Diana Trout's blog

The Famous Florence Pig

My blood sugar has returned to normal after mass gelato consumption in June so let's visit some of the glories of Florence. You can't swing a pizza without hitting a gelato stand. Giorgio told us to look for the word "artisinal" on the stand. Another sign of good gelato is metal tubs - not plastic. Don't get gelato from plastic tubs.

Gelato

The Italians enjoy disguising candy as fruit. I was willing to pretend. 

Coma Candy

It is another artform if you can resist temptation and just look.

Definitely Not Fruit

But (there is always a "but" in a story like this), I did more than rub the snout of the wild boar statue in the Straw Market in Florence. I really got in touch with my inner Pig (ahem, boar).

Wild Boar (Pig)

A note on the markets in Italy. They are full of touristy souvenirs. Not good junk. The fruit and vegetable markets are beautiful. I had a peach that was so perfect it brought back childhood memories. And no coma. 

Uffizi in Florence

Susan and I sure did get our money's worth out of our Uffizi gallery ticket. Big Tip: Call in advance to reserve your tickets to both the Uffizi and the Academia. I was particularly interested in Gentile da Fabriano's Adoration. Good Gawd, the red! The faces, the figures, the pattern, the color, the composition. Really transfixed.

Sitting in art history classes looking at crummy slides and tiny reproductions did nothing to prepare me for this visual feast. Fra Lippi was astonishing. I could have spent hours looking at the different facial expressions: best angels EVER!

Have I mentioned that we were pretty footsore and hot by the time we arrived in Firenze? Yes? *wink*. 

We were able to grab a bench seat right in front of Primavera. The gallery was crammed so SCORE! Susan pulled out her Badger Creme foot ointment and we sat there staring at this magical piece of art while massaging the ointment into our feet. 

Ooo ... feet-sy :) but I don't think that is what they had in mind when they named it.

 

Naming Colors

Inktense Pencils

I am working with a limited palette on this new series. Just a few colors based on the muted, earthy colors in Italy: sun, field, sea, poppies. 

It seems like enough. Playing with mixing some watercolors. Wet in wet: the poppy/black and sun/field on the top right is making me drool a little. The poppy/field rectangle: yeah. That is good.

Watercolor Palette

A sketch ...

Sketch, RowHomes, Diana Trout

Bookbinding, Tacket & Longstitch

Tacket binding is an historic book form used in Europe in the Middle Ages (and most likely earlier). This is one of those bindings that is simple enough for beginners and just waiting for you to experiment with it.  These are the Dos-i-Dos that we made in Italy. Most of us used our own handmade paper to fill this small, ripe book.

The Longstitch is another one of those bindings that everyone does differently. The creativity in bookbinding is endless: a "problem" presents itself and the binder solves it. Or an opportunity to embellish a spine is taken advantage of. Here is Susan Cohen's woven longstitch.

Buying or making all of our papers in Fabriano was very neat: so many to choose from and very different from what is available to us here in the States or Canada. We had a lot of fun mixing patterns and textures. 

These stitches are so endless. I plan on building a couple of online classes for the fall. They are too good to keep to myself!

The Duomo, Florence

We arrived in Florence on a very sultry June 27. Taking the train from Fabriano to Florence is a breeze: one change in Foligno. Train travel in Italy is generally a good way to go. Check-in at the hotel (no English at Katti House) and then we hit the streets. 

At the bottom of our street, we made a left and suddenly - there it is. The Duomo. Just right there at the end of our street. Susan told me she didn't know whether to take a picture of the Duomo or me at my first sighting of the Duomo. I mean, dang, I knew it was THERE in Firenze. But holy cr*p. there it is. 

Diana, Gobsmacked at the Duomo

I will never, ever take travel lightly. I've dreamed of it my entire life. The wonders out there are beyond my fertile imagination. The Duomo blew my mind.

And then, it was still there at sunset and I took another picture. The next day, after an odyssey through the Uffizi, the Duomo provided shade as I sat in a cafe journaling, drinking an iced espresso and pinching myself.

 

About Kokeshi

Last night ... 

Smelling the Flowers, Diana Trout, sold

The painting from the other day, Green Purple, is one of the paintings in the Citizens series. These are the inhabitants from the larger NorthEast Kingdom series, which is on-going. 

Green Purple, Diana Trout

I was looking at traditional dress and patterns from different parts of the world for this series. Maybe more about the textiles and how I think my Citizens would dress if there were no restrictions. I was greatly influenced by the Kokeshi dolls of Japan for some of these paintings.

This series is mostly Sold, except for Green Purple. 100 bucks. They are pretty small. 5x7? 4x6? I am feeling too lazy at the moment to go and look at it. Yes, I am a terrible salesperson. Green Purple has some gold leaf in the background. 

I just got back from the first ArtEscape program at Abington Free Library. I've been doing these programs for I-don't-know-how-many years. It is a children's art-literature program. 30 kids, 6-10. They are simply amazing. A tonic, really. 

