Welcome to my Blog.

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Welcome to my blog.

I'll be posting thoughts, photos, happenings, and other art
related information from time to time.


If English is not your most comfortable language please use
the Google translator on the right for fast translation of my Posts.

Thank you.
Visualizzazione post con etichetta Art-Art. Mostra tutti i post
Visualizzazione post con etichetta Art-Art. Mostra tutti i post

mercoledì 6 aprile 2016

Making Decisions

Decision making is part of our everyday life. We begin in the early morning and continue throughout the day making one after the other of decisions that govern our lives.  They’re turning points. Most not drastic but some decisive and able to change the corse of our thinking and behavior.
Remember my last post, in January, I vowed to make reforms in my painting habits and schedules and  I was convinced that from that new year’s day on I would create a disciplined life for myself in the studio.

INSTEAD I have been delving into a variety of activities. First, I have become an “Angelo del Bello” (translated, that is an Angel of Beauty). NO, nothing to do with beauty contests, make-up and the like! It’s a volunteer organization that helps keep the parks in the city of Florence clean, erases ugly writings on walls and in the streets. I work in the famous Iris Garden overlooking Florence from Piazzale Michelangelo.




  Here I am with a friend wearing my safety jacket. We were hoeing and weeding in one of the many  flower beds in the famous Iris Garden

 I have also joined the newly formed choir within the American International League of Florence.  We are eight women (sometimes more, sometime less) and began this group to entertain at our annual Bazaar, a fundraising event to support needy charities in Florence and province.We worked hard to be presentable for December 8th (the date of our charity market),  to learn the carols, music and words, and we did it  as a flash mob  having a lot of fun. It meant many practices which consumed my days completely. The choir has continued, and so have I, learning  new songs thru weekly practices.  We will be entertainment during parties at old folk’s homes.



My painting in the show at Chianciano Terme, a SPA town south of Florence. was awarded Honorable Mention. This show closed at the end of March but I have been invited to continue with this painting and 2 others in another show in Montepulciano..  These are all historic picturesque  towns south of Florence.
Transparency - Figure


"Transparency"


I began this post talking about decision making but I never explained myself.  Remember? In February I applied for a show here in Florence entitled  “ Portraits of MERCY in the Bible” reasoning that at least I would be showing in Florence, nearby. I’m not a painter of sacred art as such but I participated anyway. Part of the regulations for this show required me to select a passage from the bible that I used as inspiration. Again I chose a painting from the past.


"The Annunciation"
 “The Annunciation” I have always considered this  as an annuciation, benevolent, protective. The Magnificat. But, as I searched the Bible, reading various passages, I realized how little I knew about this book of history. My decision was to find out more, read more from the bible, and,have founded a bible study class that meets from time to time.  A new source of inspiration for me.  A turning point?

AND, last of all, I will return to Pontremoli for their show on the 25th of April. 
Here I will present a new painting, a “new painting” done over an old study of a nude.  The theme is “The Garden”. and my painting is entitled “Waiting for Dawn.”

"Waiting for Dawn"
That’s where I am today.

This has been a long post but I hope you have found it interesting.  I would love to hear from you dear  readers. My idea when I started this blog was to exchange ideas, reactions, to make contact. I hope some of you will talk to me.  In any language. Translation is easily done. 
A presto. . . .

lunedì 19 ottobre 2015

Exchange art show with Prachatice, Czech Republic

part of the show of paintings by artists from the Czech Republic 

I would like to take you with me to 
this  beautiful show in an amazing setting that exists only in Tuscany: the Corsini Villa, Impruneta,  on the first day of timid sunshine after days of rain.
Villa Corsini

Persimmon tree
gate to gardens


Last rose of summer leads the way to art show

After  entering the gates of the Villa, a long road took us down to the studio where the show was hung.


approach to the studio



paintings by artists from Prachatice, Czech Republic, in oil, tempera, acrylic and watercolor




 Impruneta is the  area famous for clay production; pots, bricks, etc., but also terracotta sculpture.  This "pot-sculpture" marked a tiny staircase which led us up to a formal boxhedge garden where the  sculpture by Italian artists was placed.

