Street Painting Florence, Italy

Cari Amici (Dear Friends),

Last Monday night we madonnari (street painters) had a meeting to decide on a course of action because as of 1 October, we entered a new quarter and paying the street art tax to the Commune is a problem. Anyway, although it was said that by the Italian Constitution, the police cannot stop us from creating art in the street, our choice was that if any one of us received a multa (a fine), then we would notify each other and fight it. This was more political than I wanted to be in bella Italia, but I agreed with the rest of my colleagues. Still, I was glad that when I arrived for my scheduled Thursday, I learned that the taxes have been paid for October and I can work legally this month.

So, all that done with for the moment, I chose to attempt a Bouguereau for my street painting. William Bouguereau’s art is difficult because of its subtleties. There is a definite form to his figures, but where exactly do I distinguish what is light and what is shadow? It is so easy to copy a Bouguereau with too much contrast.


I love this image of the famous French artist: Le Ravissement de Psyche (1895). Yes, I lack subtlety. And I never did get the boy’s left eye dark enough to turn and properly be in shadow. This is the definition of stupidity – knowing what to do and not doing it. Doh! But, most people tell me that I am not so kind. Ha ha.

I include this one image on the left of the two figures because it shows very well the condition of the street on which I am working. Do you see the holes and stains in the section that will become the young man’s body? Also, you can see that I began to run out of my skin tone pastels. The male figure is more orange. (I was also running out of my blues and purple pastels.)

In addition, I was really tired by this time of night – street painting is very physical. The line/tone/shape of the inguinal ligament (from the hip to the top of the pubic bone) is wrong. It is too dark for too large a shape and also is too close to the center of body.

But, despite my being my own worst critic and ever demanding, this work was not too bad considering. People seemed to love it, although one man told me that it was rather erotic for street art. Yeah, that would be my undertaking . . .

I also met two very interesting people in the art field that day. There was some sort of convention or meeting for people in the field of restoration and preservation and I spoke with a man from The Netherlands. He was very admiring of my work and hinted at an invitation to The Netherlands some time. And he told me that I was wasting my time working on the street since the art is not permanent. That is sweet, but not really what I wish to hear when I have about six more hours of street labor that day ;-)

The other art professional I met was an art historian at a university in Milan. We spoke for quite a bit, with her showing me a book on contemporary artists. She said that she rarely stops to really look at the work of the madonnari, but something in my drawing made her get off her bicycle.

So, last Thursday was a good day. I washed my drawing about 1 a.m. and rode my bike home. I was surprised that Claudio, the head of the madonnari organization was still drawing away into the morning when I left! Artists must be a little bit crazy, do you not agree?

Parade in Florence, Italy

Cari Amici (Dear Friends),

The Friday night before (September 26), Giovanni (another madonnaro [street painter] – from Brasil) and I left up little cardboard tents in an attempt to persuade the street cleaner in Florence, Italy, not to drive over our street art. Did not work, or maybe it did. I only had one large tire print over my face of a sibyl of Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel.

So, Saturday’s work was not so bad. I just added more pastels and tried to feminize the face once more. And then I added hair and background.


I knew that my friend Martinho, a bandieri (flag waver), was performing on this day, but I had no idea that the parade would pass right by me on Via Calimala! How exciting this was, even if I did not get to see their performances in Piazza della Repubblica or the Duomo or in Piazza della Signoria. Gotta love the costumes and men in tights ;-)

By the time I finished in the night, I was exhausted. I had street painted Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday. And I was scheduled for Monday again.
I finished out the composition in the street and even added the subtle cracks that now appear on the original fresco of the Sistine Chapel. How could Michelangelo have anticipated such beautiful wreckage?

Michelangelo The Delphic Sibyl

Cari Amici (Dear Friends),

Because other madonnari (street painting artists) are on holiday now, I was able to buy two days in the same spot for making my drawing the last week in September – a Friday and a Saturday here in Florence, Italy. I have not drawn on such active days, people-wise, before, so this was a treat.

I chose to paint Michelangelo’s Delphic Sibyl from the “Cappella Sistina” in Vatican City, Italy. Not being much of a morning person, I started around noon and got a decent start on the portrait drawing. I scratched into the street layers of pastel colors and I am trying to learn to do it in interesting and creative ways. Later, I blended everything with my hands (now raw and very dry: missing my fingerprints even).

