Parco dei Monstri, Bormarzo Italy

The Lynch family was very kind to take me to some of the nearby towns. The first we visited was Bormazo, in the province of Viterbo, in northern Lazio, Italy. The Park of the Monsters (Parco dei Mostri in Italian-language), also named Garden of Bomarzo, is a Renaissance monumental complex located in Bomarzo.

Walking through the park was like going through an ancient amusement park. The gardens were created during the 16th century. They are composed of a wooded park, located at the bottom of a valley where the castle of Orsini was erected, and populated by sculptures and small buildings divided among of the natural vegetation. During the nineteenth century and deep into the twentieth the garden became overgrown and neglected, but in the 1970s a program of restoration was implemented by the Bettini family, and today the garden, which remains private property, is a major tourist attraction. The park of Bomarzo was intended not to please, but to astonish, and like many Mannerist works of art, its symbolism is arcane : examples are a large sculpture of one of Hannibal's war elephants, which mangles a Roman legionary, or the statue of Ceres lounging on the bare ground, with a vase of verdure perched on her head.

And this was my subject matter for that afternoon.
A fun surprise was a reclining woman with a dog. I thought it looked striking similar to me and Lily.
And last but not least, I loved the smaller town of Bagnaia. You need to drive through this quaint village on the wasy to Bormarzo, and I highly recommend taking a walk through the medieval section of town. My pronunciation of these Italian words has been atrocious... so if I refer to a town called "banana", I mean this place.

Piazza San Pellegrino, Viterbo Italy

About one minute from where I was lodging, was the heart of the medieval district of Viterbo. The street are narrow, tall, and maze-like, but I loved that the inhabitants found an opportunity to plant bright flowers that radiated off the dark gray walls.

Here's a really fun link to 360˚ photo of the medieval streets.

Piazza di San Lorenzo, Viterbo Italy

One of the first days in Viterbo, I set out for the cathedral of San Lorenzo. The cathedral was, according to legend, built on the site of an Etruscan temple of Hercules and although this can not be verified, Etruscan and Roman foundations can be seen on several of the buildings which make up the Piazza di San Lorenzo where the cathedral is situated. An early medieval parish church to Saint Lawrence had formerly occupied the area before construction began on the cathedral in the late twelfth century. Even as it was constructed, the town was already spreading northwards down the hill, leaving the plaza somewhat isolated on the highest edges of town, thus restricting its attraction to the townsfolk, a disadvantage which the local bishops for years attempted to reverse by granting the cathedral special religious privileges.

The cathedral was at the height of its significance during the middle and end of the thirteenth century, when it and the attached Palazzo dei Papi di Viterbo was the home of the papal throne following its flight from Rome and prior to its resettlement in Avignon. Two popes were buried in the duomo: the first was Pope Alexander IV, whose tomb was bizarrely demolished during sixteenth century renovations, and the location of his remains are now unknown = OOPS; Pope John XXI is more clearly marked despite several relocations, with a handsome tombstone originally laid over him following his death in 1277 (when his study's ceiling in the papal palace attached to the cathedral suddenly collapsed into the room below due to structural weaknesses as he slept).

It's a lovely, more quiet location in the city, and for the last two weeks of my stay, was home to an Opera festival. You could hear bellowing baritones and soaring sopranos over the Loggia's walls. A real treat.

Mama Mia!

They do in fact... say Mama Mia in Italy. I was so excited.
I'm ending out the Journalistic Drawing program in a day or two, and could not be more amazed by such an energetic, dedicated bunch of students. I will certainly offer a link when their work is posted on the Drawing Viterbo blog, this coming fall. I am honored to have served beside Fred Lynch, recalling how great his words of wisdom were when I was his student.

So, I am eagerly awaiting the return to my studio/studiomates (and big scanner!) and hopefully be able show you some of the work I made in Italy. In the meantime... pictures of Rome! Saint Peter's is... you know what... words can't describe how amazing it is inside. These pictures don't even cut it.

Ciao!


I also found a super awesome art store down one of the crooked streets in Rome. I loved the pigments!

A Good Day

Montefiascone, overlooking the city of Viterbo at sunset. Fred Lynch took a fun photo!

Buono Baffi!

That line is about the only thing I can say without thinking in Italian. Yes, it's true, I answer questions with the line, "Nice mustache".


