Portraits of an Artist

Cari Amici (Dear Friends),

Lots of my artist friends and I get together on Monday and Tuesday evenings and sit for one another to make portrait studies. It was recently my turn to pose. Because of my spine injury many years ago, I chose to stand. Sitting makes my legs go numb. I must say that I prefer to be the artist and not the model.

My friend Skye Campbell took this photo of me during the pose the first day. All in all, I posed for 8 hours over several days.

Posted here, with permission, are sketches done from these sessions. I will post more as I get images and permissions. These first two are: Pencil Drawing by Skye MacArthur Campbell and I believe a charcoal by Ami Badami. Enjoy.

Art Exhibits in Italy

I am in a hurry, but if in Italy, you may find this info. about art exhibits useful (listed by city):

Arts guide: exhibits in Italy

FERMO - Palazzo dei Priori: leading Marche Renaissance painter Vincenzo Pagani and influences including Raphael, Carlo Crivelli; until November 9.

FLORENCE -

- Galleria Palatina: Flemish Artists in Florence, 1430-1530; the likes of van Eyck, Memling and Leida compared to contemporaries Raphael, Botticelli, Castagno and Ghirlandaio; until October 26.

- Palazzo Pitti: The Medicis And Science; large collection of scientific writings and tools; until January 11.

ISOLA BELLA (LAKE GARDA) - Borromeo Collection of 130 Renaissance and later masters, reopened after renovation; permanent.

ROME - Palatine Hill: Augustus's House on view for first time in 25 years.

- Shenker Culture Club: 28 large religious works by Mario Schifano inspired by ancient Italian divinity Mater Matuta; marks 10th anniversary of artist's death; until October 15.

SIENA - Piazza del Duomo and other city sites: Mario Ceroli, Forms In Movement; giant works by avant-garde sculptor; until November 7.

STRA - Villa Pisani: 70 paintings and monumental works by sculptor Mimmo Paladino, hand-picked and arranged by the artist in the historic villa's magnificent grounds; until November 2.

TIVOLI - Villa Adriana: Between Light and Darkness; Ancient Roman funerary beds including bone-decorated bed from Aquinum and one found on Rome's Esquiline Hill; until November 2.

TRENTO - Castello del Buonconsiglio; first major show on relatively unknown Renaissance sculptor Andrea Briosco aka Il Riccio; until November 2.

Changing Money in Florence, Italy

Cari Amici (Dear Friends),

If I had not been wasting so much time, I might be only amused by the “efficiencies” of Italian banking -- or at least my current experiences with them.
My rent was due last Wednesday. I have been working very hard as a madonnara (street painter) here in Florence, Italy, because, as I suspect most everyone knows, the US dollar is very weak compared to the euro. While I still have to pay off my credit card debts in US dollars, every euro I can earn for spending here saves me heaps in money conversion rates.

Allora, street painters are mostly paid in spicciolo (coins), although I have received many 5 € bills (the smallest bill available) and the other day I was tipped a 20 € bill by an American architect. Sweet! Anyway, I counted out 700 euros in spiccoli. No way I was going to hand that to Doria and Luca, the older couple that I live with!

Last week, Luca went to the Post Office with me. He said they offer a lot of the same services that banks do. But they would not accept my coins unless they were in rolls and they had no rolls to give me. We went to the bank next door. No rolls. Try a café. Well, the café was overwhelmed at the idea of so much change and would not speak with us. Luca told me that he would buy some tubi for me so I could roll the coins and I went on into the studio to work.

That night he told me that I must visit Buffetti, an office supply store across town. I rode my bike there the next morning only to be told, “Prova una banca.” So, I tried a nearby bank. They gave me a few rolls, not nearly enough. Because I am not a client, they refused to help me more.

But the clear plastic tubi were enough to help minimize how much change I ended up handing over for my rent payment. I asked Doria if her bank would give her some tubi since she is a client of theirs. She returned with some plastic ones and also some paper ones, color-coded.

I rolled a lot of spiccioli this weekend and this Monday morning, I entered a bank near my home. I took a number from the machine, but after waiting and watching for a long time, I asked another potential client if this appearance of inactivity was normal in Italy. He responded that the computer was broken. After another minute, I asked a teller if it was possible to do a straight trade of my coins for paper. No, the computer is broken. “Prova una altra banca.”

