Buona Pasqua Florence Italy

Cari Amici (Dear Friends),

Buona Pasqua or Happy Easter, as you wish. Since I am still very busy working to finish several paintings and drawings before my solo exhibit opens this Thursday in Florence, Italy, I will leave you with the following.

Last year, I wrote about the “Explosion of the Cart” that happens each Easter between Florence’s famous Duomo and Bastistry. To find out the connection between explosions and the religious holiday of Easter, please click on the link below.


http://artbyborsheim.blogspot.com/2008/03/easter-in-florence-italy.html

I also want to leave you with a few of the snapshots that I have taken of Doria and Luca’s garden. I feel fortunate to live with them. And finally, the full moon as I saw him over the Porta San Niccolò along the Arno River the other night. Enjoy this weekend and now, I paint.

Giambologna Florence Italy

Cari Amici (Dear Friends),

I mentioned sculptor Giambologna’s famous composition “Il Ratto delle Sabines” in my last post. It is one of my favorite sculptures. The final artwork is in stone and is one of the few original sculptures still on exhibit in the main piazza of Florence, Italy. Unfortunately, that public privilege keeps getting debated as more pollution makes it difficult to protect the marble.

Also, vandalism reared its ugly head recently when someone broke off a finger from Italian artist Pio Fedi’s marvelous stone carving of four figures, which is also one of the original artworks still on exhibit in this same space, the Loggia dei Lanzi. The discovery of the finger nearby is what clued in authorities about the damage. Horrible.

Back in 2004 during my first visit to Florence, I saw Giambologna’s original clay sculpture that was later translated into marble in the Academia. He was seeking to create a perfect composition in 3-dimensions. The spiral was the answer. The composition as seen from each viewing position would entice the audience to want to see what other views were offered.

As an artist it made sense to me that Giambologna did not start out with the famous (in his time) story of the abduction of the Sabines as his tema (theme). Someone suggested this titolo later and Giambologna had to design the bronze bas reliefs depicting more of the story for the tall stone base of his original sculpture.

Yes, sometimes the titles come first, but just as often, they come afterwards, or even during the creation of art. As visual artists, we communicate with a different language that consists of visual and tactile elements, such as line, shapes, tones, and texture.

The images you see here were taken at various times over the course of several years. The first one shows Giambologna’s “Il Ratto delle Sabines” in front of a projected image taken during the famous flood of 1966. I took this during the 40th anniversary event of the flood, November 4, 2006.



This last image is part of my giclée fundraising series to help the young man Rudy Sanchez that I have mentored since 1992. Rudy was born with Treacher Collins’ Syndrome. Years ago, the facial reconstruction doctors removed the last of Rudy’s teeth in order to reshape his jaw. However, through some Medicare law, teeth are considered cosmetic and therefore optional surgery (not paid for). So, Rudy needs $13,000 for a complete set of teeth. His family does not have that, nor do I.

If this image or any of my Italy images appeal to you, please consider purchasing a giclée or more (quantity savings apply) and know that your new artwork will enhance more than the lives that you share the art with. For more information about the art and about Rudy and Treacher Collins, please visit: Treacher Collins’ Art Project

Thank you so much!

Clouds Over Florence Italy

Cari Amici (Dear Friends),

My head is often in the clouds. I wish that I could fly.

Florence, Italy, receives great clouds and has interesting silhouettes with which to frame them. This first image was one that I took last night. I am ever grateful that I had to go out to buy more art supplies for my current projects and that I timed it so that I had a half an hour after all the stores close before meeting a few friends at Rex’s on Via Fiesolana for aperitivo. Otherwise, I would have missed last night’s skies entirely.

This lovely sunset image was taken from Piazza della Repubblica. What wonderfully abstract shapes make up this sculpture on top of the obelisk! I should know more about this work but, to parody Star Trek, “I am an artist, not a tour guide!”

The second image was taken the evening before from the street outside of my room after returning from the grocery store.


And this third image was taken on New Year’s Day as I sat in the Loggia dei Lanzi wondering how long I should wait before heading over to Skye’s flat in the zona di Santo Spirito to retrieve my gloves and hat. [As it was, I arrived about 5 p.m. and she was just waking up from our previous night’s revelry. Heh.]

The silhouette of the head peeking out on the right is part of Giambologna’s magnificent sculpture “Il Ratto della Sabines” (The Abduction of the Sabine Women). Many people mistakenly translate ‘ratto’ to mean ‘rape’ but it does not. “Rape” in Italian is “violenza carnale.” In the Italian language, at least, there is no confusing rape with a sexual act. The verb “to rape” is “violentare” -- to commit violence upon someone.

I guess my head is not in the clouds now.
Scusami for my meandering thoughts.

Art Renewal Center Salon Art Award

Cari Amici (Dear Friends),

I met my friends Henna and Naomi on the Ponte Vecchio the other night so we could walk together over to the British Institute here in Florence, Italy, to watch the film “The End of the Affair.” Henna congratulated me for becoming a semi-finalist in an art competition. I had no idea of what she was speaking. It is good to have friends to keep you posted on your own life!

