repubblica in Florence, Italy, there was a demonstration to try to keep people from killing lambs for Easter dinner.

Buona Pasqua and La Mattanza degli agnelli è cominciata. which translates roughly to “Happy Easter” and “The Madness of the lambs has begun.”

That last translation was a guess on my part. My dictionary says that matto means ‘crazy’ or ‘mad’, so I thinkMattanza means ‘madness.’

The protesters were making the point against Sfruttamento Animale – the exploitation of animals. Several other volunteers were handing out a flyer that explained how animals were being tortured (with a rather rude and graphic visual) and how animals are like human beings, feeling joy and pain. And “The exploitation of animals is a constant in our society.”

For more information, you can check out the site for the Italian Campaign for the Animals: www.campagneperglianimali.org



.

Anonymous Patron of the Arts

Tomorrow, 11 Gennaio, is my seventh anniversary for taking the art plunge full-time! I have learned so much and I keep learning and growing and thinking. (Most people tell me too much thinking, ma . . . )

This evening I was able to complete the cycle on a wonderful gift that I recently received.
I gave a charming young Italian woman a framed drawing that I had created of her back on 24 October 2007 in Florence, Italy. It was a gift from an arts patron. And she was thrilled. (This image of the three of us – Eugenia, the model, “Eugenia” the drawing, and Kelly, the artist – was taken by Juan Pablo Ruiz.)

An American man who wishes to remain anonymous, and whom I have only met via e-mail, paid double my price + framing for my drawing of a new Italian model named Eugenia. I posted an image of the pencil (black and white) sketch on a grey paper of a seated female nude figure on the 2 November entry of my blog.

My arts patron asked me to frame the drawing and give it to the model as a gift. He wanted to support my efforts in Italia. Wow, that was a new one! Via e-mail, he wrote:

“. . . Your blog is great! I feel a bit like I myself am there in Italy enjoying the experience and fun of you and your new friends. I want to pay back a little, or you can think of it as a very minor benefactor to enable you to continue what you are doing, which is good for you, good for me, good for our country, etc.

Your experimentation with white pencil on black paper is interesting (Mario) . . . Your drawing of Eugenia (drawn Oct 24, posted Nov 2, 2007 in your blog) is quite my cup of tea. Wow. Your talent is really impressive and she is classic goddess. Is it still available? May I purchase it so that you can donate it to the model? . . .Tell her an anonymous American benefactor wanted to spread a little artistic goodwill to Italy.”

When I sounded a bit stunned (you want to overpay and give it away? – my father asked me recently if I realized that I talk too much when people want to help me! ;-) and I suggested that I pay for framing since his offer was so generous, he responded:

“If it's not too much trouble for you, yes, please give it to Eugenia. [Let’s] frame it. It would be a crying shame if it were to be stored in a file or vault. (Although it occurs to me that 50 years from now maybe I'll be telling my grandchildren how I gave away a signed original Borsheim!)”

ha ha – now I have expectations to fulfill! But seriously, the generosity of this art benefactor touched me. And impressed many of my artist friends. We all agreed that the mental boost of such kindness is amazing! And Eugenia was so happy that she spoke way too quickly in Italian for me to understand most of her expression. And she will keep modeling. Thank you, Mr. Anonymous Art Patron from Eugenia and me in Italia!

Shops in Florence Italy

I have to look for a new place to live. Not sure I should give specifics about why since I am in a foreign country and all. I do not feel free to discuss the problem that the friend I am staying with is having, in case it makes things worse for this friend. And few people know that I am here.

Anyway, room hunting has led me to walking around town at hours I would otherwise be working on my art and I am getting to see many shops that are not normally open when I am out and about. The shop in the image here is near the Pitti Palace, I think. Or maybe Santo Spirito, but I think the Pitti.

You may not be able to see, but there is a man working diligently behind a desk way at the back of a long and rather narrow shop. He makes masks and other art objects for decoration. I do not know if all of the paintings in this shop are his, but some fit the theme with the masks and faces. I have been enchanted with many different kinds of shops here and wonder how anyone can pay his rent. Most shops specialize to a degree that I cannot believe there are enough buyers out here to keep things rolling. But, oh, the eye candy!

