Carving Stone in Tuscany

Cari Amici (Dear Friends),

I needed to get grounded again and get my hands on some stone. Two years ago, a friend and I went to Carrara, Italy, and brought some marble back to Tuscany. I am lucky because he has given me permission to use his tools and his home to get to work on carving one of those beautiful Carrara marble pieces. [My tools are still in storage in the US.]

I am having an exhibit at Brenau University in Georgia next February and March. I really try to have at least one new work in each new exhibit, and this one will feature only my sculptures (maybe a few drawings… we curate later this summer).

Because I am painting in Florence, Italy, six days of the week, I will not have a lot of time to carve in the countryside outside of Firenze. But … progress is progress. I first chose the stone and measured it against my hand. Once back in my flat in Firenze, I began to sculpt a very loose maquette of my idea. I will refrain from spelling this out for the moment, but it is a figurative work.

It has been a while since I carved something this small, but I am ok with that for the moment. It is odd using someone else’s tools. My otherwise generous mentor Vasily Fedorouk (whose work will be included in my exhibit at Brenau, per my request) always warned other carvers: “There are three things that I do not share: My guns, my wife, and my tools.” But seriously, most of my problem is that I have been a bit scatterbrained while trying to collect what I need to work and I get sidetracked easily as I am playing hostess. So, for example, I have never used the 4-inch (or European equivalent size) grinder with the safety guard in place. The guard really cuts down on access to the stone. Also, my favorite blades are mounted with a flange on the inside so that I may slice a flat surface (without the attachment nut getting in the way). After these shots were taken by my friend Olivia, I did go back to the studio and find the handle since that helps me get the control I need to feel safe with this tool.

Each time I visit here, I stop into the neighbors to say hello. Giuliana often wants to know what I am up to and how long I will stay. She is kind to me, like an Italian mamma, and often has something for me. That weekend, she brought me two extension cords before I found one here. This place is not intended to have stone dust and chips around (so clean-up takes a bit longer), but at least the neighbors I asked did not mind the sounds at all.

I think you can see the penciled-in circle on the top of the stone. That is the head of my figure. I did not get much done last weekend, but I did not expect to. [A midday sprinkling stopped the painters for a wee bit, as well.] However, I did what I could with that one tool, so it was a good stopping point. I have one shot at this and I needed to take some time to see what tools I have at my disposal. Now, I must research what I can buy in Tuscany to supplement these tools (arnesi, in Italian, in case you were dying to know) and then decide whether or not I should buy here or have sent over from the US what I am missing. Not knowing if I will be able to stay in Italy means that I am still living the life of limbo and I find that annoying. I think, though, that I should just start building my life here and let the future know that I am here to stay and will manage to do it!

So, I leave you with an image shot not far from my carving site. This is a typical Tuscan view and I have yet to tire of it. Enjoy the poppies!

Subtlety in Painting Arm Study

Cari Amici (Dear Friends),

Anyone who has had almost any contact with me might recognize that I struggle with subtlety. For this post, I asked my witty brother Paul to give me a comparison for how subtle I am. I was looking for a phrase other than the overused “bull in a china shop” visual. Granted I caught him while he was rushing out the door to the airport once again, but he delivered a few quips not unlike our family’s humor (on a bad day). So, apparently I am about as subtle as a:

• ...fart in an elevator
• ...streaker in church
• ...boner at the playground (ok, that's gross, but I can't help the brainstorm)
• ...punch in the nards

(Thanks, Paul.)

I have been thinking that maybe my approach is ALL WRONG! Instead of trying to portray myself accurately, but perhaps more charmingly, why not try to improve my skills in being subtle?

So, here is my latest painting study in oil. This one is an arm study from a live model. I used a toned canvas that I prepared in advance a couple of weeks before. And while the project is the paint the arm, one must paint the tones surrounding the arm because … everything is relative. This study was done at the new location of the Angel Academy of Art in Florence, Italy. There are dark green walls behind the model, designed specifically for their programme.

Anyway, I quickly show you the steps for my painting of a woman’s arm. I first sketched in oil the gesture and shape before designing the shadow shapes. I drew in the shapes surrounding the arm – her robe wrapped around her waist and parts of the chest. I then put in my first guess at the background tones so that I could better relate her skin to those other forms in context. For this study, I am only concerned about getting a rough estimate of the proper hue. I really want to get the proper relationships in tone. For example, I wanted to note how the shadow side of the lower arm relates to the shadow that falls on the robe right next to it. Or how much lighter the arm is than the background.