It's been one week since coming to Viterbo with the Montserrat College of Art, and I think I am finally understanding the streets and customs of this city. Surrounded by a medieval wall, I am living in an area where most of the ancient buildings are still being inhabited. While it is fairly hot by day, the mornings and evenings are amazingly temperate and ideal to sit by window and watch the city's inhabitants "passeggiatta", the tradition of strolling the streets before dinnertime. Typically I chose my lofty viewpoint instead of participating in this slow walk, since I am one of the only ones roaming the city during sieste (1pm to 4:30pm), therefore exhausting myself by 7pm. I've been drawing/sketching/painting everyday and cannot wait to get some of these scanned. It's wonderful to be in the constant act of creation and I am grateful to get back to observational drawing.

More later, but here's the first few pictures!


Ciao!

Anish Kapoor: Leviathan

Wooooooah. These images are amazing!



MONUMENTA 2011
Anish Kapoor at the Grand Palais in Paris
Leviathan from 11th May to 23rd June 2011

Each year MONUMENTA invites an internationally-renowned artist to turn their vision to the vast Nave of Paris’ Grand Palais and to create a new artwork especially for this space. MONUMENTA is an artistic interaction on an unparalleled scale, filling 13,500m2 and a height of 35m. For its fourth incarnation, the French Ministry for Culture and Communication has invited Anish Kapoor, one of his generation’s greatest artists, to produce a new work for the Nave’s monumental space, from 11th May to 23rd June 2011.

Thirty years after his first exhibition in Paris, MONUMENTA marks Anish Kapoor’s return to the French capital. He is considered as one of the most important sculptors of our time. His work has profoundly enlarged the scope of contemporary sculpture, as much by his mastery of monumental scale as by the colourful sensuality and apparent simplicity emanating from his works. Born in Bombay in 1954, he has lived in London since the 1970s. His work rapidly gained international recognition and has been awarded numerous prizes, including the famous Turner Prize, which he won in 1991. His career has been the subject of a number of solo exhibitions at the world’s most prestigious museums, including the Louvre, the Royal Academy, Tate Modern, etc. Recently, he has been commissioned to design the key landmark for the forthcoming Olympic Games in London: a 116-metre-high sculpture entitled « Orbit ».

The artist describes the work he is creating for MONUMENTA as follows: “A single object, a single form, a single colour.” “My ambition”, he adds, “is to create a space within a space that responds to the height and luminosity of the Nave at the Grand Palais. Visitors will be invited to walk inside the work, to immerse themselves in colour, and it will, I hope, be a contemplative and poetic experience.”

Here is a link to more photos, taken by Stefan Tuchila. I love the combination of something that feels so thin and brittle, next to something heavy and bulbous. The sense of scale must be amazing. Uuuugh so jealous to not be able to see this!

Illustration Friday: Midsummer Night

Well, this weeks topic is a great one, but unfortunately I have a frustrating experience with it; a bit fraught with miscommunication. This was a poster for a theater season of Shakespeare's "A Midsummer's Night Dream" and was eventually killed. Sometimes it's those projects you work the most hard on, that end up... well... still being not worth it. I'm still waiting for my kill fee on this! :(


But, it was a fun enough project for me to try out some digital enhancements. I also had a second version that kept more of the under-drawing's grittiness.

I felt as though the first painting (above) was a bit too over manipulated and I wanted it to have a connection to the tradtional media a bit more. So I opted for a limited palette over the drawing. But, I think once again some of the soft gradients just felt a bit too polished for me.

Here's the original under-drawing, with its range of subtle texture.


Wow, sorry to be such a Debbie Downer with such a fun IF theme! I did have fun with the architecture in the piece though!

I'll Tumble 4 Ya!

I just finished up my second Monster dummy! I was so excited to complete it, and get some feedback, just before the book's release this July. As I was composing the pages, this song keep repeating in my head... and I am glad for it to go away for a bit. Although perky... it becomes a bit too much.

You see, I don't want to ruin the surprise of the theme of the next book... but this should give you a healthy hint.

Typically at the end of illustration projects, I really spoil myself a bit. I get to CLEAN. You see, I LOVE cleaning. It's like a ritualistic purging and a moment to refocus. But, I'll save it for tomorrow morning. Menawhile... Downtown, we'll drown, doo doo doo doooo dooo!

Bleeding Heart

It's been sometime since I've done a personal piece. Always good to take those hours for oneself. Now back to the grind!

More Dragons!

This is by NO means a complaint, but I think I may be known as a "dragon illustrator". I soo welcome it! This is for a magazine, and i worked a bit more with an under drawing.

Having the drawing allowed me to be a bit more loose with my painting. It allowed me to have the line weight and depth, but still be able to move the paint on top without losing that structure. I think I am going to involve this more and more... experimenting a bit more with line styles... something fine to something more broad like a chalk or pastel stick.

