Leaning

The framing of this pic is so creative! I just might have to do this with one of my own pics of the leaning tower :)

pic via Moritz Frei

Prints from the Past

A few months ago I shared this print, and today I thought I would share with you another print I did before beginning this blog. The print below is a lithograph I did while studying in Italy. The scene depicts a quaint narrow street and a group of tourists proudly led by their leader, umbrella held high...not an uncommon scene in Florence (or many places in Europe for that matter, especially April - September.) 

Hope you're having a great week!

Olive

I've had a difficult time deciding what my next print will be of...but I finally decided on it today :: olives! Their taste, silvery leaves of the trees they grow on, and beautiful purple and green color are sure to inspire me while sketching. 
Below you'll see some pictures I took when we lived in Italy a few years ago in an olive grove at Villa Adriana and in Fiesole. It's certain that I'll be drawing from these for inspiration!

pics taken by yours truly 

Fresh Ink :: Roman Holiday

I'm really happy with how the vespa print turned out! I printed it on a 8 x 10" piece of Rives paper in a nice and bright kelly green ink :: photographing it proved to be a bit of a challenge, but the pic below is darn close to how the colors look when viewed in person...however, the green is still a bit brighter and the paper a bit whiter...ah well, I'll settle for close enough. :) 

:: Don't forget to check out my Etsy shop for more prints ::

Inspirational Artists :: Ink Swirl

In his series Disastro Ecologico, Italian artist Alberto Sevaso captures these stunning images by taking high-speed photographs of ink mixing with water. I love how it looks like chiffon in water :: so ethereal and dreamy! 
You can download the full series as desktop wallpaper for free here.

pics by Alberto Seveso

**Also, just a friendly reminder :: I'm having a giveaway of 

one of my linocut prints :: click here to learn how to enter!**

1000 Smiles Per Gallon

For my next print, I'm carving a little Vespa! Tim and I lived in Italy a couple years ago, and I can still hear the sound of these little scooters zooming over the cobble stone streets below our apartment! :) 

Vespa always has cool marketing slogans...my two favorites are: 

"We have one word for gas prices. Ciao." 

&

"Just what we need around here. More beautiful Italian models."

I hope you're having an enjoyable week, it's almost the weekend! Yay!

**Plus, if you haven't entered my giveaway yet, 

you still have time...ends Monday!**

Prints from the Past

:: click pic to enlarge ::

I was digging through my portfolio the other day and thought I would share with you a print I did before beginning this blog. This print is one of the lithographs I did while I was a post-baccalaureate student at Studio Art Centers International in Florence, Italy from 2007-2008. I'm so glad I had the opportunity to experience such a completely different printmaking process than what I currently do! In the print shown above, I used gouache and litho crayon, as well as colored wire which I sewed into my print to create an interesting texture. I was pretty happy with how it turned out, although the subject was extremely different from anything I had ever done before.

I also posted some pictures below of the lithography studio at SACI.

:: view of the 200+ yr. old litho press ::

:: you can see some of the litho stones in the foreground ::

Fun Fact :: Palazzo dei Cartelloni, SACI's home, was remodeled as a residence in the 17th century for the mathematician Vincenzo Viviani, who had been a pupil of the astronomer and scientist Galileo Galilei....I miss living in a place steeped in SO much history! 

Local and International Art Happenings

Beginning this Saturday, June 3rd, the Venice Biennale is kicking off Europe's art summer!

For those of you who don't know, the Venice Biennale is one of the largest contemporary art exhibits in the world and is held every 2 years in Venice, Italy. This year, a record 89 countries will have national pavilions at the 54th Biennale, including for the first time Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Rwanda, Bangladesh, Malaysia, and Andorra.

*If you're lucky enough to be in Italy between now and November 27th, I strongly encourage you to venture to Venice and check out the Biennale - you won't be disappointed!

Here are a few pics from when I was at the Biennale in 2007, and a video of my favorite installation from the exhibit.

United States Pavilion

A portion of Take Care of Yourself by Sophie Calle, (French)  

 :: One of my favorites, learn more here ::

Pre-September 11 New York Skyline Recreated with Speakers and their Shadows by Mounir Fatmi, (Moroccan)

:: there were various sounds you would hear in a city coming from each speaker ::

My favorite piece of the exhibit, Ocean Without a Shore by Bill Viola, (American)
 :: I know it's not the shortest video, but so worth it... ::

:: also this weekend ::

Happening a bit closer to home is the Edina Art Fair

Featuring 340 artists & the 2nd largest art fair in Minnesota...it should be a good time!

Friday, June 3 :: 10 - 7

Saturday, June 4 :: 10 - 7

Sunday, June 5 :: 10 - 5