Boxwood garden



While waiting for the cerimonies to begin, I explored the gardens enjoying the unexpected sun.

main entrance to the villa
spreading chestnut trees


young Czech musicians preparing for opening ceremony
typical Tuscan views from the walls surrounding the villa
vineyards and olive groves
 







An amazing setting for a show!!! Do you agree?




mercoledì 14 ottobre 2015

Roaming Around . . .

 While I'm waiting to begin new work, (I've ordered new cradeled panels from a local carpenter), I've been messing around with other little projects:  the Christmas Bazaar, ( the decorations booth this year will be selling little houses for the Nativity scene so I'm making some ceramic figurines),  friends are having shows.. . and there is a fun project called Mail Art that I will be participating in just for the heck of it, no great involvement, just to play around, So. . . here is some of that. (Please excuse my pictures,  I took these with my (stupid) Phone and they are not very clear.  My camera's batteries need charging......


Figurines made with a mold


figures

 
Il bambinello  - Baby Jesus adapted from mold


Mary- made by hand


MY Friend's SHOW     Francoise Bertolini with Anna Rose

video -Anna Rose


Installation Francoise


Installation  Anna Rose


Installation  Anna Rose

Francoise

Installation  Francoise

 The MAIL ART

These are my first letters.  As I understand it is the envelope that counts as art work. Once done the letter is mailed to the organizers of the event.  If anyone can give me more or better feedback please do!




sabato 2 maggio 2015

. . .three days!

"Connections - Red #1"  50x70cm  oil, cold wax on paper on panel
It took me 3 days to fully register and believe that I was actually the first place winner catagory painting at the "International Competition of Art 2015 Donna di Fiori" held in Pontremoli (MS) on April 25.

The reason ?  Probably the lengthy process from beginning to surprise ending that was involved. In early February the application was filled out and sent to the organizers of Pontremoli in Art 2015 with a photo of the painting I presented.  This was a juried show, therefore, the first selection was made via photograph. Once the selection was finalized and I was notified to be part of the group of selected artists, payment was made to cover costs of a catalogue and organization. Next, the painting had to be delivered to the city hall of Pontremoli.  My husband and I took it up personally. It was a beautiful day making the 2 hour drive  pleasant.  Beautiful to see the mountains and the white marble quarries where Michelangelo selected his marble. It was market day in Pontremoli that
Saturday so I had to take the painting into the city center on foot.  As I walked through the crowd with my canvas tucked under my arm, I asked for directions from a sweet lady along the way who wanted to take a peak at my painting. Maybe she brought me luck.

The next step was a request to know whether or not I would be present at the festivities and show.  The organization had generously offered rooms at great prices and I accepted.  Since the 25th of  April is a National holiday in Italy we decided to program a long weekend of vacation in Pontremoli.
I booked a room for two nights at a bed and breakfast which turned out to be in the Villa of Artists where the school, Studio Giambo, has their headquarters and studios. It goes without saying that I was getting more and more excited by the program and the event itself never thinking, I swear, about winning or not. It was to be a "fun" weekend. A welcome weekend to encounter other artists and art lovers.

But, there was a "BUT".

 I had already pulled my trolley out and begun to decide what to pack when that night my husband came home with the shivers and a sore throat.  No decision was made, waiting and hoping that it would be all over the next day but it wasn't. Strangely my reaction was very calm. I had completely accepted the inevitable. We just wouldn't go.  No problem.

So, on the 25th the day  was quiet and long with no news from the show which was normal.  ------until....... until around 9:00 that evening  when I got a telephone call. It was a friend of mine, also participant in the show and member of Art-Art, the organization that I belong to in Impruneta and had introduced me to this competition. ". . .excuse me if I call you at this hour but I just came back from Pontremoli and I didn't have your number. You won first prize for painting .. . ."
She, by the way, won first prize in the category sculpture.

The prize is a satisfaction enormous in itself, but also entails a future personal show in Pontremoli at a date to be announced,  Lots of work to be done................