I have then laid in, using the fat part of the brush, not dabbing the tip, the shadow shapes on the body. Then I can add the basic flesh tone I created for this project. The next step is designed to help me figure out warm/cool relationships. You might notice in Images 2 + 3 how high a chroma the transition tone that I created has. I need to grey my basic flesh color, so that as it darkens , it also cools in color.

With each pose (of about 25 minutes) session, I refine my tones and hue, and even correct the shapes. The color is not accurate (the model has a more yellow complexion, for example), but the relationships are and hopefully you see a more 3-dimensional looking arm.

The Angel Academy recently moved to a new location just outside of central Florence. I love the new studio (we can LAY on the floors when so moved … they have not yet had too many spirit spills!) and I love not having to haul supplies between two studios, as before. This Saturday, Angel is hosting an Open House. Come see what happens in these doors if you happen to be in Florence, Italy, this Saturday. It is free, of course. I will be there with some friends at some point, but if you want to see me, please contact me and suggest a time. I will probably be there around early to mid-day since I want to leave the city to go to carve marble this weekend. Details follow.

To celebrate its relocation, The Angel Academy of Art, Florence, Italy, in collaboration with the Amerigo Vespucci celebrations 2012 will host an Open House

Saturday April 28th,
10am - 5pm
Via Nardo di Cione 10
Florence, Italy\

Where visitors will have the unique opportunity to observe the working studio and meet faculty and students.

The Angel Academy of Art
Via Nardo di Cione 10 50121 Florence Italy
Tel./Fax 055 - 246 6737
www.angelartschool.com
email: info.angel@angelartschool.com

New Blog http://angelacademyflorence.wordpress.com/

Please check out The Academic Process lecture on YouTube. Here is the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DsiP2pUT2qQ

Happy Liberation Day, Italia!

Florentine Humor – Santa Trinità Church Italy

Cari Amici (Dear Friends),

I love hanging out with the boys. And just as in any group, each one has its own personality, according to the members involved. One of my groups of guy friends are the Florentines. They are a bunch of boys, older than me, and they have known each other for years, some since childhood. They, especially Simone, show me a lot about Florence, Italy, that I might never hear of any other way. I am about to tell you a story that illustrates something of the Florentine humor. If you do not like jokes that would be … let us just say, “Not PC (politically correct)”, you may want to skip this post…

So, I often meet these boys at Le Giubbe Rosse, a restaurant famous for its support of all kinds of artists for over a century. It lies at the edge of Piazza della Repubblica, near the carousel. One night the boys and I were walking over to Piazza Santo Spirito for aperitivo. We passed by the Church of Santa Trinità and this triggered a story from Simone, as the other boys chuckled at my amusement and surprise by the art.

The Church of Santa Trinità is not far from the bridge of the same name that crosses over the famous Arno River. It is a lovely church, inside and out. There are three pairs of doors that face the street and are necessary for our little tale. (Only the left two are shown in this first image.) The tall doors are made of wood with carved bas reliefs on them that no doubt tell a story. But I am sure it is not the story that I am about to tell you.

You “read” the lower panels on these doors, starting at the most right and moving left with each new line…

Panel 1, above right: “Dear God, we have done so much of what you have asked of us, and yet, there is still so much to do. We are tired and unhappy. It has become difficult to work for you and we want to make a sciopero (strike).”
Panel 2, above left: “No, God, I apologize, but I am unable to perform the mass tonight…”

Panel 3, above right: “No, God, from the bottom of my heart, I am sorry, but this has gone on too long without reward.  I lay down my hat with sorrow.”
Panel 4, above left: With resignation, “Allora, ok, God, I will perform one more mass for you, but it shall be my last unless you DO something good.”

Panel 5, above: “Dear God, I want so much to honor you and believe again in your kindness. But I must ask you, what is this altar boy doing underneath my robe? Why is he touching me there … “
Panel 6, below: “… when I want him to touch me here…”

Happy Earth Day: Earth without Art is simply “Eh”

Mucha House Florence Italy

Cari Amici (Dear Friends),
One of my favorite buildings outside of central Florence, Italy, is what I simply call “The Mucha House.” I am not sure if this building done up in the art deco style is a private residence or an architect’s office or what, not being THAT nosy.
One of the “perks” of my current illness is that all scents seem to be amplified. My first day in the new studio at Angel Academy of Art had me reeling with a mixture of new paint, glue, body odor, aerosol paint (as students created black boxes for their still life compositions), smoke (which assails my senses so much worse than usual), perfumes, and a few other smells associated with construction and people and rain. The good news is that I can also smell the flowers even stronger than before, not that I wish to stay sick for this. So, you may see in this image here that the wisteria is in full-bloom, all over Firenze, in fact. I am loving that and hope you enjoy this image of “The Mucha House.”

