Community of Artists Florence Italy

Cari Amici (Dear Friends),

My life in Italy has been quite different from my last decade or so in America. In Texas, I was mostly alone working on my art out in my home in the country. I liked it. I loved it, really. I have always enjoyed being alone when I choose to be, regardless of how few or many people may be around.

To be honest, I did not know if I really wanted to enroll in art school … or any school ever again. I am not a patient person on many levels and I felt hard-pressed at times to finish my college degree. But I am really enjoying being at the Angel Academy here in Florence, Italy. While I still treasure the time I can find to be alone, I am relishing so much camaraderie in being with other artists. We work so hard and long, but there are laughs that we share, although I suspect that a lot of “outsiders” might find our humor a bit dull (puns on shapes, tones, lines… that sort of thing – generally nerdy humor, if you will). For example, the delight in objects… recently Luca brought in a collection of items he bought in Istanbul: A pair of knives in elaborate brass sheaths, small lanterns, Asian tea pots, and other exotic things. The fun lasted perhaps only 15 minutes as many of us stopped our painting projects to take a look at items from Luca’s collection, ahhing and oohing over each one and trying to figure out what the history behind some of the items might be. We looked, we touched, we played with some of them, and we passed them from one to another so that we could appreciate each object on our own. The most popular item was the traditional wedding headdress for an Asian woman. Several of us tried it on. Here is a snapshot that Caroline took of me wearing the headdress. I am standing in front of my cast painting (a painting of a plaster cast model made from an original sculpture), the Carpeaux. I am not quite the “Girl with the Pearl Earring,” but a moment of feeling a bit royal was lovely.

Angel is a painting school and is very strong in still life painting. In fact, I was surprised that this school could change my mind about still life art, not having been interested in it much at all before I came here. We do support one another in our choices of objects (models, as Jered calls them) and the compositions we attempt. It is a wonderful environment. One recent afternoon, a student gave the Maestro John Angel a gin and tonic (hey,… it was ALMOST five o’clock and I have never seen this happen before here), which he offered to share with several of us who were curious about the taste. [I tried it; I will try most anything. But it did not appeal to me much… tonic is too sweet and lingers on the tongue, making me want to drink some water to wash it down. I will stick to my vodka or girly liquors, thank you very much.] However, another female student laughed and asked, “Maestro, are you bribable?” He joked, “No, but I am flirtable!” I smirked, “Subtle.” And we all burst out laughing as he gave me a hug. Not all days are charming in this way, but there is some joy in each day with these other artists. I find that my heart is a little less lonely than it might be otherwise.

Last evening lots of “Angels” and I attended the opening reception for the Florence Academy of Art alumni exhibit. Wow… and I love the interaction between AAA, FAA, and the Charles Cecil Studios. Oh, and the newest classical art school in town is the Russian Academy. The Corsini Stables hosted the art event and the place was packed with artists last night. And as a little plug, I was surprised and flattered when I met a woman who already knew of me and even remembered a blog post from years ago! We were standing near the vintage cars and when I mentioned the photo of model Vida [“Il Dono”] and me inside the car, I did not need to introduce myself. The woman exclaimed, “I know YOU, Kelly!” Later she and her husband saw the Princess Corsini and we were all invited to come out to an event happening in her garden soon. Not lonely at all – Firenze feels so surreal sometimes!

War-Torn Tabernacoli Tuscany

Cari Amici (Dear Friends),

On a recent weekend, I took some more painters out to my friend’s home in the countryside outside of Firenze, Italia. After a little walk around the vineyards and olive trees to get them acquainted with the landscape painting opportunities (and the fresh country air!), we ended up speaking with the neighbors here. There are multiple families nearby, but many of them are all related.

Bruno is in his 80s. He and his older brother Renato (who turns 90 years old this July 29th) grew up in their Tuscan “farm” during World War II. Bruno again brought out a picture he has of part of their family home at the time of the war. I had seen it before, but some things are worth doing more than once and my friends enjoyed the “live history.” These Italians seem to like me since I am American and they remember well that American soldiers stayed with them as they prepared to take back Firenze from the Germans. Bruno is in this first image as he shows off his bit of history to my friends.

We had asked about the tabernacle on the outside of the house. My friend Llewellyn is also interested in these. [Perhaps you will remember … or like to read … my art newsletter about the tabornacoli fiorentini that I wrote about some time ago.] Apparently, the original artwork in the tabernacle was a Della Robbia. This is a collective name for a historical family of ceramic artists and the studios are quite famous in these parts. The typically religious Della Robbias tend to be blue and white (white figures with blue glazed backgrounds), but not always. I must admit that they are not generally to my taste, but I have enjoyed some of them and their look is often easily distinguished from other terra-cotta or porcelain artwork of the time.

Bruno and Renato’s Della Robbia was bombed and destroyed during the war. Llewellyn is holding the image of the war-torn home, showing the tabernacle on the right. Later, the family commissioned a female artist with the last name Poggi (I believe), another well-known name in these parts, to create a new “Madonna and Child.” The last image is taken with the restored niche.

Happy Birthday, John Borsheim!

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?