Personal Symbols WIP

But I’ve been quietly stitching here in the studio. It’s always a good way for me to contemplate other things while I keep my creativity going. It’s been a very good thing for me this past week. It’s not done yet. I need to add more beads, but I needed to take a break from it.

I have a busy week planned. I spent a good part of today running errands. Tomorrow I have several appointments and then Dave is playing poker with friends, so it will be a nice quiet evening here at Casa Saperstein. Then on Wednesday, I’m speaking about the Baha at the Fountain Hills Hearing Loss Association (HLA). I hope to get some time in for drawing in-between appointments. It’s been a while since I’ve spent time alone with my sketchbook, but that’s OK, too! I’m hopeful that Thursday and Friday will be quieter and that I can focus on art for the majority of both days. Next week is my treatment (already!), so I think that some art time prior to that is just what I need!

L’Shana Tova to all my friends who celebrate Jewish New Year.

Venice Doorway - Calle dei Ormesini, Venice

That’s what has been going on here in the ArtsyFran studio! Lots of painting. I completed two more paintings of Italy for my husband’s office. I plan to start another one today, in-between varnishing the completed ones.

Line drawing of door in Venice

To the left there is a painting of a door in Venice. We sat in what would have been the outside “cafe” portion of a restaurant while it was closed on a Sunday and drew. I drew the picture that you’ve already seen (right) and then decided I needed to take it to the next step and paint it in acrylic.

From there, I went and looked at more pictures from our trip and I found the one on the left, also from Venice. I was very taken by all the windows in Italy. There were flower boxes outside of almost every window we saw. It’s clear that people love having areas where they can plant fresh herbs and flowers. Since I don’t garden, living in the desert as I do, I was amazed at how these little spots of life were thriving on this island of buildings. From the photo, I’ve spent the past week painting my version of these windows.

Venice Window - Second floor windows of a building in Venice, italy

Now to look at the photos of Florence to see what will be my next subject. I loved Florence, so it’s time to focus on that beautiful city.

Monday is my treatment – already! But I hope to get quite a bit of painting in for the next few days.

Venice Window - Second floor windows of

More to share soon, I hope!

Car and truck in front of us in our traffic jam on the Autostrade from Florence to Milan

Before we get to Milan itself, we have to talk about the drive from Florence. It was supposed to be three hours. But we got into a traffic jam. on the Autostrade on the way there. It took an hour for us to get through it. While we sat there, I did what I always do when we have time. I drew! I don’t often try to draw cars and trucks, since they’re so complicated and I have trouble getting the parts to fit together on paper, but I was really with this one!  I was, however, much happier when we started moving and heading to Milan.

First two levels of the Duomo, Milan, Italy

We got lost on our drive into Milan, but we finally found our hotel. We stayed at a very trendy hotel, Hotel Straf. The first thing we noticed was the crowd of people outside the hotel – on cusions and ottomans that were on the sidewalk and in the street that was closed off to traffic. I was concerned.

We were tired, we wanted a cozy hotel room where we could sleep and relax. We found this hotel as we find most of our hotels, through the Frommer’s guides. It was listed as a “find”. Well, it was, um, different. Very dark and sparse – in the lobby, the doors, the walls, the furniture were all black. If I hadn’t seen someone go in to the elevator, I would not have known it was there!

Corner of the Breakfast Room, Hotel Straf, Milan, Italy

When we got to our floor, there were no doorknobs. There were instructions on the key envelope describing how to open the doors. Not homey at all! We were tired and hungry. Luckily, there was room service, which we called as soon as our luggage arrived.

This was the art in our room at the Hotel Straf

The room’s decor was quite sparse, too. Concrete floors and walls, black furniture (if you want to call a slab of wood furniture), and a large painting in black and off-white.

The next morning, we went for breakfast downstairs in the hotel. There was, well, some interesting techno music playing very loudly. The room was sparse – incredibly sparse.

Milan's Duomo with its Gothic feel

The techno music was jarring. It was an interesting way to start off the morning, even if it’s not our choice of how to do so. We shall never forget Hotel Straf for its trendiness and sparse industrial feel.