Drawing of Mario - Florence, Italy

And another life drawing here. This time the model’s name is Mario. We seem to have an abundance of models here in Firenze. Lots of new faces and forms to draw. The figure is about 42 centimeters (just over 16 inches) tall. I drew in the light shapes only with a white pencil on a dark charcoal grey Canson paper. I have done some shape exercises to train the eye in which I only draw what is light, and not shadow. I had fun with it and when working with Mario, I decided to use a much darker paper so that the lights seem to emerge from darkness, adding perhaps some mystery.

The paper for framing purposes is around 47 x 30 cm, not counting what would be under the mat and frame. The drawing is signed and dated 7 November 2007. I did a few minor touch-ups after that, but that is the date that the model session was held and most of the work was done. I may get to use this sketch as an inspiration in my “Naked Gondolier” series of paintings.

“Mario” is available for private or public collexions, so please do not be shy about inquiring! Thank you for reading.

Ponte Vecchio at Night-Florence, Italy

Does familiarity breed fondness or are some places simply beautiful? I find myself photographing several places around Florence over and over. So many ways for something – or someone – to look different. So many variables. Above, you will see an image of the famous Ponte Vecchio – the only bridge along the Arno River in Florence, Italy, that was not bombed during World War II.

The 6th of November was different even from my walk by tonight because there was a large spotlight coming from the direxion of the Uffizi Galleria that is not visible tonight. The light really shows off the shapes and sculpture on the bridge. My friend Simone speculated that perhaps a film was being shot there that night. But we did not walk that way to check it out. I hope you enjoy this view of the Ponte Vecchio (old bridge, literally “bridge old”).

Moving Furniture - Florence, Italy

After living in two different spaces now and having seen lots of homes in Florence, Italy, I sometimes wonder how furniture is actually moved into these tiny spaces. Scala (stairs) are often steep and narrow, and bending at right angles. The small windows in my last flat opened into a small courtyard. How was a loveseat/sofabed lifted up and fit into my 1st piano (2nd floor) room?

While walking along Via San Niccolò last Wednesday, I discovered that it is not always easy or obvious to those involved. In the photo here that I took, you can see that the green door was removed. I presume these guys tried lifting this couch up the stairwell first. When that failed, there became a bit of community involvement to hoist the furniture up into the window. There was a bit of a leverage problem, as you can see. Alas, I was on my way to the lithography school before they closed and can only presume that this endeavor was successful. There was no sign of a struggle when I walked past again.

Picnic in Piazza Santa Croce - Florence, Italy

Today was one of those incredibly beautiful autumn days that feel a bit summery. At least while in the sun. Even though most buildings in Florence average only four or five stories tall, the streets are rather narrow, usually with one-way traffic only. Some places probably never see the sun. It can be difficult to photograph this city’s charms, and even more difficult to know how to dress if one plans to be out for more than two hours.

However, this afternoon was to be enjoyed and I invited my friend Lisa O’Neil over for a picnic. We packed a traditional Tuscan lunch and took downstairs with us a blanket, porcelain plates, real forks, food, and glasses of wine. And we spent the standard amount of time for Italians to relax and enjoy a meal – longer than most Americans would have. It was truly lovely. And the piazza (square) was full of life.

Shortly after we returned out picnic items to my home, we went out to the Coop – the most affordable grocery store around us. Lisa had not been before and I wanted to help her learn more about the city. The Coop is beyond the central historical center of Florence, just outside/east of the Porta Beccaria.

