Gallery Opening!

Last night was our gallery opening. It was so wonderful to see all of our hard work all together in one gallery space and share our progress with the entire town. It was a really great night, and I am so thankful to have taken part in such a unique experience with such talented artists. We’ve become a little family over these past three weeks, and tonight is going to be hard to face. We’re having a farewell dinner tonight, so as Jill said, “We’ll have a woohoo and a boohoo.” So that’s it. The end of the residency has come and the beginning of new adventures has begun.

Rooftop Blues

Wednesday, September 21, 2011

Today was officially the last day of painting in the studio. I just cleaned up my paint and bagged up my supplies, and I’m feeling really lonely and sad about having to leave this place. Although at first my studio creeped me out, it’s sort of become my own little home here in Montecastello di Vibio. I created so much art in this space and really reflected upon my experience here in this room. I’ve had the whole attic to myself, which has been really nice, but I was always afraid to go up to the roof (because there is a make-shift staircase that says “Dangerous” and a mini Alice in Wonderland door to surpass to reach the roof). Today I went to explore and found that it was one of the most peaceful places in the whole city, right here from my studio at the top of the world. I sat up there for about a half hour just feeling the breeze and taking pictures. I felt that it was my own little moment here, and that I don’t think I’ll invite anyone else up there just so it remains a sacred little place for me. Here are some panoramas of what was up there, but they don’t compare to the experience of actually being up there.


In life drawing I actually did two pieces (relatively fast pieces) but I’m pretty happy with how they turned out.

Mano (Hand), 16” x 20”, 9-21-11

Impressione, 16” x 20”, 9-21-11

Also, as my final painting I figured it would be appropriate to finish off the self portrait with the landscape. This is really my only attempt at a landscape – but it’s pretty obvious what I’m trying to say here.

Me Stessa, 20” x 16”, 9-21-11

And since my painting day has ended, this is my last piece entitled “Progress.” Goodbye, my palette friend, may you help other artists along their artistic journeys in the future :)

The Landscape Within

This morning drawing was canceled so I spent time on the classical-inspired piece and finished it! Here it is.

Il Cielo (The Sky), oil on canvas, 9-20-11

I thought a lot about my experience here today and am realizing that it’s coming to a close soon. Tomorrow will be my last day to paint something in order for it to dry on time to send the paintings home in the mail. We’re all starting to get nostalgic already, and we’ve decided that on Thursday morning we will all sit around and sketch each other and then have a group studio crawl for critiques. We are having our gallery opening on Thursday night, so it will be exciting to see the work that everybody has done!

Today we were at the cafe having our cappuccinos, and I came across a local who asked me what I paint here in Umbria. I told him I don't paint the panoramas and landscapes and he acted as if I told him I like to murder babies. I realized after witnessing his reaction that I really do enjoy the landscapes of Montecastello di Vibio, but in a different way than the landscape artists do. I find them overwhelmingly inspiring and I let their beauty penetrate my eyes. My heart then holds onto the sensation and impression that the landscape has left with me, and then they shine through in my work later. That's it.

This is a piece I started today. I need to finish the portrait part of it, but it’s halfway done. I think I can squeeze out one or two more paintings by end of tomorrow.

Me, Stessa, oil on canvas, ~20” x 16”

Tonight the other artists and I are going to have a ghetto dance party - we're going to channel the "RPpod" tonight and blast the music out of our laptop since there isn't a dance club in town....you make do with what you have :)

For now, I'll close with a picture of the sunset from my studio. If it's not obvious, I've been extremely inspired by the skies here in Umbria - so colorful, so expansive, so inspiring ;)

It's a Small World

A group of Israeli artists just arrived this weekend and there’s been a very strange group dynamic happening. First of all, the first group of artists that arrived with me have already began to leave (4 of them only did 2 weeks of the residency). This changed the group a bit, it actually made us more cohesive. Then, with the addition of the new group, our original group has become even more close (and I really love this but it will make it so hard to leave in a week!). As two separate groups, we eat at separate tables, tight in our groups, and we have a different program completely. Although I truly believe that the group is not necessarily the concentration of this residency, and I believe that it’s entirely personal for all of us, I think the group dynamics play a huge role in the outcome of our experience. At the end of the night, we all commune in the dining room and discuss our experiences and our days and our findings. I love being surrounded by artists who all have the inquisitive nature of life that I have, and to share our feelings and discuss things on such a deep level without really knowing each other all that well. Today after lunch I spoke to three of the Israeli artists for the first time. I found a kinship with one of them in particular – she had lived in Rome for 4 years and had to return to home for her own reasons. I felt so connected to someone who was from somewhere so foreign to me, and I truly felt the humanity within my body and felt the “compassion” that the Buddhist philosophies speak of. I felt connected to her, to everyone, and to my environment and experience. It was a true moment of grandeur within me. I call these moments little bits of enlightenment, because for a moment in space and time, you feel completely and utterly secure and grounded in your world. These are great moments, revelations, enlightenment, knowing, wisdom, whatever it is you want to call it, and I’m always thankful to notice them.