Center door to Milan's Duomo

We walked around Milan, exploring. Near our hotel was the Duomo, another amazing structure. I, of course, had to draw it and did! We were across the Piazza Duomo at a cafe when I drew this. It was interesting to draw it from so far away, with so much detail I inevitably missed. But I got a feel for it. As we got closer, though, I realized just how much artistry went into this structure – sculptures, frescoes, niches… Every time I looked at it up close, I noticed something else I hadn’t before.

Piazza Del Duomo, Milan, Italy

There was, however, quite a bit of incongruity in this part of Milan. There, next to the Duomo was a huge screen. On the screen, advertisements flashed. It seemed so out of place and I didn’t quite know how to talk about it. So, instead, I took the photo to the left.

Modern Sculpture next to Duomo, Milan, Italy

And you may see below it and to the left in the corner there is a red statue. It is outside of one of the museums, there was a large red modern sculpture that interested me. As we got closer, I saw that it was not just a red sculpture; it was also interactive with very dark music and dark text all over it. As we got closer, I noticed that there were steps leading into the sculpture so you could walk through it. We didn’t spend a lot of time there, but its incongruity next to the Duomo was intriguing.

Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II Historic Centre

We walked around the shopping area near the Duomo and just did some window shopping. There was nothing we couldn’t live without, with the exception of a new artist’s journal from the Fabriano Boutique. Otherwise, we just enjoyed our one full day in the city by walking around. We had a flight the next morning out of Malpensa and needed to go back to the room to pack. We decided to grab dinner at a little restaurant a few blocks from the Duomo, where the menu looked good. The restaurant was the Royal Cafe, and the food was excellent! A great way to spend our last evening.

Street View from the Royal Cafe, Milan

You can see some photos of our trip that I’ve not highlighed in the past few posts by going to my flickr set. Thanks for joining us on our trip!

View from our hotel room in Piazza della Signoria

Goodness! It appears to be taking me longer to tell you about my trip than it did to actually take it!

So here we go!

Onward to Firenze (Florence)! The drive to Florence was uneventful, which we like. The drive was beautiful. We stayed at a lovely Bed and Breakfast, Residenza d’Epoca in the Piazza della Signoria. Each room has its own decor and flavor based on an artist. We stayed in the Leonardo room, overlooking the Piazza. What a fabulous view! (see right) Just behind those statues is the Uffizi.

Carousel at Piazza Della Republica Firenze, Italy

We walked around Florence, to the markets and ended up in the Piazza della Republica for our daily gelato and espresso. We went to Gilis - a cafe that has been in Florence since 1733 – and we lucked out. They also had sorbet, which meant I could enjoy some cool refreshment, too! While we sat there, among all the grey Parisian-style buildings, was a colorful carousel. It just begged to be drawn! So I drew it and the building behind it. With more time to sit, I decided I needed to draw some more, and so I drew a window from across the Piazza from the cafe. The architecture is so staid and yet there is so much life in the streets – street vendors, people talking on cell phones and rushing to meetings, and tourists taking photos and looking at menus.

Window at the Piazza della Republica, Firenze, Italy

Ponte Vecchio, Firenze, Italy

We, of course, walked over the Ponte Vecchio, which was right near our hotel. What a crazy place! People everywhere! We looked at a lot of the fabulous jewelry there, but didn’t buy anything.

We decided that there was so much to see that we needed to get some tours in. We took the most amazing tours with Artviva.

We highly recommend them.

Lamp Post in Firenze, Piazza della Republica

We took two tours with them, The David Tour and the Original Florence Walk. Seeing Michelangelo’s David in person is a breathtaking experience. I can’t even begin to explain how amazing the sculpture is in person. And our tour guide for this tour is, himself, a marble sculptor, so we had his fabulous perspective. We learned all about the history of the statue, of Michelangeo’s life and how he came to create the David.

Duomo tower in Florence

The next morning, our last in Florence, we took the three-hour Original Florence Walk. I was concerned, since it was toward the end of our trip and it was a lot of walking, but it was so fascinating that I absolutely enjoyed every minute of it. Our tour guide had a great social history perspective and clearly had studied art history, as well. The tour was incredibly interesting and exhausting! Afterwards, we went to lunch.

Reflection of the Palazzo Vecchio in a window across the Piazza della Signoria

I did a lot of drawing and we really enjoyed our time in Florence. After lunch, we headed out on our trip to Milan. More on that tomorrow!