Trattoria Dante - Florence, Italy

24 October 2007
I was treated to dinner on a cold and rainy night here in Florence by the charming Clare Santacroce. I met Clare in late August or September of this year at Cafe Caffeine in Austin, Texas, shortly before I arrived in Florence. She and her friend Krystal spent part of their Italian holiday in a very charming flat near Piazza Santa Croce in Florence. How convenient was that?
Anyway, I took them to one of my newly discovered and favorite ristoranti Trattoria Dante. It is just down an alley from my place on Piazza Santa Croce. The food is yummy and reasonably priced. But mostly I love the family atmosphere and the fun staff. Crystal and Clare were taught a wee bit of Italian by our multi-lingual waiter. And we really enjoyed watching a young girl acting cute -- a prelude to trouble -- with a family who so obviously eats here a lot.

Clare owns a business making wedding invitations and more. Check it out at:
http://exquisitepapers.com

Halloween in Italy

Halloween in not an Italian holiday, although the day after (1 November) most certainly is -- All Saints' Day. However, the costumes and decoration of things in the spiritual and/or fantasy realm of this American holiday have been making their way into Italian cities, such as Florence. Here you see some of my friends (with me on the far right) in costume from last Saturday night's party. The moon was mostly full and we enjoyed walking down the streets of the city center to arrive at a fun party.



I am sometimes surprised at the responses of artists -- so many at this party asked each other, "What are you?" Did it matter the label? Allora, perhaps this explains why the title of an artwork is important. It adds to the story. The best description of my costume of argento (silver) was "The Tin Man's Favorite Fantasy"!

I hope you enjoy taking your favorite holidays and sharing them with new friends.
ciao, ciao, e buona festa.

(BTW, festa means 'party' in italiano. Partito means 'party' but refers to politics.)

Fine Art and Wine - Pozzo Divino, Florence, Italy

I attended a fun art opening for my friend Letitia "Tish" Lowe this past Thursday night.
It was held at Enoteca Pozzo Divino (In Italian, most adjectives follow the noun. pozzo divino = 'Divine Well' but also is a nice play: if Pozzo di Vino,
it would mean 'well of wine'). This beautiful building offers wine tasting, olive oil, and balsamic vinegar: Italian staples.
Owner Pino and manager Ernie (Ernesto) are gracious hosts and you should love to visit this place on
Via Ghibellina 144R (R in the address means "red" and denotes a business address), across from the famous Teatro Verdi in Florence, Italy.

Tish had many paintings on exhibit that evening, some of which were portraits of fellow artists. I include here her
rather large and dynamic portrait of Jason. He was on display downstairs in the wine cellar. Is this not just an exquisite setting for beautiful art? 'Love the brick and wine, although
too well-lit to be considered an Edgar Allen Poe setting.
Another portrait is of another artist here in Firenze - Theresa. This image also shows my bronze "Ten" on exhibit.

So, come to Firenze and enjoy good wine, tasty oils and vinegars, and classical art.

For more information about Tish Lowe, please visit:
www.tishlowe.com

For more information about Pozzo Divino, please visit:
www.pozzodivino.it

ciao dopo! (See ya later!)

Italian Graffiti

Italian Graffiti

"Se vuoi avere una minima idea di quanto ti amo . . . conta
le stelle in cielo . . . ma non basterebbe
ti adoro"

"If you want to have a minimal idea of how much I love you . . .
count the stars in the sky . . . but it would not be enough
I adore you"

Italian graffiti on the outskirts of Firenze (Florence), Italy.

ti amo = you, I love.

Buying Fruits and Vegetables in Italy - Florence

I would be remiss if I continued to forget the recent death of Luciano Pavarotti. Tomo is one of the better 'madonnari' here in Firenze, Italia.
After the famous singer's death, Tomo created in the street several pastel drawings of the admired Italian. People responded
very well and he was even interviewed and photographed for a Florentine newspaper. Smart marketing!

The other image is one that I took (obviously -- mi dispiace) in a small grocery store in Florence, Italy. Many businesses in Italy,
especially Florence, have come to recognise that they sell more if they can communicate in English. Some things get lost in
translation, but I find them a bit
charming anyhow. (Probably because I hope Italians might feel the same way when they hear my broken speech of their native tongue.)


