A DAY OUT. . .

Renaissance  Florence and the Etruscan Tomb
Take a walk with me to visit one of the Etruscan Tombs that make up the history of  Florence.

This Etruscan tomb, named the Tomb of the Montagnola,   consists of an artificial mound of earth of about 70 meters in diameter. Discovered in 1959, it dates back to the mid-seventh century B.C. and is located at the outskirts of the city of Florence.

Here we are approaching  the entrance.

Look at the approach to the door of the tomb, those huge slabs of rock at the left, somehow hand cut and placed one above the other, form the entrance way.


Clay, softened and thick, was the only mortar used
to keep these stones in place.

This is what we saw beyond that small iron door at the entrance.

The structure of the Barrow or mound consists of  an external corridor, an internal vestibule with two lateral cells and a final circular chamber with a dome-shaped roof and central pillar.

This is the vestibule or main corridor. To the left and right are the two small chambers and ahead, beyond the passage in the center is the circular chamber.

Notice the ceiling and the placing of the stones that form the roof.  They are in an inverted V shape and remind us of the engineering feit achieved by Brunelleschi when he built the dome of the cathderal in Florence. The blocks of stone, at times a few meters wide, were arranged in overlapping rows up to the top of the construction ending in an acute arch.

 I couldn't help but admire the warm, golden color of the rough stones which were carved from  nearby Monte Morello.







This is the the small chamber to the left of the main corridor.

Again note the amber tones of the rocks and the huge blocks that were used.

 This is the small chamber to the right.

Here is the circular chamber with its central pillar that doesn't touch the ceiling but stops just a few inches before.





Again, look at the amazing circular placement of the stones on walls and ceiling.

There was a sense of quiet and peace within the walls of this tomb. Amazement at the simplicity of the  structure. . ..            wondering at the people who dwelled within.

Digesting my Paintings and Moving On. . .

Connections - 50 x 70 cm  oil on paper

As usual. . . It  takes time for me to digest my paintings!

This last painting, published in the previous post, was missing something that I couldn't put my fingers on.  I
kept constant watch,  looking at it in every way possible,
from a distance, upside down, in black and white as Janice taught me. . .  Until. . . .finally it struck me that it lacked COLOR, strong color.. . . .It was grey and lacked contrast.

So I went to work.  I built up the colors.  Greens and violets that were vibrant and gave it more interest. Lights and darks that reinforced the structure.

And, Voilà.  That is:  Ecco!  Here  you have the last version.

(That is for now!X&zz)

Playing . . .the Game of Painting

Connections    50x70cm        oil on paper

I have finished the last  painting that I will be presenting to my mentor, Janice Mason Steeves, in a few days.  This time, I can really say that I experienced the "fun" in painting  that Janice has always said is a must.  That loosening up that eliminates any tension, any self created fears of making "mistakes". janicemasonsteeves.art blog.

First, I layed in my lights and darks using an idea from the value studies done previously for Janice. I decided to use a limited palette of blues, yellows, greens and black. My brushes were large as were my spatulas.  I didn't want to fall into the temptation of creating small details and minute forms so LARGE painting instruments were best.

As usual, my forms are  internal anatomical shapes  but this time, once they were in position  in the overall  design, I began to have fun distroying them. At first I used a large, homemade bamboo pen that I made years ago and "drew" into the wet paint breaking up the solidity of the forms. Then, using only my spatula, I built up the negative space around my forms with thick layers of paint concentrating on lights and darks, forms and movement. Again, I wanted to lighten the forms by breaking into them so I chose to use a brayer which picked up  and deposited color  creating movement and light within the forms.  I scraped and rubbed away the color. Nothing was "sacred".  Nothing untouchable.

What I wanted to achieve was a less formulated composition, to express the strength that is an essential part of these forms without making the whole too heavy.

I was in a rush to begin working for my fourth and final session with Janice but I wanted to work on a panel, not canvas.  I  had to wait too long for the delivery of the ordered  panels so decided to work on paper.  I sized the paper with gesso, pinned it to my painting panel and began.  Maybe the use of  paper gave me the strength to mess around, to "distroy" and to go ahead again.









These are the instruments I used. Spatulas, a brayer, my bamboo pen and . . . a Ferrari red spatula sent to me by Janice and "fun" to use.








