Leonardo da Vinci Leda and the Swan

Dear Art Lover,

     Last fall I met a couple in Zecchi’s Art Store in Firenze, Italia.  Soon after that meeting, I began to teach the husband Gary how to create his first painting . . . ever!  And what was his choice?  Leonardo da Vinci, naturalemente!  He has now finished his copy of Leda and the Swan.  The original design is by da Vinci, but the image as best known by paintings done by his students.  You may see more information here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leda_and_the_Swan_%28Leonardo%29

and the myth:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leda_%28mythology%29

Gary's copy of "Leda and the Swan"

      Anyway, Gary and I worked about two hours for perhaps three weeks last fall.  We used a color copy generated from a photo of the composition of his choice.  He painted in oils on wood prepared by a local Italian shop with gesso vero.  And he came back to Firenze a day or two after I was able to return in late March this year.  We continued our schedule for another three weeks.  He only recently finished this, his first painting and I must say that I think he took to it brilliantly!  Gary is a bit shy, so I am only posting pictures of his project, with his permission.  

     And me?  Well, any teacher will tell you that teaching teaches the teacher as well.  I came away from this experience with some new friends and having a much greater appreciation for the design work of Leonardo da Vinci.  One problem I have with these art schools in Firenze (or at least the one I attended), the skills taught are more designed to have your hand create what your eye and brain see.  Those are definitely necessary skills, but I want to explore more design. 

Anyway, Congratulations to Gary on completing his first painting!

My other great news is that my book, “My Life as a Street Painter in Florence, Italy” is now available in Florence!  Find her at the Paperback Exchange near the famous and incredible Duomo (and also near Zecchi’s) at Via dell’Oche 4r   [Tel. 055 293460]  and online at:  http://www.papex.it/    Paperback is the main Anglo-American Bookshop and they are really kind there!

Peace,
Kelly

~ Kelly Borsheim, sculptor, painter, writer, teacher

http://BorsheimArts.com

Sarina, Australia - Guest Judge and Art Teacher

Dear Art-Lover,

Australian artist Janice Ailwood and I met about six years ago in Florence and we remained in touch. Facebook has really aided a lot in this way! Janice and her husband Ron were instrumental in helping me see Australia. Thanks to them and the committee who organizes the Sarina Arts Extravaganza in Sarina, Queensland, Australia. This past May marked their 25th anniversary for the huge event open to all Australians.

I arrived about a week before the festival started so that I could recoup a bit from the long journey, do a little sightseeing with my hosts, and also help a little with the last minute promotions. In this case I mean two street paintings on local sidewalks.

In addition to that, I was the guest judge for the national competition that featured ten categories of 2-d and 3-d art forms.

I also taught a workshop for adults to show them how to draw using the Sight-Size Method taught in several ateliers in Florence. Students had their choices of drawing in charcoal or pastels.

In addition to all of that, I also taught art workshops to children of various ages in the Sarina and Mackay schools and I consulted with high school students on making a mural at the entrance for their alma mater.

I struggled with the idea of judging in art, especially because I do not feel competitive with others in my own work. Too busy trying to improve my own, I think. But we live in a world that functions with competition and decisions are made every day. I had to give a little speech at the awards presentation and I asked a friend to use my camera to take shots of me speaking (so my mother could know that I really did get some use out of those Toastmasters lessons she enrolled me in while I was in my last year of high school). However, I got nervous as usual and starting rambling on about my view on competitions and an artist's purpose. I explained what I had decided to do when faced with the difficult task of judging art - some forms about which I knew little. I was looking for art that created an emotion in me, something beyond technical excellence. I wanted to see some creativity from the artist and mostly, communication of ideas in a visual language.

In the end, I did not receive any images of me speaking. My friend said that he got so wrapped up in what I was saying that he forgot his task until he realized that I was saying thank you and rushing away from the microphone. Hahaha.

The next morning I had to walk through the exhibit and explain to interested artists why I chose what I chose and give a critique here and there to those who wanted one. It is funny being on the "other side of the fence." I sometimes do not understand the judge's choice for winners, so it was no real surprise when people questioned my choices. I was pleased to see that some of them told me afterwards that I changed their minds and helped them see the work anew. I was touched that several of the winners approached me after the awards ceremony to tell me how each had thought to give up art because of disparaging comments made to them by others. A foreign artist coming in and seeing a light/voice in their work was a tremendous boost. Lovely, and I feel grateful to have spurred them to continue their works and passion.

Mostly, I warned them to never "chase" a judge or even the market's tastes. Each artist chooses his path and expresses his voice. We are lucky if anyone else catches on and shares our visions, but doing anything less than personal work is, well, … less. It was a real honor and pleasure to speak to so many people hungry for art and art conversations.

The children I worked with in the schools were really great, as kids tend to be. I even enjoyed the grumpy one who glared at everyone but eventually did some drawing.

To see a lot more cool pics of Australia and the other news, please click here:
http://www.borsheimarts.com/news/2014_07-AustraliaArtCompetition.htm

Thank you for hanging with me.  I still have technical issues (i.e., new techniques to learn) to get my Web site and newsletter subscriptions working.
Kelly

Teaching Art in Texas and a Florence Sunset

Cari Amici,

Ciao, come stai? I am currently planning my teaching schedule for this summer’s return to central Texas. The locations and class subjects have yet to be determined, but if you are interested in something specific and/or new topics, please send me an e-mail. Past classes have included: Sculptural Anatomy, Figure Sculpture, Sculpting Hands and Feet, Stone Carving, and Web Site Creation for Artists. I can also add to this: Drawing the Human Figure

And by all means, forward this item to anyone you think might be interested in learning some art. If you do write to tell me what classes interest you, please also include your preferred (or perhaps “CANNOT MAKE IT”) dates and let me know if you prefer weekends, weekdays, morning, afternoon, or evening time slots. I will try to accommodate as many students as I can.

Thank you for all of your interest and I hope you enjoy this sunset image over the famous Ponte Vecchio in Florence, Italy, that I took tonight.

A dopo,
Kelly