Sketch Crawl Saturday!

Today we went on a sketch crawl. It was a really nice time and I'm super glad I went. (If you didn't go you totally missed out on free pizza.) First we took a stroll through the Costume Gallery. I posted a few fun, simple drawings of some of the dresses I saw as we walked around. At the end of the gallery they had the actual clothes that Cosimo de Medici was buried in on display. Then, since it was so nice outside we all decided to go hang out in the Boboli Gardens and climb this huge wall. I also posted another fun, simple drawing I did of the Boboli Gardens. Afterwards, we went to a nearby restaurant and ate the pizza you missed out on. Then, after enjoying a really free meal, some of us went back and took a look at the Gallery of Modern Art. The sheer amount of art in the gallery was completely awesome. Overall, it was a very good day.

Workshop Complete!

Well, we wrapped up a fantastic collage and painting workshop this week with Visiting Professor Deborah Dancy. She put us through our paces as we created 5 collages and 5 small paintings, inspired by the collages, each. It was a busy day but well worth it. Here are some pictures.

Welcome to Community Dinner

We recently had a great pre-holiday Community Dinner! Our special guest was Prof. Deborah Dancy, from the University of Connecticut, who was in town to run a special one-week workshop in collage and painting. There was lots of great, great food, made by our own little hands. Enjoy these photos as we enjoyed the dinner!

Ciiaaoo!

Hello everybody! Studying in florence has been such a fantastic experience. I am constantly amazed by all of the beautiful art and architecture that I am surrounded by everyday; from the grafiti walls to the buildings dating back to the early 1400's. I have also had the opportunity to travel to Paris, Barcelona, areas in Italy and a few more pending trips. Four months is just not enough time to experience everything Italy and europe has to offer! Here are some pictures of my experience!! Enjoy!

La Città Strana e Straniera

Ciao tutto!

An enormous flock of pigeons lifting off, flying in low circles several times rather pointlessly, and then landing back down in the exact spot that they took off from. Feet on lampposts and furniture that are, quite literally, feet. Purses in the shapes of dragons and frogs, and purses presented on stands that look like bird legs and feet. A suit jacket on a half-length mannequin, its torso that of a human, its head that of an eagle or falcon. A man walking a pig on a leash down the sidewalk, and a street performer performing the illusion of levitation in the Piazza della Repubblica. This city certainly is a quirky one. But it’s this spontaneous, vivacious nature, in juxtaposition and contrast with (complementarily so) the quiet, serene beauty of its art, architecture, and natural spaces, that makes it such a fascinating place.

It may be strange, but it’s the kind of strangeness that you want to become familiar with; the kind of strangeness that you want to immerse yourself in – because from my experience there’s really nowhere else like it. It’s the kind of place that encourages exploration, both internal and external – which is wonderful, because there really is so much to explore! There’s the food, the language, the atmosphere, even just the act of seeing – the architecture, the sculpture, and nature, all immersed in sunlight that’s warm in regards to both sensation and color. Italy really is a wonderful place to make art!

Here's some of my work from this semester:

November Studio

More candid shots of our studio practice. Welcome to November!

Bella Citta!

Ciao Ragazzi! Hope all is well at UConn for those of you following this blog. Anyone knows that Florence is an amazing place to study art. It is an unbelievable experience to walk around the city and see the monuments we are studying in art history (also helps with the studying!) However now that we have less than a month and a half left I have begun thinking about what I will miss most from Florence. I spend a lot of time walking around by myself during the day and there are so many times I stop and just freeze to look at where I am. I will definitely miss the little things that make this such a beautiful city-like the river, and all of the reflections on it at night and the peacefulness of the city closing down, the coffee, the times I have been mistaken for a Florentine!, the massive amounts of dogs being walked, the baby seats on bicycles and women riding in heals, italian children singing in an elementary school nearby my apartment, the random loose cobblestones (most of them are perfectly in place), the graffiti on old buildings, and that you discover something new every single day. These pictures are just little moments that I will never forget from my time here!

Buon Apetito!

Thus far my stay in Italy has allowed me to try some of the most savory, fresh and utterly delicious foods. It has been a tasteful experience trying specialty foods and dishes that originate in various parts of Italy and you really get to see how passionate Italians are about making the best meals and desserts. In addition, the cuisine here has been my inspiration for a couple of my drawing assignments; I used a coffee wash on tracing paper for my One Hundred Faces assignment, and for our typography project, I used the slogan, Food is Fashion, which was inspired by my weekend trip to Milano.

Since you will be eating a lot when you come to Italy, I have a few tips that will save you money, and will have you fitting in like an Italian! You will quickly learn that cooking for yourself will be the best way to manage your money during the week, so go to the Central Market, and the large grocery store such as Esselunga to buy your groceries. Another thing that you might not think about, is that here, they charge you for plastic bags to carry your groceries, so I suggest you either buy a reusable bag here, or pack one with you from home.

When you get your first cold here, you must try the freshly squeezed orange juice for a burst of Vitamin C, in Italian it is known as spremuta di arancia, you won't regret it! Also, when you first come here, as I have learned, espresso in the US is simply the coffee in Italy, so rather than saying you want an espresso when you go to order, just say Vorrei un caffe, per favore. In addition, don't make the mistake that I made the first night of getting here, don't tip your waiters/waitresses because it is already included in the price. In Florence you will find a variety of delicious places to eat and explore, but don't be fooled by the large mounds of gelato that are aimed to get tourists attention, you are not a tourist, but a student, so go explore your options (you shouldn't have to pay more than 1 to 2 euros for a small gelato), you won't be disappointed! Enjoy, and eat well, the pizza's are crunchy and mouthwatering, and you will be amazed at how many different types of pastas there are too! That reminds me, pasta in Italian actually means pastry- Arrivederci!

My own inspired eggplant balls with pasta

Panino that I got in Positano, Amalfi Coast

Pizza ai frutti di Mare- Seafood pizza in Capri

Sampling of traditional Tuscan food

One Hundred Faces/Places project. Colored pencil & ink with espresso

A sketch for my Food is Fashion project

One panel from my Food is Fashion piece