Truffles Motovun Istria Croatia

Dear Art lover,

     Motovun is the small town on top of a hill in northwestern Istria in Croatia where Boris took me on our day trip last Friday.  It is a cute little stone town.  There were actually a few people we saw about.  I was surprised at how deserted were all of the towns we visited that day.  Motovun had some construction workers ripping up one of the narrow streets to work on the pipes below ground, but other than that, very few signs of working life.

     On the drive back to Umag, Boris explained to me that Motovun is Istria’s truffle capitol.  And then he explained that they use dogs to sniff out the truffles.  He said that it was a bit horrible because they raise the dogs by giving them only small amounts of truffle from birth to train their noses and appetites.  Then when they are starving, they send them out into the woods to find the delicacy. 

     I had always assumed that truffles were found by [knowledgeable and licensed] people in the woods in Italy, as mushrooms are.  It had never occurred to me that they were hunted with the use of dogs!  But then, I did not really know that truffles were underground and people could not find them without aid.  And, I wondered how a dog could live on slivers of truffle alone and also if it was really worth it to feed animals this relatively expensive stuff.  I mean, did they find more than their body weight’s needs?  Are truffles even nutritious enough to sustain a life?

     I am glad that I asked my friend Judy Witts Francini.  She knows everything about food, certainly Italian food.  And even if I am exaggerating in my praise, she certainly knows how to find out about something if she does not know it. 

   Judy rightly surmised that English is not Boris’s first language.  As such, her theory is that Boris used the word “starving” when he meant “hungry.”  She then explained that, in Italy at least, “When the dogs are born, the owners put truffle oil on the mother's nipples so when the puppies feed they relate eating to truffles.  When they get bigger the people put a little truffle in a small ball and throw it and have the dog find it or put small bits in food to reward the dogs.”

     “So early in the morning, before the dogs have eaten anything ["starving?"], they go hunting.  When they find a truffle they are given snacks.”


     THIS makes more sense.  Plus, I had asked Boris what the dogs ate when truffles were not in season and he replied, “regular food.”  No doubt I was “lost in translation.”  Always good to give the benefit of a doubt (sometimes even with speakers of our own native tongues).

     Here is a post that Judy created on truffles.  She shares images of truffles and a truffle dog!
http://www.divinacucina.com/2005/10/truffles-not-chocolate/

     Judy offers cooking classes, recipes, and shopping experiences.  She knows all the best in the food business in Italy and she knows how to give you a great experience.  I know because I was lucky enough to join one of her market tours in Florence.  And here is a taste (pardon the pun) of her 2015 culinary events:
http://www.divinacucina.com/2014/11/sharing-the-love-plans-for-2015/

     Now, back to me.  Hahahaha… Yesterday I added two new rewards on my first Kickstarter art project.  I want to entice you to help me create some bronze art.  Please participate and share this link:

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/borsheimarts/casting-call-im-melting-melting-into-bronze

Receive this curious frog bronze sculpture for the $250 Reward

$650 Reward:  Consult with me to create your own medallion

Thank you so much,

Kelly

~ Kelly Borsheim, sculptor, painter, writer, teacher

http://BorsheimArts.com

Boris did not know the original use of this site; now important for bonfire during local festival

Day Tour Poreč and Pazin Istria Croatia

Dear Art lover,

     I am busy trying to maximize the opportunity that Kickstarter has given me to find a way to realize my bronze art, so I apologize for this brief blog entry.  Here are a few images from Poreč [on the sea] and Pazin [in the very center of Istria].  Poreč has a glorious basilica to which tourists flock.  The mosaics are stunning.  I share this image of part of the altar because it includes the gold, as well as the luster of the sea shells used (the circles).

     The last two images are from Pazin.  I always get a kick out of satellite dishes and other modern technology being planted on old architecture.  There is a museum of the history of Istria in Pazin.  I am debating on creating a blog post especially on that at a later date.  In the meantime, please enjoy these images.

     If you would like to see the new reward I added to the Kickstarter project, or are curious what it is all about, please visit:

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/borsheimarts/casting-call-im-melting-melting-into-bronze

Thank you so much,

Kelly

~ Kelly Borsheim, sculptor, painter, writer, teacher

http://BorsheimArts.com

This stone wall in Pazin drops vertically a long way before covering the river.

Day Tour Istria: Novigrad, Croatia

Dear Art lover,

     Yesterday was the anniversary of Michelangelo’s birthday, as well as the birthday of my landlady, Miranda.  Because you needed to know that!  Her grandson Boris took me out for about six hours.  We drove around Istria because Miranda wanted me to see something of the land.  I have been working so much trying to figure out my life and what is next for my art that I hardly leave my room, except for grocery store runs and occasional walks along the sea.  I make jokes that the real reason Miranda knocks on my door with some local treats is to make sure that I have not succumbed in her home!

