Tiny Worlds **

I have always had a fascination for tiny things. Raindrops, dollhouses, pieces of glitter, "silt" that you could find on the playground, pocket-sized board games, teenie beanie babies(!!), rainbow sprinkles, tiny kids with their miniature features! and so on. When I was younger I used to make tiny things out of clay, felt, toothpicks...anything I could think of, really. I even wounded my hand early one morning when I was 8 making a house out of popsicle sticks. I don't know why, I just LOVE miniature things. I still do!!


Tiny photographic prints... your first peek at my black & white photos!!

One of my many ideas is to make miniature worlds... fare mondi piccoli. I want to create places where we can all go and have a smile. It began with two medium-sized paintings of tree branches, intricately sculpted, reaching, growing, breathing. . . You can't really tell from this photograph, but the branches have become 3-dimensional rather than flat. I literally build them up to the point where the paint casts shadows on itself under bright lights.


On November 5th, I went to an art store with the intention of buying a huge canvas to try my luck at working large. I came out with 17 canvases ranging in size from 4x6 cm to 6x7 cm. As soon as I saw them, I knew I had to bring them to life!! It was too perfect for words.

Not even the canvas could escape the snow!


A fairy's home, perhaps.


Vallee says this one looks just like a Colorado morning sky on the first day of snow.

These painting turned into a cohesive piece, which was exhibited in the art gallery at my school.

Did you know that we have 33 vertebrae? 7 of which connect our body to our head and through which blood is carried to the brain. . . pretty important stuff, right? ;)

The response was generally good, lots of "They're so adorable!" But the best compliment I received by far was something along the lines of . . ."I love your trees. I want to be there."

...I love trees too... ^.^

(and as always, there are more photos on my flickr!)

Thanksgiving, Italian/Filo-Style

Last night, my painting professor Lorenzo (Remember the "Filo"?) invited us all over for Thanksgiving to see his house and studio. Never before have I seen a house so unique, so full of character, so full of love. Filo & primary colors literally everywhere ~ I kept smiling at every new discovery. It was a warm experience, being in a real home again and I can quite honestly say that never before have I ever celebrated Thanksgiving with . . . PIZZA! :D


Our class standing in Lorenzo's Studio. I wish I could describe how much BLUE, YELLOW, RED there is everywhere!

Book Arts ~ "L'arte del libro"

Have I told you that I am learning how to make books? Yes. As in, fabricate a book from scratch. Each piece of paper must be cut down to the size you want, even the board to make hard covers. All you really need aside from paper & hard board is a ruler, a razor, a cutting board, a "bone" tool for folding, an awl for poking holes, glue, needles, and thread. The possibilities are endless.

I started with these little guys. Very simple. A heavy-ish paper (Canson) + computer weight paper + thread! Comes out like a little pamphlet. I made an extra one for fun. He's green and I use him for taking notes in Italian class. (Capisci l'italiano?)


This is a sketchbook I made toward the beginning of the semester. It's called an accordion book, as the paper folds back and forth...like an accordion! (There is a man who regularly plays the accordion on my street!) I've realized that accordion structures can easily become sculpture too. ^.^



...and my personal favorite so far... the *Japanese* binding! I made the hardcover case as well as the pink/yellow/blue papers myself.




(more photos on my flickr*)

Fairies, Sparks, Ideas **

I woke up this morning and made an idea box. I'm the kind of person who writes down thoughts and ideas and names on any kind of paper I can find. Usually I carry a notebook around with me, but I've found myself writing on all sorts of scraps lately...so I decided to make this little central location for all of them to meet and mix and mingle and grow. What's funny is that I usually find that all my ideas and goals somehow find a way to manifest themselves and become reality. . . I really believe in the power of the mind to MAKE THINGS HAPPEN.

For instance, there have been a few mosquitoes returning to our apartment recently, but I haven't gotten one bite yet. When I see them, I don't duck away I just acknowledge their presence and they don't touch me. Sometimes I even say "hello."

I lit 9 sparklers in my room and took photos and videos which I will one day make use of. I've had this idea for a while... it's like magic!! Sparks flying! What about in slow motion?? Or super fast? I'm letting this idea sit for now, but I think about these tiny sparks often. Perhaps that's why I'm so fond of the Asterisk key ** * * * * * *! ! *! * *! *!! *

(see larger!)

By the way, did you know that "Fairy Bread" is a popular snack in Australia? Wonderbread + Butter + Sprinkles a.k.a "100s and 1000s"-- Delicious?!


(*This fairy bread was made by Millie*)

I swim in music.

Last night after going out for some amazing pizza (apple & gorgonzola, anyone? it's my favorite) a group of us happened upon Santa Croce, a church that is close to the Arno River. There was an unseen organist playing and so we all sat down in the pews and began to listen. It honestly felt like the entire room was just filled with music, like we were floating and at the same time so grounded, like we were inside music. Like the music was water, YES! I just had this realization now, after actually experiencing it! It felt like the music... was... water. Filling a room. Music is water that you can breathe in! It was exhilarating and wonderful and everyone was silent, just sitting there and listening to the music. Imagine it & you can be there too!! ~~ We should always use our imaginations :)

By the way, here is the link to the song that I referred to in the last post. The video itself is a little strange, so I suggest just listening to the song. Although I love videos pairing music and sound, I'm not always interested in the idea of putting visuals to music... It's just beautiful on its own.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AiAwYSsQ7JE

Music should always be loud so we can feel its vibrations and at the same time as soft as a whisper. I love seemingly opposing phrases. . . They've always made sense to me.

*Hugs*

il vento (the wind)

Vorrei imparare dal vento a respirare,
I want to learn from the wind how to breathe . . .

dalla pioggia a cadere,
from the rain how to fall . . .

dalla corrente a portare le cose dove non vogliono andare
from the currents how to carry the things where they don't want to go . . .

e avere la pazienza della onde di andare e venire,
ricominciare a fluire . . .
and to have the patience of the waves that come and go,
to begin to flow again. . .

**

I found these lovely tree*spirits in Fiesole. Doesn't it look like they are dancing with each other? They ARE. :)

One-Line stories

She was like the balloon
. . . except she never got stuck.

**

I turn 20 tomorrow in this city.

I am the author of my own life. I can make my dreams come true.
La vita è bella! **
Photo: 31 marzo 2007