SAGRA DELLE FRUGIATE DI VELLANO Tuscany

Dear Art Lover,

     Today is the last of three Sundays for “LA SAGRA DELLE FRUGIATE DI VELLANO” or ‘The festival of the roasted chestnuts of Vellano.’  We are in Tuscany, Italy, in the hills north of Pescia, between Florence and Lucca.  A friend and I went early on the first Sunday after a good lunch at the nearby restaurant Da Manero with large windows overlooking the valley. 

Castagna / Chestnuts springing from their porcupine-like case

Italians have specific words for everything food-related!

The lovely Vellano, in Valleriana, Tuscany, Italy

     After looking at all of the home-made goods and foods, we walked through Publio Biagini’s museum that features the rock harvesting tools used in this region (Valleriana)’s history and many great examples of a variety of rocks and gems.   We headed over to Cava Nardini to see the stone sculptures.

      You, too, may have that experience today! Festival hours from 1 p.m. to 9 p.m.

    Castagna (or ‘chestnuts’ in English) grow in abundance here.  The wood is used by farmers and such perhaps almost as much as the harvest of the “fruit.”  While I was at the quarry on Friday, it rained in the morning.  During the little break, quarry owner Germano Nardini showed me the castagne and told me how to prepare them the easy way.  Basically soak the nuts in water with a wee bit of salt for about 40 minutes or an hour.  Then just open and eat.  I may try that since I can usually put stuff in water without issue.  Hahah. 

Lovely contrast grey stone yellow leaves

     I must admit, though, that while I can only eat about 3-4 roasted castagne before I no longer like the taste in my mouth.  What I DO like is the flour (farina) made from chestnuts.  I have cooked with that last winter and it is very good (a sweet flour).

     In the picks of Germano’s hands with the castagne, I should tell you that he was clear that the little pan these were sitting in at the quarry was NOT the right sort of pan to use to cook them.  The rest of the images I took around the quarry.  Germano is 83 years old and still crunching rock!  He wore red that day and was very photogenic against the yellowing acacia(?) trees.

Enjoy the recent scenes from the Cava Nardini.  I will post the after shots once I have finished the stone ballerina, probably in a future art newsletter.  Subscribe if interested.  http://borsheimarts.com/contact.htm

Peace,

Kelly

http://BorsheimArts.com

Detail of Sculpture

P.S.  Remember, I am offering a pre-casting discount on the price of the new bronze sculpture "Rock Towers and Frogs" if you place your order before 1 November 2016.  This copy in the edition has been sold, but I will send you progress pictures of your sculpture being made, just as I am here.  In the case of a “future” artwork, we work out a payment plan that works for you and the casting process, meaning that after the initial payment, you pay installations based on the progress of the work, paying in full before the sculpture is shipped to you. I have sold many bronze sculptures in this way and am grateful to those who can envision the finished bronze when all they have seen is clay or wax! 

Autumn in the quarry-Face Sculpture by Kumiko Suzuki

Autumn in the Quarry Vellano Tuscany

Dear Art Lover,

     It began to rain yesterday morning at Cava Nardini, the stone quarry of father and son, respectively, Germano and Marco Nardini.  As I moved my tools to a nearby shed, I noticed the light and shapes of the stones as they started to get wet.

My ballerina (WIP) on left; Pinocchio rides the dove, right.

 

     Autumn has arrived in the quarry.  I hope that I will get to return to see more of the colors changing.  In the meantime, I continued to carve on the ballerina.  In this self-portrait with timer, you may see that I am wearing a hat that has the shape of a shower curtain.  It is made from fabric of Australian aboriginal patterns.  The hat is a gift and hand-made by the mother of my friend Skye.  Skye came to visit me in July and we even went to a wedding in Sicily for a couple of artists we both know from our days in Firenze.  It really does help keep some dust off of the scalp and hair!

     The sculpture is slowly taking form and after lunch I asked Marco if we could drill a hole in the stone between the figure and the fabric she is tossing over her head.  Marco’s diamond drill tube is 3 cm diameter.  I was worried it was too large, but decided that if something went awry, I would redesign.  So, he used his drill and I added the cooling water as needed.  I will soon have to switch to smaller tools.  My 4-5 inch diameter diamond blade will not be able to reach into the recesses I so enjoy creating.  It is obvious to me that I need my tools I left in Texas and probably also must buy some more.

     Oh, I promised a reader that I would show the stone wet so we can see the color of this rock.  It is a deep forest green with white vein inclusions.  Here is an image of the rock half wet.  Most of the time, the stone is dry as I carve.  It is amazing how many times the pattern does something unexpected to enhance one’s design.  One hopes for such a thing to happen each time.

