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.

Pencil Drawing - Seated Female Model

On the 24th of October, I did a pencil drawing of a new model, Eugenia. I have been interested in doing drawings on dark paper with the light shapes being prominent. But I only had a grey paper with me. I began the 1.5-hour session by sketching the figure in with a pencil. But I ended up liking the drawing and only added a wee bit of white pencil to try to round out the form. I am pleased with this figure drawing, especially because of the relatively short duration of the pose.

While I am working to improve my seeing of shapes accurately and this means a study of classical proportion and realism, I am not sure how far I will take this. What I really enjoy about the process of drawing that I am learning now is that I can leave some elements of a work of art only implied, such as the chair and hands. There is enough of a chair drawn there so that a floating figure does not confuse the viewer’s brain and the gesture is visible without all of the details in this pencil drawing.

She is 23 centimeters tall – from foot to head. Signed and dated. If interested in this drawing, you may add her to your collection for only $50 (US) plus $15 shipping from Italy to anywhere in the world. Just send me an e-mail!

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.)

La Lingua Italiana - The Italian Language

Today the weather is warm again – unlike the last week, which felt like winter. Some music by gypsies (as my friend Mori described them) floats up from in front of the Basilica di Santa Croce. People are out and about and I have returned home after visiting a gallery and last minute shopping for tonight’s Halloween party. My windows are wide open.

Most Italians dry their laundry on clotheslines and in Firenze, these lines are usually contained in courtyards not visible from the streets. If you are high up (like I am – 3rd piano, which in Italy means the fourth floor, ground being zero) and if your laundry falls off of the line, you may have just given it to your lowest neighbor.

In the early pomeriggio (afternoon) today, I was hanging my laundry. The home below where I live now is under renovation, like much of Firenze it seems. Today, I heard two women singing a song in Italian as they worked. This was pleasant and a surprise for me because I have only seen men working here before. At one point, a pretty brunette poked her head out of her window and looked up at me and said hello.

I responded, “Mi piace molto quando lei e una ‘chanteuse’, pero non lo so la parola per ‘chanteuse’ in italiano.” I am saying (badly) that “I like very much when you are singing, but I do not know the italian word for singing.” Chanteuse being French.

“Canto,” she replied as she thanked me and returned to her work, telling her friend of our exchange. I felt happy. Still do.

Painting - Pizza in Munich, Germany - Lovers

I would like to introduce you to a new small painting on wood. Her title is “Pizza in Munich.” Yes, perhaps this is a silly title, and I am open to suggestions. I visited München in September 2006, on my way from Prague to Florence. While I was only there for a 6-hour layover from the train, it was Oktoberfest time and I enjoyed my brief visit.

While sightseeing, I was struck by the image created by this young couple, obvious travelers with backpack in plain sight, taking a dinner break in front of a charming fountain that emphasized their beautiful forms.

Painted in sepia tones, this painting on a panel measures 24 x 18 cm (9.5 x 7 inches). She is available for (US) $180, with a $20 shipping fee (I will ship her directly from Florence, Italy. If interested, please just contact me (e-mail is best) and we will work it out.

And again – thank you so much for reading and for your interest in my work!
Ciao, ciao,
Kelly

Pastel Portrait - Artist

I rarely feel that I do anything well enough. Portraits are certainly no exception. So, I decided to use some of my leftover pastels from the madonnara (street painting in Italy) work that I described to you a couple of times ago and work to improve my skills – with faces and with color.

Pictured here is a pastel sketch that I did of a beauty named Maria. The drawing is about 40 x 25 cm. The first night that I applied color to my pencil sketch on the dark grey paper, I was only equipped with a small box of “earthtone” pastels. This meant lots of the orange family – from yellow to brown.

The work-in-progress image of my drawing is rather brutta (ugly). High contrast, garish colors, and no blending of tones. More typical of the “note-taking” that I do while I have the model in front of me.

I was thinking that the final work looked not as good as I expected of myself – until I came home, looked at the other images, and saw my actual progress. That said, I did learn that generally speaking, it is the lights that should have the chroma (color) in them, while the darks play it down, in the same manner that a backup singer supports and allows the star to take the stage.

Had I started with a larger box of pastels, with a broader range of pigments, I might have done this correctly. As it was, I first started using my pinks and cooler colors to tone down the large oranges of the lights. I did later work in the dark areas, but perhaps they still have more color than the light areas.

Maria’s hair was blue and red, but I think I was lost on how to handle this. I did enjoy adding the blue (first) to the black (compressed charcoal) – reminiscent of the comic book Wonder Woman. Ha ha.