Civita di Bagnoregio

As promised, here are a few of the photos I took while I was at Civita di Bagnoregio. The picture above is of myself and a woman that I met while exploring the village. She invited me into her yard to see her "museum," at the cost of a small donation. I was skeptical at first but she wouldn't let me go. I gave her a few dollars and she walked me around her yard. She had paintings, sculptures, beautiful terracotta pots, old trinkets, and the most amazing view ever. I could not stop smiling. Unfortunately the photos of her museum are missing from the pages of my photo album. I'll have to dig a little deeper to find them.

Viterbo

As I mentioned before, in the summer of 2000, I attended an art  program at L'Accademia de Belle Arte di Lorenzo da Viterbo. The trip impacted my life immensely and later fueled my degree project at Mass Art. The program is still available through the Montserat College of Art. I highly recommend it to any artist; students and adults alike.

Out of curiosity I wanted to see if my old instructors are still working there. I was pleased to see that they are. You can check out links to bios and work from Caroline Bagenal (more here) and Judith Brassard Brown. I also studied with Charles Boyer, who teaches a journal writing class in Viterbo. Fred Lynch, another instructor through the program, has set up a blog for his students here. It is so amazing to see drawings of so many places in Viterbo that I sat and drew at myself.

It's funny, my sister, Destiny, and I were talking the other day about the subtle power that lies within drawing. Recently she came about an old sketch book and began flipping through it. She described how every image brought her back to that moment in which she drew that particular piece. She described the way her legs were crossed, how she felt emotionally, what the wind felt like on her skin, what she was thinking as she drew, and so on. It got me thinking about my own art and how I felt while making it. It's amazing that, while looking at other's works from Viterbo, I can still remember my experiences while creating my own art there. It is truly remarkable that rekindling those feelings of empowerment and joy are inspiration enough to keep us all creating something new.

I did this quick study while I was sitting in a piazza in Viterbo. I remember tracing the outlines of the arches over and over again, adding more warmth as the sun peaked in from the hills. It was a beautiful day and I could hear the sound of running water from a near by fountain. There was a grandmother and child holding hands, a couple walking arm in arm, and myself sitting on the cobblestone walkway. I took it all in and let out a sigh of contentment. 

It's amazing that, eight years later, I can still recall all of that just by looking at this sketch.

Nikki De Saint Phalle

I can tell already that the last post is going to turn into an all out Italian tangent! Just roll with it. 

The research I'm doing is bringing up so many memories from my last trip to Italy in 2000. Since I'm feeling that my return is far over due, writing will have to suffice for the time being.

Let's talk about Niki De Saint Phalle, shall we? 

She is amazing! Her sculptures are so magical. Her use of color illustrates a woman after my own heart. My memories of walking around her Tarot Garden are charged with wonder. I didn't know where to go or what to explore first. I must admit that my first impression wasn't one of interest. I was consumed with the Renaissance then and I wasn't really sure what to think of her outlandish, childlike sculptures. But the more I walked around and  read the poetry in her work, felt the mosaics and let myself be consumed by her world; the more I submitted and fell in love.

Like most works of art of  this scale, photos will just not do it justice. However, here are some pictures I took while I was there.

Justice & Death

The Emperor & The High Priestess

The Empress

The Empress (detail)

Nikki lived alone inside the Empress, what she nick-named the "Sphinx, while finishing the garden. You can view interior photos of The Empress here. In her book  The Tarot Garden, she writes, " This garden was made with difficulties, love, wild enthusiasm, obsession and most of all faith. Nothing could have stopped me. As in all fairy tales before finding the treasure, I met on my path, dragons, sorcerers, magicians and the angel of temperance."

Pattern on Pattern

During the past few weeks I have been looking for inspiration for a family cookbook that I'm working on. My maternal grandfather was originally from Sardinia and though my grandmother was born in New York City, her family also came from the island. Having been to Italy twice, I am very familiar with the beautiful floral textiles and wallpapers that adorn most homes there, as they did in my grandparent's house in the Bronx. I knew, in my search for ideas that I would have to incorporate old time Italian patterns. I came across these photo spreads from the December 2007  issue of Italian Vogue, shot by Steven Meisel. I am in love with these photos!!!