P.S. After posting some new images of this lovely building, one of my artist friends sent me this link about the history of the house. Check it out!

Morocco + Illness

Cari Amici (Dear Friends),
Two days into my trip to Morocco and I was already telling a friend that I had made a mistake and wanted to be home sooner than planned. But since I had not yet been to Marrakesh, I decided that I was being a baby and to just get on with it. I could not believe the amount of trash everywhere, the lack of bins (and those were mostly empty), and the mentality that accepted that as a way to live. And I am no neat-freak, although I do hate litter. And the flies around the food . . .

However, two days into Marrakesh and I tried to buy a flight back home to Italy. Ryan Air would neither let me change my existing flight, nor would they accept either of my credit cards for buying a brand new ticket. [Other airlines were far more expensive for a last-minute flight.] Of course, despite my frustration, it was not all bad, and I show you some images here. I explored some of the more out-of-the-way places in Fez and Marrakesh, constantly looking for the light and interesting shapes.

While I had been warned about the come-ons, I did not really understand that practically every conversation with a local was expected to be paid for with either money or sex. It was not flattering; it was annoying. And I was really unhappy waking up on the bus from Essaouira because the guy next to me had stretched his leg out into my space alongside my leg. He pretended to be asleep, but in fact, was fondling the underside of my knee with one hand while his other worked on my lower hip! I wanted to punch him, but I had been told that this is a country in which it was legal to rape a woman (but illegal to try to remove her veil, for that would be disrespectful) and was afraid that I would instead be blamed for having an enticing leg. I am only slightly joking here.

Ex-pat locals, as well as some hostel staff told me that I should just ignore everyone. But that is not often why I travel! Most of the time I just smiled to people (even as I was shaking my head “no”) and I was happy that many responded in a lovely way. Even the rejected hustlers would sometimes shout after me, “Thanks for that smile, Italia!” [That nickname was because I preferred to speak Italian when I did choose to speak. Oddly, the word seemed to spread as people I had not seen before addressed me as “Italia” on first greeting.] Most of the women seemed shy but happy to receive a greeting from me. A smile really is great international currency.

More images are posted on Facebook:

• Fez. Morocco (plus another Gymnast marble carving, sort of similar to My Gymnast marble sculpture . . . what are the odds!)
  
• Marrakesh, Morocco
  
• Essaouira, Morocco and the end of my trip
  

Apparently I ate or drank something that was bad and I have been sick since April 1st (no foolin’). My last two days in Marrakesh were spent in the hostel bed and bathroom. Then a fun 7-hour train ride back to Fez to spend 3 more charming, bed-ridden nights before I could get on my original flight back to Italia. It being Easter weekend, I had little recourse but to stay in bed at home and try to eat something if I could. I have wonderful flatmates, Tomaso and Amit. And they both bought me some requested yogurt so that I would have something to eat once home again. And another friend brought me some food last night, so I feel fortunate. I did go to the new studios at Angel Academy on Tuesday. They moved over the spring break and while the location is further from my home, it is much nicer. However, I did not have much energy for standing long. I did get to take a picnic near these lovely tulips near Piazza Beccaria. I wanted to just lay out on the grass and snooze a bit, but I was good and returned to the studio for a few hours.

Afterwards, I went to the Postale because my order of 40 books of “My Life as a Street Painter in Florence, Italy” arrived early, on the day I flew out to Morocco as luck would have it. I was hoping the package was still here after two weeks and it was. But it was heavy and the effort to carry the books home set me backwards, into the chills and fever stage again. I have a tendency to pretend I am not sick and get on with my work, but I am learning that, as with art, if you do not get the right energy in early, you will never get it. So against my desires, I have been going nowhere.

However, Tuesday, since I was out anyway, I walked into a pharmacy here in Firenze and told the guy where I had been and how I felt. He sold me some antibiotics and another medicine. How cool was that -- no doc needed! Sadly, this is Thursday and I am still weak and bedridden mostly. So much for making art, but this cannot last much longer, right?

Anghiari Italy

Cari Amici (Dear Friends),
I just spent another lovely weekend with friends in Caprese Michelangelo, the little village where the great sculptor was born. Many people think that Michelangelo was born in Firenze, Italia, but he only moved there as a baby with his family. Caprese added his name to theirs later on in the little town’s history.