So, I went to another bank, only to be told they do not accept spiccioli. I started to lose patience, “Scusimi, ma questa è una banca, si?”

“Si, ma prova una altra banca.”

Maddai . . . I thought to myself with the typical accompanying hand gestures.

I crossed the street, happy to find the banks so close. As I exited the revolving security door into the bank, a young teller actually acknowledged me with a “un momento.” Wow. In America I am used to the courtesy of a customer service representative noticing the presence of other waiting customers in this way. But in Italy, it seems they have a different type of politeness: The full attention is put on the current client. Everyone else does not exist. This is different, but if you happen to be the one being served, it feels good to know that the salesman is going to help you without the distraction of other clients.

Anyway, when it was my turn, the teller first asked me what it is that I do to receive so many coins. Then he told me that he could only accept the clear tubi, not the paper ones, because he could not see into those. Fantastico! (a little sarcasm, you see . . . ) I argued that it was a bank that gave them to me, but to no avail.
However, the exchange we did make lightened my load significantly and he actually talked me into seeing him in the morning to discuss my opening an account with the bank. Let me see how this goes . . .

If you like what you read and would like to save me from Italian banks, please consider supporting this blog a little bit . . .

Street Painting Michelangelo Florence, Italy

Cari Amici (Dear Friends),

It may sound strange, but I paint in the street. In Florence, Italy, we street painters are called madonnari. Yesterday, I chose to draw Michelangelo’s Libyan Sibyl from the Cappella Sistina in Vatican City, Italy. I was fortunate enough to be assisted by this charming little gal from Canada. And thanks to her mother who took this image of us on my camera for me.

I try to save all of my “wet wipes” for when the kids come to help me. It seems a bit rude for me to invite people’s children to paint in the street and then send them on their way as a dirty mess. In truth, I enjoy watching how each child takes to the cleaning part of the job. Some are really cute in their methods, some thorough, some not at all interested in washing their hands.

I have to admit, I am as fascinated by the process of creating a drawing as much as the next guy, maybe moreso. Hence the following image -- I like how the street is visible as I pick and choose which parts I want to develop first.

Normally, I am not much of an orange person -- the color is just too happy for me. But there are exceptions, usually when I see orange in Nature. However, this particular work of Michelangelo’s moves me greatly and any other color than orange might change the effect in a less impressive way. I also love drapery.

Here you see the work just before I called it a night. The distortion from the camera angle and lens is much better on this side. I took another shot standing at the head, and . . . oh, my . . .


Not being much of a morning person, I started this pastel drawing around mezzogiorno (noon). I think I washed up around midnight, but in truth, the reason that I did not finish the art is because I have more friends now than before. For example, my ex-roommates Dragana and Elena brought aperitivo to me in this evening since I was unable to leave my work and I took a bit of a break around dinnertime. We rarely get to see each other now that we live in different homes.

My last image for this post is of the destruction of my work. Granted the patterns in the stone street determine most of the movement of the water, I still find the apparent randomness intriguing. I was really happy with this drawing (except for the feet) and felt sad that I had not done it on paper the way many madonnari work on occasion. But what could I do? I must scrub the street painting away so that the next day, another artist may begin.

Pencil Figure Drawing Florence, Italy

Cari Amici (Dear Friends),

While I was working as a madonnara a couple of weeks ago, I met a charming young gal who lives in Pietrasanta, Italy, but is not a sculptor. It turned out she wanted to work again as a model, so I hired her for one of my Open Studio sessions here in Florence.

I created the figure drawing that you see here in the session with this lovely woman. While I love the shape of Eva’s mouth, I was more drawn to the light around her hand and made my composition with this area as the focal point. In the pinky finger, I see some resemblance to the late artist Tamara de Lempicka, but perhaps that is my imagination.

While in Texas this past summer, I bought a product called “Liquid Pencil” and have tried it here on a watercolor paper. She has a very sketchy, water-y look to her and I like it. The drawing measures about 23 x 6 inches. She is priced at $125 + $18 for shipping from Florence, Italy, to anywhere in the world.

Just click on the PayPal button below for a safe financial transaction and the drawing “Eva” can be yours.
Thank you for your interest and support of the arts (and of me too.)

P.S. Happy Birthday, Danielle. 24, hard to believe. I love you.

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?