Grand Canal, Venice, Italy

Venice, known as the City of Love. Also known as the reason we went to Italy in the first place: Dave was invited to speak at a European neurology conference. We were forewarned that the canals were less than pleasant; however, they dreged the canals a few years ago and we noticed no major smell. That was a huge relief!

On to the fun part!

Just one of the many ornate windows at the Basilica San Marco

The conference put us up at the Hotel Carlton Grand Canal. It’s across the canal from the train station.

Boats docked across the Grand Canal in Venice, italy

It was a great location and there was a lovely bistro right near our hotel that had good food at very reasonable prices. The drawing to the left was done while we were sitting at that bistro. So many small boats were tethered to the posts in the canal. It really is amazing to see a city that has absolutely no form of transportation other than boats and walking. It really has such a different feel to it. The streets are made for walking (even if the walking is uneven on the stone and brick paths), the bridges are wide and the steps on those bridges are not steep. It’s really not the type of place you want to visit with a wheelchair, though. Especially if you don’t plan to ride boats everywhere. But there were a few bridges that had ramps in addition to the steps.

Gondola Station, Venice, Italy

We did lots of walking. I was really glad I had my quad cane with me. Between that and Dave’s arm, I was able to get around pretty well.

The food in Venice was good everywhere. There was nothing we didn’t enjoy. I ate a lot of seafood while we were there, fresh caught from the Adriatic. The food was easy to eat, even with my allergies. There was something on every menu that I could eat. What a relief!

Door of a building near the Jewish Ghetto across the canal from where we sat.

We wandered through many of the streets of Venice, window shopping and choosing the right pieces of Murano glass to take home. The streets of Venice are small and the buildings are cramped together. Then, all of a sudden you walk into this area that could fit several football fields in it and it’s the Piazza San Marco. Amazing. The sculptures, frescoes, and architecture… The money and time that went into this is incredible.

Next, follow us on our trip to our next destination, Firenze!

Menaggio, Italy

We had a fantastic vacation in Italy. We got back last week, and I’ve been slowly coming out of the jet lag and I just had a treatment on Monday. Now, however, I’m feeling much stronger and I’m ready to tell you all about my trip and to share photos and drawings. There’s so much to share that I’ll be sharing in several segments over the next week or so.

Menaggio, Italy - View from Grand Hotel Menaggio

We arrived in Milan at 6pm local time. Knowing how tired we’d be, we stayed overnight at an airport hotel. It’s a good thing we did. We were completely exhausted an hour later and almost fell asleep at dinner!

Wall along the lake at Grand Hotel Menaggio

The next morning, we had breakfast and left for Lake Como. It was about a two-hour drive, and after we got out of Milan, it was a pretty drive. I started taking photos from the car once we got to the Lake Como region. If there’s a traffic light or we slow down at all, I’ve got my camera out. It makes Dave laugh, but at least he doesn’t have to stop every five minutes for me to capture the photos!

Via Della Rose, Menaggio, Italy

We got to our hotel near lunchtime. We stayed at the Grand Hotel Menaggio, which was lovely. The rooms were so pretty and we had a lovely hotel staff that was so very accommodating – just what you want in a hotel staff, right? Each day, Dave and I would take a walk to the Piazza at Mennaggio. We passed the building I drew on the Via Della Rose every day, so I just had to draw it! Menaggio is a small town that has a lovely square thatn is edged by with gelato stands and cafès. While Dave had his daily gelato, I had my expresso and drew. There was always something to draw!

Clock in the Piazza Menaggio

The Piazza’s clock was so interesting to me. I actually didn’t even notice it for the first day! But once I did, I was enchanted and I knew I needed to draw it along with the person sitting on the bench behind it.

Our second day in the Lake Como region, we decided to take a drive down to Tremezzo. Villa Carlotta is there. It’s a late 17th Century villa built with gardens, fountains and sculptures.