On our way back to Arezzo, where I was to catch the train back to Firenze, we stopped in Anghiari, of the famous Leonardo da Vinci fresco fame. [They have been trying for a looonnnnggg time now to discover whether or not Leonardo’s lost depiction of this famous battle in Anghiari does in fact lie underneath an artwork by Vasari in the Palazzo Vecchio in Firenze.] There happened to be an antique car show going on in the main piazza of Anghiari. It was quite a lovely chance viewing, especially considering that the annual market in neighboring Sansepolcro had lured away many locals and tourists from all over the region.

These images are from Anghiari. What has all this to do with art, the topic of this blog? Well, I learned that the bronze statue that you see with his arm in the air has a problem. The bronze sculpture depicts Giuseppe Garibaldi, the man who is given credit for the unification of Italy. I was told that he is supposed to be pointing towards Roma (Rome, for those who think proper names should be translated). However, once the sculpture was completed, everyone realized that in order for Garibaldi to point where he should, his bum would be facing those entering the piazza. Unacceptable! So, the Italians decided to have him point directly opposite the direction of Roma. Go figure … and a lesson for artists to do their homework!

I am off to Morocco in a few hours, so will probably be out of touch for about two weeks. I hope to have some lovely images to share with you after I get back to the bella Italia.

TASTE Florence Italy

Cari Amici (Dear Friends),
A couple of Sundays ago, I had the kind of day in Italia that makes me feel that life here is simply surreal. At least it is often spontaneous! Originally, I had thought to visit a dear friend outside of the city, but I had also received an invitation to see the current exhibit inside the Palazzo Strozzi here in Florence, Italy. What is a girl to do, but try to squeeze in both social occasions on my one day outside of the studio?

So, my friend Roberto (another artist) and I met at the carousel in Piazza della Repubblica early on the Sunday morning and together we went to see the art exhibit “Americans in Florence: Sargent and the American Impressionists” (on exhibit 3 March-15 July 2012). We also had a gander at the Strozzina.

Between Roberto's amused observation that Sunday morning by the name "Strozzina" (the Contemporary Art Section inside the Palazzo Strozzi) as a curious play on words (he believes was intended) and another friend Luca's subsequent explaining to me of the Italian language (esp. Tuscan), I am getting a fun education. The suffix "ina" means "little" -- so "Little Strozzi" is a cute way of saying "not the main gallery." But the verb "strozzare" means 'to choke' (or 'to strangle') and strozzina is also Italian slang for a (female) LOAN SHARK (someone who will cause you a lot of pain)! So, if indeed intended, is that Palazzo Strozzi's official comment on contemporary art? [Or just the stuff they exhibit? ha!] But I digress… we were not as impressed with the American Impressionist mostra as we had hoped to be, but there were several remarkable works of art in the exhibit.

Well, in any event, my other friend cancelled our visit, so Roberto and I sauntered on over to one of his favorite places for lunch – Antonio’s, near Piazza Salvemini. I have known Roberto since 2006 and he introduced me to Antonio that New Year’s Eve as we ducked under a half-closed door to buy some last minute goodies for our all-night party that night. Antonio even let Roberto take a picture of me with him behind the counter (that image is on another laptop at the moment or I would share). However, I include here a snapshot that I took of Antonio and his wife after Antonio took one of Roberto and me (see that one in my Facebook albums…). We ate quite well and Roberto even topped it all off by ordering for us this lovely cheese that is a specialty of the region outside of Firenze (but still in Tuscany). Served on a bed of rucola. Mmmm.

And then we experienced Lagniappe: Antonio told us that he and his wife had to stay there to work, but had two tickets to TASTE, a food festival that was happening that afternoon and into the early evening. He offered them to us. Roberto and I looked at each other and thought, “Perché no?” I had only intended to be out for the morning before getting ready to take the train, so we headed over to Roberto’s closer home to get some coats and caught a bus over to the event.

It was a lot of fun – free tastings of wine, cheeses, tea, (they had beers there too), meats, and foods that are all fresh and from Italy. Yum, yum, yummy! Of course, once we finally closed that place down, we decided to head to a new bar and discovered that we knew the twin bartenders from another place. Lovely to see that their dreams to own their own bar had come to fruition! Anyway, here are some snapshots from TASTE in Florence, Italy. There are more on my Facebook pages. Enjoy and happy Spring!