This sign explains how fruits and vegetables are weighed and priced by the customer before arriving at the
checkout counter. In case you cannot read the words in the image, they are:

"Customers are prayed to use gloves and plastic bags for fruit and vegetables.

Use the scale in order to weigh and price the chosen goods. Than digit the corresponding key (number).

Thank you."

I enjoyed how the noun 'digit' became a verb. My first time in a grocery store here was a small education. But what you find is
if you will simply take extra time to watch how the locals do things, you can pick up the system fairly easily.

Till next time . . .

Fresco Art in Massa

When in Pietrasanta the other day, my friends and I went to visit Hafiza's maestro, Samuele Manni. He is currently working in the sculpture studio of a very well-known sculptor Marcello Tommasi. We were allowed into his studio, but no photos and no speaking. Hafiza explained that the day before some visitors made rude comments about classical art and the sculptor was not amused. We were only permitted to enter because Hafiza reminded Samuele that we are artists who work in the classical tradition.

Anyway, later that day, Samuele took off work to drive us north to Massa (still south of Carrara, the famous town for marble quarrying). We went to see six panels of frescos that Samuele did, one of which is shown in part here. The church is "Parrocchia San Sebastiano" and is very new, in Italian terms. Samuele likes to use real people from current times in his compositions. His father Franco is the old beggar man on the right. I met him a couple of times during my last stay in Italia -- quite charming. Many of the others in the frescoe are members of this congregation.

Fresco is a medium that I find interesting, but I do not want to do. It is fast work on one hand because the artist is working with color in plaster, but of course, the scope of most frescoes usually means that the project takes quite a bit of time. Samuele told me that the actual fresco work took about one and a half months per panel, but the cartoons and design work ahead of time (including the 'bozzétti', or small drawing that gets the idea fleshed out and approved; a 'maquette' is the equivalent when referring to sculpture).

If you would like to learn more about frescos, here is a good place to start:

www.artlex.com/ArtLex/f/fresco.html

Thank you for reading!
ciao, ciao,
Kelly

Pietrasanta, Italy - Italia

Today, I visited Pietrasanta with my friends Hafiza, Dorian, and Ling. Pietrasanta is an art town. From what I have understood,
the town became a home for working sculptors of the nearby famous Carrara marble. Carrara was too expensive for the artists to
live in, so they moved south, but still close to the Alpes mountains. Both Carrara and Pietrasanta are in the Italian region of Tuscany.

I have included here a few of my images from the inside of the San Martino Duomo (cathedral, but more often interpreted as simply "dome").
"Cappella della madonna del sole" (Chapel of the Madonna of the Sun) was constructed in 1823, but the origins are much older.
Enjoy the photos. I am tired from long consecutive days, so I hope the image are enchanting enough.
ciao, ciao, K

Street Painting in Firenze, Italia

I drew with pastels again yesterday for the Madonnara work in Florence. This time -- no blues. I am out of blue pastels and did not want to buy more right now.
So, I chose to re-create another of my favorite works: The Libyan Sibyl of Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel at the Vatican. I love the colors and the twisting figure.

It was a fun day and I met many people; some even remembered me from last week. I even met the man who does Charlie Chaplin
impression
It was another good experience and my body thus far has not hurt nearly as much as it did
after my first day as a street painter (3 days!). This must be all of the stairs and walking that I am doing here.
You perhaps can tell that as the day went on I got more tired and my drawing was not complete by the end of the day. I added the little
figure on the left in the last thirty minutes. I also did some kind of number on that nose! Sheesh. Oh well, I received
many compliments on how I am able to capture form. For me, this was kind to hear that people can even distinguish these sorts
of comments. Isolation is necessary to do work, but this direct feedback from an audience is quite fun and appreciated as well.

I hope you enjoy -- and see you after some of my travels in the next few days.
Ciao, ciao.

Pigeons On Art

Ha! That title was not intended to mean that those birds have become art critics! Funny re-read on my part.