Here you see that I am drawing with Carmen and her little brother Vincent: Americans who now live in Korea. Their parents took this image.


An interesting thing happened that evening – well a horrible thing for me. Somehow after this night shot was taken, I managed to use my last 30 minutes of working to make the face of the sibyl masculine! Mamma mia! It was horrible. I could see the problem when I photographed it, but in person the street painting did not look so bad. Still . . . the photographs would be all that would remain. Ugh!


Many years ago, I did a quick life sketch in paint of a rather boyish looking woman, Eugenia. One of my collectors said, “I love this painting, but can you make me another in which the face is the same, only as a feminine-looking boy?” Whoa! What an interesting proposal! Well, I began to study more images of people to determine what made a masculine vs. a feminine face. This task was more difficult than it sounds. Per esempio, one normally thinks of a tapered jawline as being a feminine trait, yet I saw many faces of young men with tapered jaws who looked more masculine than feminine, despite their youth. Allora, what to do?

Anyway, I finished my commission (“Eugene”) to the satisfaction of my collector and yes, the original painting is still available ;-)), but on this night in Florence, I was frustrated that I could not pin down my error. I later studied my photos and was able to grasp better how (and when/why) my circular face became more angular and masculine. Thank goodness the street cleaner passed over this the next morning, so I could attempt to mend my artistic ways.

Street Painting Botticelli Florence Italy

Cari Amici (Dear Friends),
Although the rules of the madonnari say that each artist cannot have assistance in creating their street art, I cannot help offering some chalk to children. I justify Street Painting Botticelli Florence Italy
my “bad behaviour” by telling myself that the kids are not really helping me: they are only playing.

I drew my version of Sandro Botticelli’s The Birth of Venus, but only just the detail of her portrait in chalk. It was a fun day, even though I started it around 11:30 a.m. It was a warm, sunny day and after street painting for several days during this past week, I almost feel asleep in the warm sun hitting the pavement. Not really the look I was going for . . .


And I dedicated my work on the 29th to my nephew Ryan, who celebrated his second birthday that day. I like my effort on this artwork despite the holes in the street changing some tones in the face and ruining her jawline. And if my knees were in better shape, I might have worked more detail into the flowing hair.


Around midnight my friends, singing Miriam and her boyfriend James, joined me and we had a passerby shoot this foto of us goofing off. Just before midnight, I decided to wash away my day’s painting and so, now we see the death of Venus. I had some interesting people hang around the watch the patterns of the water over the chalk drawing. I spoke with a man from Hungary and another from Australia, both fascinated by the whole art process.

Happy belated birthday, Ryan!

Seductive Pastel Drawing in Florence, Italy

Cari Amici (Dear Friends),

While I was in Texas this summer, I found the image I took many years ago of the original portrait painting “Madonna Blu” by Italian artist Carlo Dolci. It is so much better than the image off of the Web that I worked from last year. Yesterday I was called to see if I wanted to fill a vacancy in one of the spaces for the madonnari in Florence, Italy. I could not arrive until 3 p.m., so I decided to try again the “Blue Madonna”

What a great day I had! One of the most common questions I hear from visitors who watch me paint on the street is, “Isn’t it difficult to have to wash away your work each day?” Well, I thought it would be, but some days I realize how freeing this experience can be. In one way, the pressure is off. (But yes, your bad drawing days are SO public!) One is reminded that it is just chalk (pastels) and only a street. It is a day to experiment and learn.


Yesterday, I tried to put more color into the portrait. I first outlined the shapes of my light patterns and then the darks. I then began to layer various colors within those forms. It looks a bit wild here (see image on the left), but after . . . I love taking my hands and mushing the pastels carefully to blend. One time I noticed a couple standing behind me watching as I put the layers in. I got the feeling that they thought I was not doing such a good job and as I prepared to blend, I exclaimed, “Wait, do not leave, this is the exciting part!” They did not believe me (or perhaps they were afraid that I would expect a tip!).
They left and I went on with my joy.


Yesterday I realized that one problem I have in the studio is that paper and canvas do not even remotely resemble pavement. Sometime the texture of the street is awful, but when it is pure texture (vs. grease or large holes or lines), the result is glorious! I include the close-up images of the mouth area because I feel this pastel portrait drawing is very sculptural and I was pleased with my efforts. My hands have been rubbed raw though, so I hope the police do not want my fingerprints! No pain, no gain. Ha!