     Boris and I visited briefly Novigrad, Poreč, Pazin, and Motovun.  On the return from Motovun, we passed the home of actor Anthony Hopkins, with a view of Grožnjan.  I learned some unusual facts about Istria and Croatia.  For example, the Croatians invented the tie.  It was then stolen by the French when Napoleon discovered it. 

Beautiful warm colors in central Novigrad, Croatia

ramp /stair combo of stone and cement

     Also, there are about nine or ten distinct types of wind here… I mean actually wind, not the punny kind.  People here mostly speak of La Bora (the cold and cutting wind that we experienced yesterday and the day before) and Il Jugo [the warm and humid wind that the Istrians find draining and depressing].  Boris told me that La Bora lasts either one, three, or five days; never for two or four days.  Well, that is easy to remember:  It is not even, it’s ODD!  Haha.  It does cut through and I told Miranda that I was grateful that she loaned me her coat early in my arrival.  It offers much better protection from the wind than my own coat does.

     Anyway, here are a few snapshots of our little daytrip to see the land of Miranda (and Boris)’s birth.  Today, I am featuring a glimpse into Novigrad, Croatia.  I would definitely enjoy returning to this place for a closer look!

     I am so excited by my early supporters for the “Casting Call: I’m Melting . . . Melting! Into Bronze” on Kickstarter.  We have now surpassed the $1,000 mark and have still a long way to go, but hey, it is all in the baby steps before running and every single part helps with the whole goal!

 

The Adriatic Sea meets the old stone wall in Novigrad, Croatia

     I cannot thank you enough for participating in any way.  You may even help by spreading the word (with the link for easy access).  Word of mouth with a personal note is the best way to connect, as you know.  So, here it is and thanks for checking it out.  I will be adding a few new rewards in the coming days.  I really want these wax sculptures cast.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/borsheimarts/casting-call-im-melting-melting-into-bronze

This is a link to my new and first Kickstarter project.  Maybe you have heard of Kickstarter.com? https://www.kickstarter.com/

Thank you so much,

Kelly

~ Kelly Borsheim, sculptor, painter, writer, teacher

http://BorsheimArts.com

Kickstarter Casting Call: I’m Melting . . . Melting! Into Bronze

Dear Art lover,
  

     Have you ever wondered how bronze sculpture is created?  The process is SO very different from how stone sculptures are carved!  I have recently revamped a text I wrote years ago, with images, to help explain the many complicated steps in bronze casting, using the “Lost Wax Method.”   

L-R:  Sculptor Colleagues Marla Ripperda, Bill Barnett, and Kelly Borsheim pour molten bronze in Austin, Texas in 2002.

You may see this online for a limited time at:

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/borsheimarts/casting-call-im-melting-melting-into-bronze

     This is a link to my new and first Kickstarter project.  Maybe you have heard of Kickstarter.com? 

 It is a site which allows artists, musicians, inventors, and such to present to the world a project or idea that they want to bring to reality.  ANYONE can pitch in to help.  The artist, as I have done, creates a variety of levels of Rewards.  In this way, you may choose to support as much or as little of the project as you desire.  You also receive something back (if you choose) as a reminder that you helped create something worth doing.  And hopefully your life is enriched as well.

     In my case, I am losing my storage space in central Texas this summer.  Many years ago, I had created wax sculptures hoping to be able to cast them into the more permanent medium of bronze.  It is time now to decide what the future of those wax figures will be.  

     I have created many rewards, from note cards to print (paper and metal), and of course, bronze sculpture.  I have tried to make it easy for anyone to support the future of my sculptures on any level possible:  from $5 to $10K.  And you may be surprised how any little bit helps.  

     With Kickstarter, it is all or nothing.  Funders pledge their desired amounts, but they pay nothing until the pledge drive is over and only if it has reached at least its funding goal.  Then Kickstarter asks them to honor their pledge via credit card.  The artist is later paid by Kickstarter and the rewards are sent out per the schedule the artist has posted on the project site.

     And there is another way that you may help.  Spread the word … and the link!  Word of mouth is still the best way to share ideas you love and I thank you for helping me continue with art.  I must admit that making it and then marketing and selling it is a lot of work for one person.  And in the end, I really believe that anything worthwhile cannot be done in a vacuum.  You are so much a part of what keeps me going.  

Thank you so much,

Kelly

~ Kelly Borsheim, sculptor, painter, writer, teacher

http://BorsheimArts.com