When I was younger we had a pair of chinese ink landscapes that hung near our fireplace. I flipping loved looking at them, picturing myself walking along the tiny mountain path, or floating high about the river valley. I need surround myself more with these dreamy landscapes. Total brain food!

Charakarts!

I am pleased to announce studio mate (and husband) Antoine Revoy's newest project, Charakarts! I've been seeing these come alive the past few weeks, and I can guarantee more amazing karts in the future.

Charakarts™ is a character design side project by illustrator Antoine Revoy. Charakarts are an eclectic ensemble of characters driving imaginative kart-like vehicles, coexisting in a videogame-like realm. This project originated in a series of drawings created in 2002 and remained confidential till 2011, the decision now made to present the initial charakart artwork as well as new designs online.

I especially love the first sketches from 2002. He explains here, the inspiration for the project.

Secrets At Sea a BEA Top Pick!

What wonderful news! I just saw that Secrets At Sea, written by Richard Peck (and illustrated by me) was named one of the top 26 books featured at the BEA (Book Expo America). This is AWESOME news!

Here's the Kirkus review featured with the article:

Problem novels, ghost stories, historical fiction—is there anything Newbery Medalist Peck cannot do? Apparently not.

Helena Cranston, oldest surviving member of her family after the deaths of both her parents and her sisters Vicky and Alice, has her hands full: dreamy sister Beatrice and skittery sister Louise keep sneaking out at night—Helena fears inappropriate liaisons—while brother Lamont skips school for more dangerous pursuits. Worse yet, the Upper Cranstons, dissatisfied with Hudson Valley beaux, are embarking for England to catch daughter Olive a husband. Europe, as Helena knows, is across a very large body of water, and Helena, being a mouse, fears water with all her heart. Yet soon she and her family, secreted in one of the Cranstons' steamer trunks, are carried onboard ship, where they discover an aristocratic mouse society heretofore unknown, including the Mouse-in-Waiting to Princess Louise, Queen Victoria's daughter, who shows Helena that mice can in fact change history—at least on a mouse-sized scale. Peck must have had a blast writing this. Whimsical language, sure characterization, unflagging adventure, even romance—all seen through Helena's relentlessly practical beady little eyes. Think The Tale of Despereaux without the twee.

Sheer delight. (Animal fantasy. 8-12)

Pub Date: Oct. 13th, 2011
ISBN: 978-0-8037-3455-5
Page count: 203pp
Publisher: Dial

Ne'er were truer words typed

ps.) I MIGHT get in trouble for this image.

Illustration Friday: Shadows

This is an oldie, but there's something about its looser painting style I still like. Got to loosen up!

Dark Sneek Peeks

I can't say much more about this project, but I am excited to share these with you! Let's hope the higher powers that be like them too!



I can't say much more about this project, but I am excited to share these with you! Let's hope the higher powers that be like them too!

Sassy Cat

This is a class demo I did many moons ago, and have been slow to tickle in the color. But you know what... I am glad that I did not render the willies out of it. I need someone to take away my paintings, because I feel like I overwork them in most cases.

Here's... Sassy Cat!

Mama, our black cat, has the mouth of a bratty fifteen year old girl. It's impressive.

Trail Of Tears

This past winter, Montserrat College of Art hosted another illustration theme show, this year's being Wild West. I opted to go for a more somber approach, focusing on the suppression of the Native American tribes, particularly related to the Trail of Tears.

In 1838 and 1839, as part of Andrew Jackson's Indian removal policy, the Cherokee nation was forced to give up its lands east of the Mississippi River and to migrate to an area in present-day Oklahoma. The Cherokee people called this journey the "Trail of Tears," or, as a direct translation from Cherokee, "The Trail Where They Cried" ("Nunna daul Tsuny"), because of its devastating effects. The migrants faced hunger, disease, and exhaustion on the forced march. Over 4,000 out of 15,000 of the Cherokees died.

It might be gentle in color and contrast, but I kind of like the quieter approach that describes something so tragic.

Here's a detail:

Where'd She Go?

So, this spring is slowly covering me in its dust! I've had some long range projects that I've been chipping away at, but nothing to show of merit! School and my independent studies have also occupied more of my time, and I'll be sad to see some of the seniors gradumacate!

BUT! Here are a few things I can show. Some character designs for a board game, and some book cover ideas!



Some fun news about this summer: I'm headed to Italy with Montserrat's Study Abroad program. I am BEYOND stoked to be Fred Lynch's TA in his journalistic drawing class. My mind is about to explode with sketchbook ideas. Fred maintains the sketchbook blog of the student's work and you can find it here.

Now... to learn Italian. I was just getting a hold on French dagnabbit!