I took this next image after the sun went down and without a flash on my camera. But I love this “light emerging from darkness” concept that I have been working with for a while now. She is mysterious in her serenity, do you not agree?

While many people gave me compliments and took fotos, this was not a good earning day. It surprised me because last year when I drew this image as my first time as a madonnara, I earned three times as much! However, the day was not lost. I met many wonderful people. I loaned chalk to several children as they shyly added to my drawing. One boy, Niccolò, loved posing for his father (who gave his permission for me to post this image of Nico and me).

I also met some musicians from Florence and Tunisia, a young couple (both animators and teachers) from Singapore, two young men from Peru (one spent much time showing me his current photographs of shadows and graffiti art from the train station of Firenze Rifredi – beautiful images). In addition to that, I was again interviewed by a journalist writing about culture in Florence. Maybe I can be published again ;-) I am finding myself totally charmed by a specific northern Italian accent that I hear sometimes here in Florence.

And later, my friend opera singer Miriam Léah, featured on my blog last March, came to visit with her boyfriend James. After she gave her concert (for tips) at the Duomo, she came back to Via Calimala and sang for me. She is very sweet and her voice fits the narrow streets of Florence beautifully (and she said the intimate nature of the area of Via Calimala and Via Porta Rossa is better for her voice than the open space in front of the Duomo).

They hung out with me until I washed away my drawing around midnight. Here you can see the three of us, my copy of Carlo Dolci’s “Madonna Blu” and my friend Hafiza’s bike, which I am honored to have the use of while I live in Florence.

Opera Singer Miriam Léah’s MySpace Page (Hear her sing!)

See my first street painting of Carlo Dolci’s Blue Madonna

Street Painting in Florence, Italy

Cari Amici (Dear Friends),

Yesterday I again worked as a madonnara on Via Calimala in Florence, Italy. Someone asked me if I ever did the same picture twice. Well, that day I attempted to draw again Pompeo Batoni’s “Madonna and Child” from 1742.

I include here an image of both day’s efforts. I struggle with drawing or painting faces and working on the street is even more difficult than working vertically and on my feet. I find it interesting how different both of my attempts are. I have made quite a few improvements on the madonna’s face, especially in the hair and the dark side of the face. The shorter nose seems more feminine and young to me.

But I see many things that I need to improve. I hope to get the opportunity. One Italian woman asked if I would paint this image on tela (canvas) so she could buy it. Time will tell if she is truly interested. In the meantime, I continue to work on improving my understanding of design and shapes – and color.

If you happen to be in Florence, Italy, on Monday, September 29, please stop by and see me. I will be working the space near the Mercato Porcellino. I usually arrive between 10 and 11 am and draw until mezzanotte (midnight). Cold temperatures and rain usually send me home earlier.

Moving in Florence, Italy

Cari Amici (Dear Friends),

I am not sure why I am so amused with myself. Or maybe it is a strange sense of pride. I now live a life senza macchina (without a car). I borrowed my friend Jesper’s bike to help me move, but as it turned out, he had nothing – not even a guard – over his tires, and no basket up front. My first attempted trip was a fiasco and one of my roommates came along with her visiting parents in time to offer me her bicycle instead.



But I was able to use this bike to transport my awkward garment bag full of art supplies. I just swung it over the seat like a saddle. The second and last time I used it was to transport many canvases and large sheets of paper that I stored in a long awkward box with a strap. I carefully balanced this on one handle bar while threading the other bag over my forearm as I steadied it with my hand on the other handle bar. Then I loaded up my madonnara backpack. My new landlord took this photo of me. I arrived just as he was heading out. Each round-trip took me one hour! Mamma mia.

I returned the bike after this run and then a visiting American treated another artist and me to lunch (how fun!) This photographer had contacted me via the Internet some time ago and his search led him to other artists that I know from my life in Florence. After that I took the train to see my friend Hafiza and she again loaned me her bici.

This bike is a gem and has everything an artist might need (except protection from the weather . . . which lately has been perfect). So today I loaded up a table and chair and various other odd-shaped objects that I had not moved already. I took this second image outside of my now former home on Via Leonardo da Vinci, 6.

And finalemente I took this image from my new bedroom window. It will take me time to turn this space into a working studio, but I am looking forward to getting my hands back into art. It will be a good thing that I cannot access the Internet any time I want!