This morning I painted Andrea again. I really wanted to capture the strength of the back – the pillar of human strength. This is called Costruzione (Construction).

Costruzione (Construction), oil on canvas, ~14” x 19”

Here is a picture of some God Rays I saw up on the terrace, and whenever I see God Rays, I just can’t resist taking a picture!

Polka, Per Favore

Sunday, September 18, 2011

For being an uneventful town, I have to say that last night was a pretty awesome night. First of all, we went for a walk just to get out. We came across a chorus singing in the piazza, we got back stage to a private concert that was being held in the “smallest theater in the world,” and then we were serenaded by the same band later in the cafe piazza. It was fun. They were great, we had a good Saturday night, and now we can greet the week ahead of us with some inspiration.

Today I felt like painting in green and yellow, so I confronted the Twins with full force and finished them! I saw this sculpture at the top of a fountain in Perugia and fell in love with the strange connection of their arms. I see them as mirror images of one another, but they reflect each others opposite attributes. I think I should subtitle this “The Dorks.” :P

I Gemelli (The Twins), oil on canvas, 9-18-11

I’m taking my time with my classical piece, but I did manage to add some color to it today. I had to stare at it for a good 20 minutes before I had any ideas pop into my mind, but I think I have an idea of where this piece will take me :)

Il Cielo, oil on canvas

Tonight we wandered around some and we came across this restaurant that had live music (and the entire town was there). I have to say, when I first heard the live band (which had a large and small accordian as the main instruments on stage) I was relatively shocked at the lameness. BUT, a nice older gentleman asked me to dance and I got my Polka on...it was funny, and actually kind of fun, but I don’t think I’ll be dancing the polka again any time soon. It was a good night. :)

Letting Loose and Painting Away

Saturday, September 17, 2011

This is a quick color and light study of the stairs leading up to the school building.

La Luce (The Light), oil on canvas panel, ~6" x 8", 9-15-11

This morning I made a portrait of a lovely artist here. My goal was to be loose and free with the color to capture the character of the girl and her boots :)

Sarah, The Mountain Climber, oil on canvas panel, 14” x 11”, 9-17-2011

Image of the day (I was looking through a book and was just completely enthralled by this image):

Giovanni Bellini, The Dead Christ with Joseph of Arimathea, Nicodemus, and Saint Mary Magdalene

Back Through Time

Friday, September 16, 2011

Assisi

Today we all took a road trip to Assisi and Perugia. Assisi was a marvel that seemed as though it was a fortification that just materialized out of the side of the mountain – bearing angles and arches that resembled a geometric abstraction of the natural landscape of the cliff it emerged from. We spent the morning in the Chiesa di San Francesco where the magic of Giotto surrounded us. Then amongst all the fame and glory of Giotto, at the back of the church, I discovered a local artist named Cesare Sermei. His fresco was full of grace, feeling, and emotion. I think I’ll have to be blasphemous to some and say that I enjoyed this single fresco more than any other image in the church.

Giudizio Universale, Cesare Sermei, Assisi

By the time we got to Perugia, I was sort of art-saturated. I went to see Perugino’s Collegio del Cambio – and all I needed was to see his self-portrait and his beautiful depictions of the Saints and the Sybils to be fully satisfied. After this, I took a stroll around the steep arched walkways, losing myself in the grandeur of a town that has seen more history than anything I can imagine. All the roads that went uphill led to the Duomo (the ascension to heaven was apparently considered in the architectural design of this beautiful city). What I loved most about Perugia was the atmosphere and its people; there were students, families, musicians, tourists, everybody. At one point, there was a drum group performing in the middle of the Piazza Duomo, and the energy I could feel reverberating throughout the air was as energizing as the beautiful cappuccino I had that morning. I truly enjoyed Perugia and I hope to return some day :)

Perugia