My paintings | Le mie opere

It took me the whole weekend to relax after the exhibition that took place on Wednesday and Thursday.
You know how anxious I am about my works!

Everything went well, and the event was well organized and pleasant.

I didn’t listen to all the speechs about engineering problems, to tell the truth, I’d rather enjoyed a cup of coffee or a glass of wine with the friends that came to see the exhibition.

I can’t really thank enough who came to see my works, your support means a lot for me.
I met friends I haven’t seen in ages and that was great, I missed you so much.
My students from IED courses came too, thanks a lot!

I met Alessandra Amstici, the daughter of an old friend of my dad, Tullia Cubani.
They are both wonderful artists and made a special artwork for the exhibition, called “The Ogre”, taking inspiration from the terrifying monsters that live deep in the earth and creates earthquakes.
We spend a really nice time with Alessandra, and I’m so happy I had the chance to meet her.
If you want to have a look at their work, please visit their website at www.amstici-showroom.it

"The Ogre" by Alessandra Amstici e Tullia Cubani | "L'orco" di Alessandra Amstici e Tullia Cubani

Alessandro and his assistant Lucio recorded the whole event so I guess I will be able to post a little video on it soon.
I will spare you all the engineering parts, I promise!

Both evenings we enjoyed a glass of wine and some delicious finger food on the terrace, while my sister Elena and her collegue Umberto played and sang.
They have been amazing, my sister’s voice always take my breath away, and it had the same effect on all the people attending the concert!
On Thursday one of the programmers that work for Softing, Marco Francescangeli, joined them playing the sax and he was terribly good too!
Luckily, we have the record of the jam session they did.

The exhibition turned out well, with my artworks put on some special supports my friend Patrizio Alviti made for me, and the long paper roll by Alessandra and Tullia exposed on a black table.
We had a little room reserved for the exhibition.

People were asked to vote for their favourite piece of art, and the choosen artwork was prized by Softing with a donation to the “Associazione Risveglio” (”risveglio” meaning “awakening”).
The association was founded by a dear friend, Francesco Napolitano, to help people with acquired brain injuries and their families.
To have more informations about the association, please visit their website at www.associazionerisveglio.org

My painting “Japanese Landscape” came first, and I had the pleasure to donate the prize to the association.
“The Ogre” had only one vote less than my artwork, so I can say we really shared this success!

It was interesting though, that this painting had more votes that the others I exhibited.
This artwork is the one that came out more easily, and I like it a lot.
I would like to explore more of this kind of suggestions.

I titled it “Japanese Landscape” because it remembered me of the kind of atmosphere you can find in such paintings, even if I wasn’t really thinking of that while painting it.

Japanese Landscape (whole and detail) | Paesaggio giapponese (intero e dettaglio)

Alessandro took some wonderful pics of details of the artworks, and I posted them on the “Paintings” section of the site, along with the new six paintings.

About the title of this post, I have to explain I spent the whole Friday ironing clothes!
I have been so dedicated to work and art last week, Ale and I both ended with no clean or pressed clothes to wear.
So I put away my artist’s hat for a day and I’ve been perfect housewife instead, perfectly pressing our clothes and cleaning the flat a bit, while watching tv!
A really good way to refresh my mind after the tension of being a real artist for two days… And artists need not only canvases and clean brushes, but clean and pressed clothes too!

First work in progress / Primi lavori in corso

More canvases to paint / Ancora tele da dipingere

I didn’t realize ten days passed since my last entry… Ten days! How a lazy blogger I am! Shame on me!

Going back to work full-mode has been harder than I thought.

I’m working on my upcoming little exhibition, both painting and preparing the graphics for the event, trying to accomplish multiple tasks all at once.

I feel a bit like I’m living many different lives: wife, homemaker, owner of two dogs, artist, graphic designer, enterpreneur, teacher, not last daughter, sister and friend.

Those roles keep stealing time to each other and it is easy to get confused!

Should I do the laundry, or paint a bit, or go for a walk with the dogs, or call that friend I was supposed to meet, or prepare the files for the typographer… Or maybe just collapse on the sofa in front of the tv with my husband – knitting that half-finished blanket?

Hard choices. I guess all of you understand what I’m talking about.

I’ve always had many interests, but sometimes it seems just too much to handle for just one person!

(I’m gathering information about a German course. And I would like to learn how to play that guitar that lies in a corner in the living room… And what about a swimming course?)

Which tricks do you use to keep all your life together? I’m curious!

I’m reading this really interesting book about “Scanners”… A name the author created to define people with too many interests.

It is “Refuse to Choose”, by Barbara Sher (www.barbarasher.com if you are interested in finding out more) and it has some interesting insights and tips about how to do everything you love… without going crazy in the meantime.

I’m still reading it. I’ll let you know!

I post a couple of pictures I took in my studio – just to let you know I’m working on the paintings… Really!

I’m not going to post any picture of the finished paintings before the exhibition… You have to come to see them! Or to wait a bit.

The six canvases I started turned out quite different from what I planned, that is a further proof that planning is not for me.

It is much more fun to just see what happens, and let the surfaces and colours have it their way. It is like watching a movie without knowing how it will end!
I bought three more canvases – another wonderful trip to Poggi! – and I think I will start to work on them tomorrow, or maybe on Tuesday.

Tomorrow will be a busy day, again, with trips to the airport, work and teaching.

And walking the dogs! I can’t forget the poor dogs… Sara is frightened by the rain and follows us around the flat with desperation in her eyes.
Unfortunately for her, I love the rain!

