Diana Trout's blog

Public Art; Chicago's Big Bean

There is something very special about public art it's truly for everyone.

Chicago's Cloud Gate, better known as The Bean made me want to dance. It was such a joy to see everyone crowded around looking at it, themselves, their friends. Strangers smile and point to each other.

It's a magical moment. 

I get a sort of spiritual feeling when this magic occurs. It makes me aware of just how powerful human creativity can be. It took a vision and engineering to create The Bean. 

Public art that is so big and engaging crosses us over from viewers to participants. We are a part of the drama or comedy that is playing out across a mirrored surface, beneath a giant shadow.

(I love The Clothespin in Philly. It always makes me smile.)

I'm feeling pretty lucky to have visited The Bean. Don't you just love our little world?

Have a fabulous weekend everyone. Take a moment to laugh. Or dance.

Photo of The Clothespin, Claes Oldenburgh, Link

Golden West

Eucalyptus. Yes.

Just lying there on the ground under its tree in San Francisco's Presidio. The husband noticed it in the dark, after dinner, Saturday night. I climbed the fence. Of course I did. 

I couldn't see the colors so it was a glorious surpise when we got back to our hotel. My goodness. 

Adventures: things both odd and funny happen as I stumble about in my usual way but jet-lagged magnifies things which is only a problem if you find it problematic. I did find Britex Fabrics. Holy Cr*p. Small precious bits of pricey fabrics:

 

Oz

Tuckahoe State Park, MD; Shadows

Take a girl out of the city, plop her down in an authentically rural area and watch culture shock take over. These past couple of days on the Eastern Shore of MD  have alternated between hilarious and enlightening. Here by me onsie with no tour guide (eg, daughter who is sharing bed but working alot); there is no filter. A good thing.

For instance, yesterday Sassafras State Park was not to be found even though I peeked under each cornfield along the way.  Maybe tomorrow?  And this is funny (in retrospect):  thought I was crop dusted - or rather my sweet red mini cooper was while I was contained within.

Daughter patiently explained that: A) crop dusting is illegal and B) they wouldn't do it this time of year, anyway. Also: C) crop dusting planes are now used for joy sky-riding by the younger generations. 

Edit: Crop dusting is not illegal, but you do need a permit and farmers may crop dust this time of year to knock down a crop that is finished so that can put in a crop that will wwill be good for the winter. Learning more each day!

Tuckahoe State Park was somewhat easier to locate today. There was a fantastic walk, a sitting with the sketchpad, a bit of gathering of wool, elderberry, and the usual suspects from this neck of the woods. 

Sorry there aren't more pictures. They are stuck in my smart(ass) phone; which, btw, could not find Sassafras yesterday.

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Shopping in NYC

Bits of Journaling

We managed to pack in plenty of activities in NYC over our long weekend. Here's a sum up of our shopping trips.

Tip: Leave guys in Bryant Park, relaxing with drinks, while you wander.

Around the Garment District

Kinokuniya (the Japanese bookstore on 6th across the street from Bryant Park). If you love the Japanese aesthetic, pop in here. It a beautiful store and they carry everything from art and architecture to anime. The craft books are lovely. The text is in Japanese, but if you are familiar with the photography in these books, you'll understand why I love them so much.  They also carry some pens, stationary and a few art supplies. I got one of these pens. Kuratake make fabulous pens. 

M&J Trims,  1008 6th Avenue. This is the most glamorous and famous of the gazillion trim shops in the Fashion District. There are oodles more trim shops though and you'll pass by them on your way to the next stop. I nabbed some hand-dyed silk ribbon.

B&J Fabrics, 525 7th Avenue (corner of 38th, upstairs). You'll see a lot of fashion students and designers in this shop. Liberty of London fabrics and everything else from fake furs to cordoroy and upholstery fabrics. They have a very comfortable sofa where you can watch the designers come and go. Not as big as Mood which could be a good thing.

After walking the Highline on Saturday, (more about that in another post) we sent the guys off to wander and set off.

The Ink Pad  37th and 7th is in the East Village. This shop is a little gem. They are stocked floor to ceiling with art and scrapbooking supplies. My shopping buddy wants to start art journaling and I recommended the Peerless Watercolor basic set and a waterbrush. After talking with her over the weekend, I have some videos to make for true beginners. 

The Strand Bookstore, 828 Broadway. 18 miles of books. This is browsers heaven. They have used, new, rare, monographs. A bibliophile's dream come true.

I wanted to get to Purl Soho but there wasn't time on this trip.  Frankly, I'm not the best shopper in the world. I could do one shop a day but for the sake of research ;) 

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.

 

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 ...

Italy Illuminated, June 20-27, Italian Doodles

A bit of inspiration on Friday ... and an update on Italy Illuminated

 

Gates and church ornamentaion in Italy. These are great inspiration for doodle drawing. I am busily updating the Italy Illuminated blog today and over the weekend. 

We have the itinerary in place. We will have day trips to Perugia (in Umbria) and Numano on the Adriatic coast. Also a hike to a monestery. 

Most exciting: the Palio (a festival and competition between all of the four gates (neighborhoods) in Fabriano happens that week. Flower paintings, church dinners, local foods. This competition has been evolving since medieval times. 

I'm really happy to be able to keep the cost of this trip down since Susan and I, with Giorgio's help are doing the planning ourselves. No middle man. 

I hope you all have a fabulous weekend. Doodle, tidy up, get paint-y. Print these pictures, trace them. Embellish them.