Villa Carlotta Botanical Gardens - Cactus

Villa Carlotta Botanical Gardens - Bell Tower and Dome

Inside the villa are priceless paintings and sculptures. Outside is a fabulous botanical garden. We were surprised to see a cactus garden as part of the gardens. The juxtaposition of the cactus with the heavily wooded areas was quite surprising. I didn’t ever think that cactus would grow that far north unless it was kept inside. Shows what I know about horticulture! But we had such lovely weather and so we sat on a bench that overlooked the lake from the top level of the villa. From there, I just had to find something to draw. There was a cool domed building just below us and I drew that (right). I think it was the ticket office and gift shop of the Villa and Gardens.

Bellagio's small streets - large enough for a car and for shoppers to squeeze against the walls to allow the cars to pass

Our last day in the Como region, we decided we really wanted to see Bellagio. It’s one of the main tourist attractions in the region and we had heard so many cool things about it. It would have been a two-hour drive on windy roads that would have gotten me sick. So, we made the decision to brave the ferry. Now, for those of you who read my blog regularly, you know that I get seasick on land with no provocation, so going on the boat was a huge leap of faith. We figured, though, that we’d be in Bellagio and take the first ferry back, if necessary. No such back-up plan was necessary. I was fine on the trip from Menaggio to Bellagio. No problem at all! And so worth the risk!

Verrano, Italy from the Ferry

We had a fabulous day in Bellagio. We walked up and down the very steep streets and did some window shopping. I took a ton of photos, and then we went to lunch. We found a nice little restaurant on the lake and enjoyed people-watching while we ate. After lunch we went back up the hill to see what we had missed.
We returned on the ferry to Menaggio for our final evening. Unfortunately, I did get vertigo from the trip back to Menaggio, but a short nap helped me get past that. I was even up to drawing. We sat out on our balcony and I drew the wall surrounding the balcony. It’s one of my favorite drawings from Menaggio. I was fine for dinner and the next morning’s adventures.

More on our trip tomorrow! In the meantime, you can see more of my photos from this portion of the trip here; my drawings from this portion here.

Necklace by Amanda Davie sent as a giveaway

I confess: I read a lot of blogs. I enjoy meeting people and getting to know them through their daily lives, their artsy endeavors and blogs. Sometimes, of course, bloggers offer fabulous give-aways. Amanda Davie’s blog is one I read regularly.

About a month ago, Amanda posted a giveaway – a lovely necklace she made. Amanda describes it “Lots of wire wrapping, Swarovski Crystals, antique chandelier crystals, freshwater pearls, quartz, semi-precious stones, and a handmade bird cage pendant.” I was in love with it and I immediately commented as such. Well, earlier this week, I received an email from Amanda lettingme know that I had WON this gorgeous necklace. Yesterday it arrived in the mail in a lovely handmade art-quilted pouch. It’s even more gorgeous in person and tomorrow, I have a family brunch where I will wear this beautiful piece of art proudly.

Sneak Peek at Crazy Quilt - hand-stitching

Thanks Amanda!

In other news, I’m getting stronger each day, and the past two days, I’ve even been out to run some errands and I’ve not needed major naps soon thereafter – significant progress, let me tell you!

While at home, I’ve been working on hand stitching a crazy quilt. I’ve never done one before, but I had all these brightly colored scraps and fat quarters and I was inspired to just start putting the quilt top together just before my surgery.

Sneak Peek 2 at crazy quilt in pogress

I had thought I would stitch it during my convalescence. It took longer than I thought for me to be comfortable enough to sit up and stitch, but I’ve been working on it daily for the past week. I have always found stitching relaxing.

Monday is my treatment again. I suspect it will hit me pretty hard, as I’m just starting to get back into my regular routine. But it’s all good. We’re counting down two weeks until our vacation in Italy, so I’m more than happy to relax next week and get my strength up for the trip.

Now I’m off to learn Italian phrases and to stitch some more!

]]> http://www.artsyfran.com/2009/04/18/a-beautiful-gift-and-a-quick-update/feed/ 6 http://www.artsyfran.com/2009/04/10/finally-some-art/ http://www.artsyfran.com/2009/04/10/finally-some-art/#comments Fri, 10 Apr 2009 17:59:27 +0000 Fran http://www.artsyfran.com/?p=758

Tree Trunks - Pen and ink in journal - Fabriano CP 140# paper approx 5" x 7"

I just realized that with all my health stuff, I haven’t posted any art in quite a while. Well, there’s a reason – I haven’t done much. BUT, my wrist is out of the splint, I’m no longer in pain from the post-surgical stuff, and I’m starting to come out of the fog, despite a setback of vertigo.