Thank you for visiting. Hope you will leave a comment.

Progressions in my Revolution

first rough draft

I have finally finished my second series of paintings done for the mentoring program I am following..

The first  "rough draft" is on the left, the finished painting is below.

I have deleted details and forms from the first draft that I felt were confusing the reading of the painting.

I find myself searching for simplicity, trying to express my ideas by using a clearer and stronger imagery.

This, all thanks to the guidance of my mentor, Janice Mason Steeves , and by applying her suggestions to make use of   design and limits in painting. 
janicemasonsteevesartwork.blogspot.com

finished painting . oil on canvas - 50 x 70cm

second draft

The second rough draft is on the left.

The finished painting is below.

My aim was to make my statement as clear as possible, to create strong forms with color and use  a variety but a balanced series of values.

 finished painting - oil on canvas - 50 x 70 cm

At first glance you probably say that the first drafts are nothing like the finished paintings. . . there is no connection.  But if you look closely, all I have done is to pare down my ideas, limit my content, and strenthen my statement. I am still occupied by the human body and it's structural forms whether they be external or internal. My anatomical forms are often coupled to architecture because the body dwells within architectural spaces and is a balanced, proportional structure in itself.

The first painting is related in color to its first draft but a few details have been eliminated, too many small forms  detracted from the conception of the whole. In my revolution I seem to be searching for larger spaces, unifying my statement by eliminating what is superfluous. Most often, when we explain an idea using too many examples, including too many references, we create confusion, not clarity. Here, the anatomical forms dominate in size and in color and suggest unity of construction through the strength of design.

The second painting was already limited by me in color and forms presented. It is clearly the spine, the central column supporting the human body but also the structural column that is the basis of architecture and construction. By reinforcing  my color and creating larger forms there is  a stronger  image whether it be anatomical or architectural. I prefer now to suggest  connections between anatomy and architecture, no longer feeling  it  necessary to include minor details.

A Revolution is in Progress

quick schetch for new work 1

 A Revolution is in Progress . . .








 There is a revolution going on in my head . . . in my work.

 At this point  I am at my third session of the mentoring program that I am following with Janice Mason Steeves, amazingly talented abstract painter and teacher.

     see link below


    http://janicemasonsteevesartwork.blogspot.it/                                                                                       
                                                                                                

quick schetch for new work 2

These schetches  were part of a preparation exercise. Quick work, playing with color and forms, working on drafts of architectural drawings, done for Janice, my mentor, in preparation for my 3rd session. They were the basis for my next paintings, 50cm x 70cm, still in the finishing  process.

Still in the finishing process. . . what I thought was finished for the third conversation was only a "brutta copia" as they say in Italy and means a "rough draft".   I am working at making amends. . .!!!

THEN. . . after discussing my work, Janice gave me a new homework assignment.  I was to do small excercises in value.
Black and white value schetches looking for the solutions in design, balance, working only with black and white. This has worked wonders for me and is coupled with the notions of limits . . .simplicity . . . balance.

my value studies

These value studies were fun to work on and became, slowly, revelations for me. The forms can be strictly geometrical or anatomical as mine are. Each square can hold  7 forms (or less). They, in turn, will be divided into various values . . . from the highest, white, to the lowest, black.

5 LITTLE CANVASES TAKE ONE STEP FORWARD

I took each of these pieces one step forward in the sense that I edited them.. .  removing forms that weren't in harmony with the whole, enforcing contrast where necessary, enriching color fields for full
color  harmony, etc. . etc. (To see changes made refer to my last post) Remember that a finished canvas is never really finished unless the artist is satisfied with the end result. . .  and now I am.

I am now working on my next assignment for my mentor which is due on the 21st of this month.  Two canvases, 50x70cm, which I prepared myself,. . . . stretched and  primed the canvas . . . and have begun to paint.
(See you soon)

BALANCE - THE BASE

Connections 5 - 30x30cm  12x12" Oil on canvas

Connections 5. This is the final canvas in my series on the human body. Here is the base of the figure, the support, the balance  where the anatomical forms are filiform. . . ligaments, bones, connective tissue rather than the soft curving shapes seen in the preceding pieces.