Today ... I will paint, draw, drink tea,  and continue on with mulling. Many new house shapes to consider. It occured to me while I was in Fabriano that vessels (containers) are larger than I originally thought. Sorry to be cryptic. Things are floating in my mind. 

Fabriano: Morning Walk

Waking to four sets of church bells ringing and birds (tweet-a, tweet-a ... the birds sing in Italian), cappucino, and up the hill.

Past this guy on the left. 

The air is filled with the sweet smell of the flowering trilia - a tree. There is something magical about textiles, no matter how simple, hung out windows.

Around the church

and then past the cafe that is open during the siesta time

Stop for a big bottle of water and a chat with Sylvia. Her husband called me "la americana" so he became "me italiano."

And then a left towards Museo della Carta

and there it is just ahead. Through the heavy oak doors and into the shop. That is Susan checking out the papers and books.

Through the courtyard, up the stairs and to the library. Where we worked.

Happy 4th of July, Americans, and happy July 4 to everyone else. We will be celebrating quietly with my newly-engaged daughter and future son-in-law. Yippity! 

Making Paper in Italy

Arrividerci, Italy. Yo! Philly! I am home. Eyes, sketchbook, heart, mind and clothes so much fuller. 

And so ... I will share with you and hope that you'll enjoy this virtual tour.

We begin with our papermaking adventure at the Museo della Carta e della Filigrana. And yes, the watermark was invented in Fabriano.

Georgio Pelligrini was our host while we were in Fabriano. He is director of the Museo and also of Tourism in the LeMarche region. Very handy fellow! 

The equipment we used has been around for Ages: Medieval, that is. Here is Cynthia with her mold and deckle scooping up a frame full of pulp. Master Papermaker, Roberto was our instructor. The molds that we used are handmade with handstitched watermarks. You can see some of the screens on the walls behind us. 

Here is Roberto showing us the beginning motions of tilting the screen after scooping the pulp. This is a very revered and honored craft. We all took this seriously and Roberto was quite exacting and patient.

Maggie Brew, owner of the elegant B&B Fonte Fresca was our tour guide and translator. She is moving the screen both to remove the water and knit the pulp fibers together. More about Maggie and Fonte Fresca in a few days. 

Here is a very quick video of Denise with the final motions that will take the paper from pulp to couching. After we had made stacks of paper, Roberto and I carried the stack to be pressed and then we all peeled the pressed paper from the couching felts to be dried. 

Holy Pulp, Batman! 

Traveling Artist, Italy

Oh joy: counting down the days till I hop on that plane, Fabriano bound. I haven't been so excited for ages. I feel like a kid,  can't sleep and am eating soft foods and Milanos (cookies) and V-8 and pineapple juice.

My preparation for my students is finished: all reservations and fine details attended to. Maps and bookbinding directions designed and printed. Travel tips up to the minute.

It is time to consider what I will bring for my art making. Since I designed the list of materials for my students, this shouldn't be too difficult. 

What is in my sketch kit?

Watercolor Moleskine
Black pens, microns, sizes ,5 to .03
A handful of inktense pencils
Caren d'ache both the wax crayons and regular
Water brushes, Pencils, 3 derwent sketch (water soluble) and a 3B 
Kneaded eraser
Pencil sharpener

 

We'll be doing some stamp carving: tools and blocks. tools.
There are plans for 4 books: binding tools and materials.
I'd like to experiment with Golden Open in making monoprints so will bring that set to share
Ingredients for Fabric paper
There is more, I think

Luckily, we can get all paper, many supplies and leather for book covers in Fabriano. 

For the plane ride:  my sewing kit and a project to work on, my sketch kit and my book. Susan told me she is making a "journal scarf" ala Rice Zachary Freeman. I jumped right on that bandwagon! Perfect to be able to wear your stitching project. 

I have a few expressions I'd like to carve out. Capisco Niente (I understand nothing) and a new one from one of my dear readers: Niente senza gioia (nothing without joy).

A word about the paintings at the top of this post. Do you  know about yupo paper? It is plastic paper with a slick surface. Some watercolorists swear by it. I purchased a pad of it for our group to experiment with and had a go with it last night. More on that when I return.

In the meantime, Arrividerci, mia caras. 

I will blog from Italy to share the love! Expect some Tuesday.

Oh DARN! I wish you could all come with me! We could populate a village. Hey! We could move into an Italian village and just make art for a month! 

Dreams ...

Bookbinding, Tacket & Longstitch

And thank you for all of your lovely comments and helpful tips! Congratulations to Penny A for winning the Postcard from Italy.

Tacket Binding, Longstitch, Diana Trout

Preparing for Italy has been taking up most of my brain space lately. In researching what sort of bindings we should do while there, Tacket and Longstitch seemed the best bet. Straight forward and full of potential for experimentation. Both stitches were used in medieval Europe and that feels right. 

Tacket Binding

In particular, the tacket binding intrigues me. It's decorative and functional. The tacket dos i do is from the  late, brilliant Shereen Laplantz. I see so many possibilities for this binding.

Perhaps a small binding class over the summer? Yes? What do you think?