   Sometimes I think it is a wonder than I ever get anything done.  I am always looking up at the sky and admiring the light.  This first image shows an arcobaleno (rainbow) in the distant hills.  The second was a moment caught, as the light hit mountains in the direction of Lucca or perhaps further north.  The air seems soft enough to touch, no?

    Lastly, today, I would like to share with you some progress images of the ballerina stone carving. I am not sure when I will be back, since health-wise I had not made a good decision to work on my feet all day.  Marco was a bit upset with me as I tried to move my work table back under cover by myself.  I do hope that ego and wanting to be strong does not get in the way of actual healing as I wait for my appointment in mid-November for an MRI.

Enjoy the sunset as seen from the Cava Nardini.  I will post the after shots once I have finished the work, probably in a future art newsletter.  Subscribe if interested.  http://borsheimarts.com/contact.htm

Peace,

Kelly

http://BorsheimArts.com

Detail future bronze

P.S.  Remember, I am offering a pre-casting discount on the price of the new bronze sculpture "Rock Towers and Frogs" if you place your order before 1 November 2016.  This copy in the edition has been sold, but I will send you progress pictures of your sculpture being made, just as I am here.  In the case of a “future” artwork, we work out a payment plan that works for you and the casting process, meaning that after the initial payment, you pay installations based on the progress of the work, paying in full before the sculpture is shipped to you. I have sold many bronze sculptures in this way and am grateful to those who can envision the finished bronze when all they have seen is clay or wax!  

Wax Sculpture Consultation Bronze Foundry

Dear Art Lover,

     I returned to the foundry in Pietrasanta recently, but it meant an early rise for me!  Hhaha… still, it was a beautiful sunrise and the light was pretty to see the dawn while the lights of the faraway village were still on.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Another reason to NOT smoke!

 

    When I entered the wax room, the first thing I saw was the bottom section of my sculpture "Rock Towers and Frogs."  It was floating upside down in a tub of water with wax parts from other sculptures.   

 

 

 

      You may see it here reinforced on the underside with bamboo.  I always think that water is a brilliant storage method for the waxes.  It helps normalize the temperature, so less risk of the wax melting or becoming too brittle. Water is soft enough to never damage the wax or mix with it.  And it can accommodate a sculpture of any shape or size, supporting all parts equally.

      The choice to use bamboo as reinforcement is important because the next step is to dip each sprued sculpture part into at least six layers of a ceramic shell slurry.  This takes several days since each coat must be dry before being dipped into the next.  Once the dipping done and the layers thoroughly dry, the ensemble will be cooked in a furnace, firing the ceramic mold while melting out all of the contents.  That is why this is called the “Lost Wax Process” and why any material MUST be destroyed by fire, leaving very little inside.  Bamboo is rigid and strong, but burns away!  Bamboo, newspaper, wooden toothpicks, wooden skewer sticks (for shish-kabob), etc. are some of the materials used to support the wax when needed.  Not  all sculptures require this, but it helps creativity to know what is available or what are feasible options around potential complications, no?

My future bronze sculpture in wax - upside down in water!

And now, right side up on a table-ready for proofing!

     Here Raymondo has removed my sculpture bottom part for my lookover and approval.  He has already chased (cleaned up) the wax and the piece is ready to be sprued.  That means it wlll be connected to a wax funnel and connecting and venting (wax) lines whose placement is determined by the inevitable flow of molten bronze.

     Each foundry works in a different way and you might imagine there is never only one way to cast a composition into bronze.  I used to be a production manager for the neg/pos department of a commercial photo lab, until I moved into image preservation.  I learned from my study of mathematics and enhanced in the lab the idea that if you can understand the process and plan for it, you may avoid many hurdles along the way.  I also learned to trust people to do what they do best.  

     So, this last image I share with you shows Raymondo and Fabio studying the photo of my original composition in clay, wax, and foam.  Fabio works in the bronze part of the production.  I deferred to their judgment, which was to cast the remaining ten stones separately.  Earlier we had thought to mold them separately, but weld them together in wax, since working in wax is MUCH easier than working in metal.  But they decided the safer thing would be to receive good parts in bronze and then we will arrange the stones into the towers that were in my original composition.  And then weld and possibly drill a hole for a future fountain.

     Remember, I am offering a pre-casting discount on the price of this piece if you place your order before 1 November 2016.  This copy in the edition has been sold, but I will send you progress pictures of your sculpture being made, just as I am here.  In the case of a “future” artwork, we work out a payment plan that works for you and the casting process, meaning that after the initial payment, you pay installations based on the progress of the work, paying in full before the sculpture is shipped to you. I have sold many bronze sculptures in this way and am grateful to those who can envision the finished bronze when all they have seen is clay or wax!  

    Thank you for your interest.

Peace,

Kelly

http://BorsheimArts.com

Consulting on the Best way to Cast THIS bronze sculpture