But that’s neither here nor there.

I have a trip to prepare for! Because of our upcoming trip to Italy, I have felt a great need to get back to drawing. It’s the only art I will bring with me and it really helps me to get more out of my trip. So, I’ve been working on making a few journals and some drawings. To the right is one of my latest drawings. I went back for my post-surgical appointment and drew this while waiting for the doctor.

I learned an important lesson while sitting in the doctor’s office and drawing: When I’m at home, the tv lulls me into a bit of oblivion. Oh, I read. And I do some crochet. I’m listening to My Daily Phrase Italian Podcasts…  but usually, the tv is on. I find I can’t really when I’m watching tv. The drawing takes all of my focus. It takes complete concentration to just sit and draw what I actually see. It’s like meditation for me. I’m so glad I have my drawing back.

Have an awesome holiday weekend, everyone!

The good news is that I’m healing well and I’m doing very little other than reading, watching tv, and sleeping. That’s pretty much all I can do for at least the next week until I see the doctor.

I’ve not left the house since returning from the hospital. And I’m completely OK with that. I tire easily and I have an Italy trip to rest up for!

More updates some time next week. Again, thanks for all your support!

First, an update on the wrist. I’m weaning off of the wrist splint and doing some strengthening exercises. As I type this, I have no splint on. It makes typing MUCH easier! I am able to write better, draw again, and create. Cutting fabric is much easier without a splint in the middle of your hand!

Painted journal cover for Victoria

I did some sewing to keep myself sane during this whole thing. Nothing major. Just some fooling around with the machine. When we were in Boston in January, I spent some time with my friend’s daughter, Victoria. I showed Victoria, a budding young artist, my sketchbook. She was excited to learn about how I used it and so I offered to get one together for her. One of the projects I worked on was a journal cover for Victoria. I decided that since she’s still only 7, it might be nice for her to have a cover that can be used over again and the journal itself can be replaced. I found a 5″ x 7″ 140# Cold Press watercolor journal, and I made  a cover for it out of fabric that I had painted. With the wrist problems, it took a long time and I finally completed the journal cover yesterday! I’m happy with the results and will put it in the mail tomorrow. I hope Victoria likes it!

In the midst of the wrist issue, I had some other health issues. I’ve talked before about my chronic illness on this blog, but rarely about things that are not related to that. Well, these issues are not related to my chronic illness, but to just being a woman in my 40s. Women’s stuff. Basically, I am having a hysterectomy on March 18th. This is a decision I am completely comfortable with. For over a year, we have tried to manage my symptoms with medications and this is no longer working. It is time for a more permanent solution. Adding to this decision is that I am also part of a family that has a history of ovarian cancer, so while the surgeon is in there, I’m going to have her remove my ovaries. Better safe than sorry. The surgery is scheduled to be laparoscopic, assuming all looks good when the doctor gets in there. We’re hopeful that it will be an easy surgery.

Six weeks after the surgery, I expect to be “released” from my restrictions. A few days later, we are actually heading out to Europe. Dave has been asked to speak in Venice, Italy at a conference. Last year, wen we were in France for another conference, we talked about our wishes to go to Italy this year. Well, life is pretty amazing. and it’s like the Universe heard our wish and it was granted! We are going for two weeks, and, because it is so soon after my surgery, we’re planning a relaxing trip. We’re just going to focus on Norther Italy – Lake Como area, Venice, Florence, and Milan. We do expect to go back at some point in the next few years, so we’re saving Rome and Tuscany for that time. I know myself well enough to know that I would push myself in Rome. Florence will already be pushing it, since it is toward the end of our trip, but I won’t miss seeing the David statue and the Duomo.

So, since my surgery is a week away, I’ve been preparing for the trip. Dave and I spent time booking hotels, renting a car, scheduling flights, ordering my allergy translation card, updating our passports… All the things you need to do before a trip. Our itinerary is set, but leaves us some room for day trips and such. Now, I just need to learn some Italian phrases so I can get around, order food, and ask for a bathroom!

So there you have it, my update. I hope to have some drawings or other art to share with you soon.