Allora:

“THE ART RENEWAL CENTER is proud to present the award winners and finalists in our fifth International ARC Salon® Competition. This year we had well over 1600 entries from 30 different countries . . . . With so many quality entries, we found it necessary to add a semi-finalists tier to help narrow the field . . . ” per Fred Ross, ARC Chairman

So, out of all of this, my artwork made it to the semi-finalists:

http://www.artrenewal.org/articles/2009/Salon/winners9.asp
(this page has links to the other winners too)
I entered so long ago, but I think this was the competition in which I entered the sculpture category, with the bronze “Warrior Spirit”.

So, I still have work to do! Thank you for following along on this journey with me.

And thank you, Henna!

Entwined Art

Cari Amici (Dear Friends),

I am preparing a lot of new drawings, a few paintings, and I hope still to finish another sculpture for my solo exhibit here in Florence, Italy, at Sei Divino. The exhibit is titled “Kelly Borsheim: Luce dall’oscurità” (Light from Darkness) and starts on the 16th of April. Here is a preview of one of the new drawings, “Entwined.” And yes, this is one of the ones I was hoping to finish before the model Ernesto left (see previous blog entry).

Since I started seriously drawing, I have enjoyed drawing hands. I also find myself intrigued by mystery and high contrast. The idea of ‘being entwined’ (versus entangled) with something strikes me as romantic without being suffocating. And this pose with the hands over the chest feels comfortable. (The ‘two thumbs up’ reminds me of the sculpture I carved in stone of manta rays, “Encounter”.)


“Entwined” was drawn on Roma-brand paper using only charcoal and pastels. This original drawing is 20.5 x 64 cm (approximately 8” x 25”) and he is available from the Borsheim Arts Studio. He will have his public debut on 16 April in Florence.

Thank you for your continued interest.
Kelly

Art Model in Florence Italy

Cari Amici (Dear Friends),

Artists depend on good models for great figurative art. Here in Florence, Italy, a lot of artists have worked with a great male model, Ernesto. He has worked for Florence Academy and also Angel Academy of Art, as well as posing privately for artists, including myself. Ernesto is wonderful to work with and is also a terrific person.

So, you can imagine how difficult it is for artists here in Florence to lose Ernesto. He and his girlfriend are leaving Italy. Ernesto’s last day of modeling was last Friday at the Angel Academy of Art. So, as much as his girlfriend told me that he hates surprise parties, that is just what he got.

Student artists and teachers alike signed a card and pitched in to help me buy some torte (cakes). The chocolate cake with the powdered sugar on the left was made by scratch by our friend Skye Campbell. The other two cakes (one fruit covered in typical Italian style and the other a chocolate torta with a wee bit of alcohol inside) came from Patrizio Cosi on Borgo degli Albizi, near Piazza Salvemini. This is one of my favorite pasticcerie. There are many wonderful pastry shops here in Florence, but I happened to be drawing another model, Sarah, that afternoon at a friend’s studio on Borgo Pinti, and logistics being what they were . . .

I still cannot tell if he was really surprised or if he had a heads-up, especially when he whipped out a bottle of limoncello to share. Limoncello is a famous lemon liquor made in southern Italy (although I have several Italian friends here in Florence who enjoy making their own as well). Allora, the drinks, fruit, and chocolate were pouring! It was a sweet gathering.

Anyway, since I rarely post photographs of people on this blog without their permission, I decided to share with you a charcoal drawing of Ernesto. This drawing was created by my friend Joseph Farris, during Ernesto’s last modeling session at Angel. He is not finished with it, but I was at Joe’s flat earlier today photographing other works of his and asked him if I could share this drawing with you.

Next time, I will show you some of the works I have been creating of Ernesto. I have been working furiously to try to finish these (or get them to a point in which I could finish them) before my friend leaves bella Italia.

Ringrazie tanti, Ernesto!

Drawing the Light in Florence Italy

Cari Amici (Dear Friends),

Always searching for light and interesting people, here is another sneak preview of a new work-in-progress. This is Day 2 of a nude figure drawing that I am creating in charcoal and pastels. I hire the models, while my friend Dana hosts our drawing sessions in her flat. Her house is fun to work in because the lighting is so different from the other studio we work in.

Our Italian model Sarah took this photo of me during the break. The blue light is coming from the sunlit curtain covering the only window in the room. So, I draw coolly, ha.

After our drawing session was over for the day, I rode my bike down Borgo degli Albizi to visit my favorite paper shop. I needed to buy a gift on Saturday night because most shops are not open on Sundays and I wanted to stay home to work on Monday and Tuesday. I try to organize my time well since I am a slow producer and interested in too many things.

But, this past Saturday evening, the light in Florence at this moment was truly fantastic! With these medieval tall buildings so close together here in central Florence, it is difficult to take good photos. The sun just does not arrive fully on most streets.

But in this moment, the sun was highlighting the Tuscan golds on this old building. The crumbling fresco designs looked purple in comparison. I snapped several shots of this wonderfully textured and richly colored wall, admiring the contrast of the round upper windows over the rectangles and the sculptured shield jutting out away from the mura. The composition I include here is my favorite shot and if you click on the blog’s image, I believe you can see a larger sized visual.

So, remember to look up and appreciate the light.
And if you are coming to Florence, Italy, soon, my exhibit starts on the 16th of April and lasts for three weeks. For more information, please see my Web site.

Updated: The Finished Figure Drawing

"Nightwatch"
charcoal with pastel / carboncino con pastelli
64 x 46 cm