Diana Trout's blog

WIP with Helen Frankenthaler

Painted & Stitched

Spending some time looking at Helen Frankenthaler in preparation for a MamaCITA show in March reminded me of why I got into this crazy art business in the first place: color. Fields and streams of color. 

Sketching, pouring paint, printing and then stitching. With only an idea in mind. Sunny doorways in a lane in Italy. Of course, the hours I spent looking, sketching and painting all led to this. 

and a mountain and sunset and wee houses in the foreground. I'm not sure where all of this is going but since sitting and stitching is reliably the only thing I can do right now (ortho pillow on my back, ankle elevated) I'm feeling rather grateful that I love to stitch and very grateful for Helen. 

And a note ... Helen Frankenthaler was discussed in my art history classes with a bit of disdain because she pour her color onto raw canvas. Not very ARCHIVAL! How come it was OK for Jackson Pollack? It all seemed so perfect to me at the time and now with the idea of treating raw canvas as a textile or using muslin or vintage linen, it is even more delicious. 

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. 

Patchwork Mountains

Last week was a blur between the jet lag, July 4 and not the least, my daughter and her new fiance coming home to catch up and celebrate. I began sorting through pictures and make color studies and sketches. 

Susan Cohen was taking so many pictures while we were in Italy, I decided to leave much of the photography to her, here on Flickr. These pictures were taken by Susan at Fonte Fresco where we spent a most delightful time.

Using both my sketches, memory and imagination, a bit of patchwork has cropped up on my Italy Journal scarf. 

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! 

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 ...