I started to photograph various themes during my several trips to Italia, including the humbling (to a sculptor) "Birds on Art" series.
Specifically, pigeons landing on sculptures. In truth, I am not sure which is worse -- the birds hanging out all over the
art (and I sometimes mean ALL over) or the spikes and other ugly dangerous additions some sculpture conservators put on
the tops of artworks and architecture.

The top image was taken in Piazza Signoria, near the famous Uffizi gallery. The other two images of bronze copies of the wonderful Michelangelo's stone sculptures are seen by 'molti touristi' at the
artist-named Piazzale Michelangelo, which overlooks the city of Florence. Seriously, what is it like to get no respect?
I think we can all relate at some point in our lives.

Why people insist on feeding pigeons is beyond me. Yes, they are pretty birds. But disease carriers too, not to mention that
they are rather large, so waste in large masses is abundant. John and I had a neighbor in Texas many years ago who said that
cities would call him to come get rid of their pigeon population. Apparently in Austin, Texas, when pigeons gathered on rooftops
and did what we all do, their poo eventually turned to dust and was blown all over the city. A different kind of smog.
And our neighbor joked (I hope it was) that he sold these pigeons to gourmet restaurants in the Northeast USA.

Here in Florence (Firenze is its real name), Italy, a law was passed last time I was here: a 50 € (euro) fine to anyone
caught feeding a pigeon। So stay healthy -- and rich. ciao, ciao.

Tuscany, Italy - Grape Harvest and Olive Trees

Today I painted all day until 16:00. I had to stop because I did not have the right color blue, nor did I have 'il colore giallo' [yellow] to warm up the blue that I bought yesterday. And of course, this being Sunday ['Domenica'], the art supply stores are not open. Sigh . . .
But I love painting alone in my room, with sounds of the life in the piazza below. Today, there was a small family putting on a puppet show for tips. After having the experience of being a madonnara for a day, I appreciate more the work done by street entertainers.

Yesterday, I took the train for the short trip to Sesto Fiorentina to visit my friend Hafiza. We walked to some nearby olive and grape plots. Although the light was too harsh for good photos, I am including one here of some of the olive trees. Do they not look like dancing spirits to you?
And as Hafiza, an artist friend who loves drawing and making lithographs, pointed out: gone are the days of the romantic harvesting grape images. Today, they use plastic buckets, tractors, and today's [relatively] boring clothing.

"Blue Madonna" - Painting

Hello again. I had such a good response painting my version of the "Blue Madonna" by Carlo Dolci on Via Calimala in Florence, Italy, last Wednesday. Some examples:
One Italian couple asked me why I was not painting on "tela" -- the Italian word for 'canvas'.
I received a possible commission to create a mural in a small town about 40 km from Firenze.
And one very lovely American girl from New York with big brown eyes (who looked a little like the actress Anne Hathaway) exclaimed that this was the most striking painting she had ever seen here -- and "I live right over there [she points] and I walk down this street everyday to see the art!"
Another man returned to my space around midnight to find me washing my artwork away. He shook his head and said, "I do not know how you can make it disappear. That [artwork] was brilliant!"

Brilliant? Perhaps not, but I appreciated his sentiment just the same. That said, I decided to start painting, now that I am more settled and have finished my application for 'rinnovo' of my 'permesso di soggiorno' -- renewing my 'permission to stay' permit. And why not create something more permanent in this striking blue? Here is a view of my little room above Piazza Santa Croce. You may see my work-in-progress on the right. While I was all gung-ho to get to
work, I realized that I had forgotten to buy some mineral spirits for oil painting -- cannot take THAT with one on the plane. (Oh - yes, my lagging piece of luggage was delivered to me at my friend Jay's apartment last Monday, so all is well on that end.)

Since it was about 1:30 p.m. when I realized I could not oil paint (and most shops in Italia are closed for a long and social lunch), I chose instead to do an under-painting in acrylic. This is what you see here. After 3:30 p.m., I was able to get back to the art supply store and buy some 'trementina' -- turpentine (spirits were not available). I will keep you posted, so stay tuned . . .