Myth

These are my latest pieces for my MICA class in Florence for Ken Tisa. We were challenged to make a piece about myth, although that was clearly not a stretch for me or my work in particular, I really liked the pieces that came out of it, I think it's a new good direction I'll be going in. These are some of the smaller pieces (4 in x 4 in or so), there's one slightly larger piece (25 in x 25 in or so) which is basically the same. I'm really excited about these colors.

this one doesn't really fit in with the rest:

Time/ Infinity

This was my first piece of the semester. Our assignment was to make a piece dealing with time because Ken had us read Einstein's Dreams which was really lovely and I highly recommend. Anyway, because of the structure of the book, which briefly described many many different universes with different perceptions of time, or rather with a time continuum that flowed in a way different from ours I had this idea of universes or ovals or circles or spheres and from that came the Moebius Strip which is a mathematical phenomenon. The Moebius strip has many curious properties but basically if an ant were to crawl along the length of this strip, it would return to its starting point having traversed every part of the strip without ever crossing an edge. Because of these properties the Moebius strip has been used probably since ancient times as a symbol of infinity, which is why I chose it.




The design that's drawn and cut out of the strip is this greek meander, which I drew from this postcard that I bought in Ravenna. The meander is from the mausoleum of Galla Placidia and is even more enchanting when you can see it shimmering along the whole edge of the inside arches. I really fell in love with the patterning in the mausoleum of Galla Placidia and San Vitale and on top of that the meander as the pattern that endlessly constructs itself in a ribbon of pattern without having separate elements was perfect for the Moebius Strip concept.




I finally got around to documenting it today and I rather like the photos I came out with. I wasn't ever originally planning on having one of the final products be photographs, but during my critque I was wearing this sweater and I really loved how they looked together and how everyone's first reaction in the class was to stick their head through it! So I think the final products are both the sculpture and these photographs. I have quite a few though, which is/are you favorites? I'm going to need to pick one to be the main image for portfolios and my website and such, let me know what you think!

I'm actually here to do things

So, do you remember the part where I'm actually studying abroad in Italy and not just on the longest vacation ever? yeah, I didn't remember either don't worry about it. Here's what I've been doing other than blogging, vacationing, museuming and traveling it up! Here's some odds and ends to begin with:




This is the same print, printed two different ways which is pretty nifty.




These two plates are in progress, just the first and second states or so.



I just finished editioning these two. We have to edition everything in my printmaking class, which is upsetting because none of my plates are meant to editioned, but to printed as one of a kind artist's proofs, so for me especially it's a huge waste of time and paper. boo.





two drawings I did on the side, one in preparation for an assignment in my class with MICA professor Ken Tisa who is here with us and the other from a plaster cast of a Renaissance bust which I found around the studio and have been keeping in my studio.

WHAT A JERK

So after the Borghese gallery we took a bus to Tivoli to see the Villa d'Este obvs belonging to the d'Este family. The gardens were SO AMAZING which is why most of the photos are of them and not the interior which had nicely painted walls and ceiling but was empty and nothing super spectacular. I'm going to be a jerk and not explain everything, so here's pictures of the gardens at Tivoli and sorry all these pictures are of me, but Ricardo was goofing off a lot and not in the picture taking mood.















This tile floor MARKS THE END of the photos of Tivoli. We got on the bus and went to Hadrian's Villa where all of my wildest dreams came true. There is a particular spot in Hadrian's villa that I've been wanting to go to for ever (since I was seventeen, geez, the wait of a lifetime) I'll alert you to its presence when the time comes. To explain a tad about Hadrian, he was the Roman emperor who came just after Trajan, so he had it good. He built Hadrian's wall (WITH HIS OWN BARE HANDS, that's totally not true) all the way out in Great Britain where Rome was at the height of its expansion. The people generally loved him, he didn't get a long with his wife, mostly because he was homosexual which presented a bit of a problem and he built this bitchin' villa even though he was never there. i.e Rome was mega rich at this point and this villa is a small town, and is amazingly beautiful even now when it's half dead and all the decoration is gone.

HERE IT IS:

and now it's gone.

TA DA! and if you wanted more words to go with these pictures, relax, I'm sure Ricardo will FREAK OUT that I haven't explained every tiny detail and he'll come and edit this for you!