The first Wednesday

On mornings like this it makes me very happy that the school realizes the bohemian nature of its art students! The language students start at 9:00 and the Art class begins at 3:00...plenty of time to go listen to street performers at night and sip a little wine and roll out of bed when the spirit moves you. 

First thing this morning, it was a beautiful walk to Casa Buonarroti to walk through Michelangelo's house. The collection that has been amassed is amazing, and the paintings in the Galleria telling the story of his artistic life...commissions and his patrons...let's just say I stood there for a very long time trying to soak it all in. So much so that it was 2:00 before I realized, so I had to zip home and pick up my stuff and head to class.

Did I mention that it rained sometime in the night...well, my gesso wasn't quite dry yet, humidity and all that. So for the first hour and a bit, I held my canvas up in front of a fan and 'watched gesso dry' ... Then another half hour of sanding and I had a surface that was ready to begin on...

My sketch and a photo of the original!

First layer of background...Sonja assures me that the first couple of layers always look like this...I think I chose this painting because I love the hat!

At 7:00 it was time to head home...only a few blocks, but the buildings on the way are wonderful. This one in particular. The exterior fresco is crumbling but you can get an idea of how beautiful it once was.

Magn Cosmva - Flor-Et-Sen-DII

And the ubiquitous Medici coat of arms.

One of the chocolatier shop getting ready for Easter!

Tuesday

One of the nicest things about being here for weeks, is that I don't need to squeeze too much into any given day. This morning, went for a lovely walk in e general direction of the Casa di  Dante. A couple of coffees along the way...so more of an amble then a walk. 

It's a shame that we don't still write like this...

Off to class early as I still have two colours to mix. 

The entrance to the studio

Painting upstairs, sculpting downstairs

Only the ultramarine blue and the red left to mix, and red is left til the end...the pigment is very strong, so yesterday I practiced getting the 'feel' on white, green, yellow, earth.

It's quite a process, and not one to be rushed.

Adding just a small amount of pigment to the egg medium, first you mix with a pallet knife

Then you fine blend with the grinding glass...repeat at least 4 times until the paint will hold soft peaks

 After doing this for all colours, washing everything (surface, knives, glass) thoroughly in between...well, about 4 hours have gone by...very therapeutic! 

 Tomorrow I will actually get to start ... I've chosen the painting "Giuditta con la testa di Oloferne" - by Lukas Cranach - 1530 ca.

Monday, first day at the Instituto

But before we head off to orientation, I should perhaps provide some idea of where my apartment is. As they say, a picture is worth 10,000 words...the view down the street from my front door...

Hello Duomo! Hard to get lost, which is so appreciated.

Orientation...well, they want everyone there at 9:00, and then they take the Italian language students and have them go to a classroom...they look at the Art students and tell us to come back at 2:30. So off I go exploring. 

After a cappuccino, I just started walking the opposite direction from the river...after all, I spent all day yesterday beside the Arno and across at the Pitti Palace and the Biboli Gardens.

After a few blocks, I stumble upon the Palazzo Medici Riccardi. Home to d'Medici family for 100 years, and built to a design by Michelangelo for Cosomo il Vecchio, the top floors are now used for municipal business...but the main floor is open to the public and houses some amazing fresco walls and ceilings. 

The ballroom, windows on one side and painted mirrors on the other. 

One corner of this amazing, dizzying ceiling

Love the Paints in this scene. 

A view of the inner courtyard from the balcony off the ballroom. 

And if they really wanted to intimidate, well, into the Grand Salon, the ceiling mouldings are all golf leaf and the chandeliers are all crystals from Murano. 

Another amazing room in this palace is the Cappella di Magi which is completely fresco'd with Benozzi Gozzoli's 'The Procession of the Magi' - the colours still vibrant and fresh and rather overwhelming...absolutely no pictures allowed...sigh. 

After a little more wandering, time for class...walk all the way to the school office, and then three of us walk all the way back and then past my apartment with the office secretario to the studio part of the institute. I'll post pix tomorrow.

Sonja is my instructor and I must say, the one on one instruction is wonderful...hopefully I'll do the attention justice. I spent the first bit of time picking the painting I will be doing, then the next hour prepping my 'cartoon' and another 2 hours blending, blending, blending egg medium with tempra pigment and storing my mixed colours in little seal tight paint pots. 

One last stop at an amazing art store to pick up a board and raw canvas for tomorrow's prep (I may be actually painting by Thursday) and it's home to a lovely glass of wine before anything else.

Mi Casa

My little home away from home...very comfy and well appointed...two long floors up, but the stairs will no doubt do me a world of good!

Living area

Cucina - only 2 burners but a big fridge...room for the vino blanco. First things first ... A glass of wine (red)...

And the bedroom, up yet another flight of stairs, but the skylight, which opens to the stars, is more than worth it. Writing desk is in the other corner.

I met two gals who are taking Italian lessons for the next 3 weeks. They have the adjoining apartment...they will school me in my Italian and I will...give them a painting perhaps. The girls, Margaret and Anna are from Austria and Anna's English is very good...so slow and stop, we sort of understand each other.

Marathon Sunday

Seriously...there's a marathon today...streets are jam-packed. It was a great day to go to the other side of the river and spend hours walking thru the Giardino Boboli. 

Neptune Fountain

A look back from the top of the hill. Palazzo Pitti in the background and a view of Florence beyond.

Bacchus Fountain

La Grotto Grande, with casts of Michelangelo's Quattro Prigioni built into the walls.

Sunday morning

All settled in the lovely Borghese Palace Art Hotel.

The bar area at the entrance of the hotel.

I spent the first afternoon and evening walking about refamiliarizing my little self with the city....well the heart of it at least. A walk through Santa Croce where Michelangelo, Dante, Galileo and Machiavelli are buried.

Michelangelo's tomb

Dante Alighieri's memorial 

Then I backtracked to the Duomo, just to walk by it and marvel at the whole magnificence of the structure, and then on to the Piazza Della Signoria where I stopped at one of my favorite cafés and sat looking across the square at the David replica and enjoying my first delightful glass of vino rosso!

The same waiter who served Sheila and me the last time I sipped wine here, brought me my wine, and as always, a few little tidbits to nibble on.

All in all...and since it was a short day...it was a good start.

Blue skies and very nice April temps. A gorgeous day. I ended the day with Risotto done with zucchini and parmigiana and, of course, another vino rosso.

This morning, after a delightful breakfast with molto caffe and some fresh squeezed apple, pear and ginger juice, Tuscan breads and slices of a delicate and delish cheese....well, Sunday awaits! I'm thinking that since the sun is shining and the sky is clear, and because I can't get the keys to my apartment until 4:00, a walk across the Arno to the Boboli Gardens is in order. It will be good to walk out the hours on the plane from yesterday! Ciao for now...

On my way to Florence

Wine, cheese, fruit and nuts...a little something so I don't have to eat the airplane food!