Posting No. 5 My trip to Italy '08

These are the hills of Calabria in Italys beautiful south where my mother is from. My grandmother told and retold stories of her life here, so much so that I call it home even though I have only visited a handful of times.

Perhaps one day I will return to stay. Although my mothers village is mostly abandoned now, there are rumours of rehabilitation...I am hopeful and remain optimistic that the house below, once belonging to my great grandmother, will be rebuilt. A vacation home and art school perhaps? hmmm... I will continue to ponder the possibilities!!!

As I wandered through the quiet streets of this tiny village taking photographs, the chickens followed! I thought it was odd but as the morning passed I depended on them to keep me amused.

Becoming very interesting to me, they've now appeared in my work, the most recent below. Keep a watchful eye to see if they pop up again...I am quite certain they will!!

This 200 year old roof tile was retrieved from a newly fallen home. I found the patina of age so interesting I decided to fresco a small portion. This small fresco captures the spirit of my day with the chickens. I was excited to collect and experiment more during my stay, completing 6 pieces in total. They are still "works in progress"so I will keep you posted on how they evolve. For now I hope you enjoy this "sneak peek!