My Double Life

http://www.ailoflorence.org/

 My crafty self!!

Every year The American International League of Florence, of which I am a member, organizes a Christmas Bazaar on the 8th of December. All profits from sales  are donated to various non-profit organizations that request our help. My part is to work for the Christmas Decorations Booth. I have been doing it for years and love it but the rest of my life stops from November to the day of the event.

 red ribbons

 tree ornaments,

beads

                                                         
                                                               dried oranges, glue gun,

 Gold spray cans,  glitter,

     gold and silver spray cans

I will post some finished products as soon as my computer allows me too.  Soon. . . . . I hope!!!!!

My computer is being good to me today. (Nov. 1)  here are some examples.

A Flower is Born . . . FINALLY!!!!

moment of adoration!!!!

Finally  our long awaited Strelizia has come out in full and beautiful grandure. Does it look like I'm  holding on to her for dear life?  Probably. Subconsciously I probably was afraid she would disappear.
To think that there are places in the world where these plants grow like weeds (California) and are actually pulled up and thrown away!!!!

this is the ribbon put on our door announcing the"arrival"

True Colors

Here I am, still monitoring my Streliizia ( more that a month has gone by since the first sign of a flower appeared). Now we are really close!!!!!!!

To quote a song I love, " I see her true colors shining through, true colors,  . . . just like a rainbow."

Oct. 25.

Oct. 25

Isn't she something??????????

And we still have a long way to go!!!!

Reasons Why. . . Why Print . . .Mono. . .?

 Reasons why I like to print . . . mono . . . .?
 

monotype-2000

   Many I suppose . . . mostly because it is spontaneous, unpredictable, quick to execute, . . . not a tragedy to destroy if unsuccesful but easily retouched to correct errors or add details if need be. And. . . because there are so many-many solutions. So many-many experimental approaches possible. So many surprises depending on the paper used, the viscosity of the ink, etc.etc.  and, did you know that Degas as well as Toulouse-Lautrec, Gauguin, Klee, etc. . .  and, of course, Picasso were masters of the monotype? Just to name a few and not even mentioning contemporary artists. Interesting to see their work and to follow their example.

 And. . .
 printing
is good for the moments of transition in my painting.  I'm enjoying these printing days.  I'm enjoying the feedom it gives me. And, I'll probably continue for awhile.

What's up in the courtyard greenhouse?

 As of Friday, October 4th,
my strelizia flower looked like
this. . .. . . . .. .  . . .slow but steady . . . .. .

The Birth of a Flower….

view Full Album

Here is a sequence of fotos documenting the progress of my precious flower.  As of today we are starting to see the orange color of the flower around the edges of the green spike. I spray it with water, (it likes humidity), twice  a day and look at it at least a million times.  Crazy?  Yup!!! And I've contaminated at least 5 other people in the condominium. Here in Italy, when a baby is born, the family attaches a huge bow on the door of their home, blue for a boy and pink for a girl.(obviously) What color should we put on our door for my flower?  Orange - color of the flower???  Or ???? . . . to continue. . . . .

Print #3 and the Strelizia Saga

inked plate ready for printing

 Print #3 - (plate)
 the plate was inked with etching inks
      cleaned with gauze in various areas
                 and on all four edges.

print #3

strelizia flower forming

Print # 3 -

 Note how much of the ink printed is a
 pastel.  This is because I "cut" the
 color with a transparent ink not white.







  
The Strelizia Saga . . . . .

This is today's picture of my flower to be. You can see now how it's forming at the top. Thank goodness the weather is holding out. It is still warm and sunny in Florence but the evenings are cool.

Art and Botany - Time Out from Printing

what the  flower should look like ...if. . .!!

Time out to  talk about what's happening in the studio behind the scenes.

 For weeks, . . . months now. . . something very exciting  is happening at the studio.  It has nothing to do with painting, printing or the like . . . even though it is a work of art that I'm talking about . . . it's art by  good old Mother Nature.

About 5 years ago, maybe 6, I bought a  little plant at the supermarket. The plastic pot, only 3 inches in diameter, housed a tiny "Strelizia" or  "Bird of Paradise", very exotic and one of my favorites.  There wasn't any real hope on my part that I would ever see it grow let alone flower but I bought it anyway. Everybody knows what that's like.

I'm afraid I wasn't very careful about the way I treated it at the beginning.  I slapped into an "any-old" kind of  vase not even considering that it would need good soil. It stayed in my garden for a couple of years where the temperatures during the winter are much more rigid than in Florence. When finally it started to show signs of growth, I decided to move it into the "tropical" temps of the city (the studio) where I put it in a larger pot and this time gave it fertle soil.

Low and behold,  after all these years, ( they say it takes at least 5), I think it's ready to BLOOM! Can hardly believe it!

I've been monitoring it for the past weeks, ever since it shot up a tall spike that could be a leaf  but is taking too long to open up. My hopes soar at the thought that it really is a flower. Every morning,  after I arrive at the studio,  my first stop is the courtyard to check the plant and/or flower.

Only then, after careful scrutiny and great discussion, (with husband, son and husband's secretary,  participants in this waiting) I go into the studio to work.

It's difficult to know how long the birth of this flower will take but. .  we should be close . . . (anyway, what do they say? Patience? it's a Virtue) After 5 years I can wait  a few more days?!?!?!

my plant. . . note "spike" at center