I added an “Exhibitions” section to the site- where you will find infos about the exhibition of the 23rd and 24th of September – and a little banner on the right side of the page.
I’m really nervous… I’d better go to do some painting!

My Wednesday shopping / Il mio shopping di mercoledì

Yesterday I finally bought my canvases and materials to start the “Big Project”.

We went to Poggi, this amazing store in the center of Rome, that sells all the art supplies you can dream of.
And they sell online too!
Go to: http://www.poggi1825.it/ to have a look at some gorgeous stuff.

Did you see? They sell colours as powders too! Like it was for the old masters!

I lost myself wandering around the shelves, but I knew I had to stay focused on what I needed.
Given that no, unfortunately it is not me who won the Superenalotto, I actually can’t buy the whole content of the store.

I took my six squared canvases, acrylic gel medium and molding paste, acrylic preservative varnish.
I couldn’t help but buy a gorgeous journal by Fabriano, a really big one for my habits, and some Derwent pastels.
I love Derwent pastels! I could easily collect their whole supply.

Their website is just http://www.pencils.co.uk… like there are no other pencils in the world.

I have all I need now to start painting for the upcoming exhibition of the 23rd and 24st of September.
No more excuses for me!
And if I need something, the art supplies store in Albano surely has it.

I know my addiction to art products, paper goods and books (that is a form of paper too) could be misunderstood by many…
For me is like how it is for shoes and bags for most women!
But… Why choose a new bag when you can have a Fabriano journal and Derwent pastels?
Let’s say anyone has its addiction!

What’s yours?

My drawing for the new year / Il mio disegno per il nuovo anno

Yesterday it was the first day of the new year – in my personal calendar – and I was overwhelmed by the amount of projects I have to complete and incredibly angry at the whole country that stopped for one month.

I couldn’t accomplish any of my tasks, I tried to run errands but with no success.
The icing on the cake: the art store didn’t receive their canvas supplies yet!
It seems their order just vanished and they don’t know where it is.

I was so stressed, I decided to make a drawing.

I had some ideas about a serie of abstract drawings, and I decided to start right away, because I wasn’t really able to do anything else.
Here you can see the result of my efforts.

It was ages – I guess since elementray school! – I wasn’t using pastels.
Of course, that doesn’t stop me by buying a lot of them anyway.
I really enjoying the process of drawing this abstract subject with pastels.
I love touching the colored surface with my fingers to spread the color on the paper, seeing it sink in the fibers, mixing the different shades to see a new one emerging.
I added some touches with a crayon, one of my favorite Derwent crayons, and I tried a different pastel for the white lines.

I have to work more and more to master the use of pastels and to understand where this kind of drawings can lead me.
This drawing opened a lot of possibilities and it also reached its goal: I calmed down right away, focusing my thought on the color and paper, with no space left for anything else.
That is a really big result, given that I’m constantly trying to focus while my too many thoughts run around in my head like happy children.

Today I plan to go to a bigger art supllies store to buy my canvases and – uhm – more pastels!

Dad had a revelation. He loved the store! I knew that. The “Nails, screws and nuts” section was one of the favourites, along with the one showing the drills (he bought one).

We had to leave them at the store, because our duties are the owners of two dogs called us.

The store closes at 10 pm. I guess they will have dinner there at the vending machines…

I didn’t find my canvases. I suspect I didn’t buy my squared canvas there, but at the art supplies store in Albano.
That is now closed for refurbishment. What can I do now?

I have a deadline. A month from now I will show my works – or I am supposed to.
Alessandro suggested to show my old paintings. Old paintings! I want something new to show! I have ideas!
I need my canvases. I really need my squared canvases. Let me search for art supplies stores in this area…

I can’t wait to start working on these new projects.
I used to love the way ideas can sit comfortably in my mind, without the risk to be ruined by harsh reality.
Now I see my attitude changing: I can’t wait to see them take a real form.
I’m ready to face the risk to find out they are awful and not so brilliant as I imagined.
I think this is a huge step for me.

I love deadlines, that’s the truth!

Alessandro will be home tonight, so part of the “good girl” attitude could be the lack of excuses for buying more fabric (I could explain the canvases somehow, but not the fabric, I’m sure).

I’m trying to set up an online store to sell my drawings and paintings, that leads to the necessity to have something to sell.

I did some research about birds, because I like naturalistic drawings and I would like to make some drawings of birds.
Flowers and plants would be a great subject to study too, I think I will do some research on that later.
Internet is really a wonderful place to resarch!

I also have a collection of pictures of rusty surfaces, chipped paint and cracked walls, to use as inspiration for asbstract paintings.

A lot of inspiration sources – maybe too many! – I guess I need a good action plan on that.

Today I had to work too – I’m starting to dread the switching on sound of my laptop – and I walked the dogs like a million times and went to the vet twice. Paco is sick, so it is like having a sick child in constant need for love and attention.

I had to move my laptop in the kitchen, because the studio is terribly hot, and the chairs here are uncomfortable and the table is not high enough, and the laptop has a micro 12” screen – do you think that is enough to declare the office closed at 8 pm?
I think yes.

I’m going to mess with my Project Notebook and research flowers. And have a well earned glass of wine!

Here some inspiration for bird drawing.
(You can research and buy those images at www.allposters.it if you like them).

From left/Da sinistra: Ando Hiroshige, John Gould, John James Audubon, George Edwards.