Celebration of Fine Art 2009

Welcome the 19th Annual Celebration of Fine Art in Scottsdale, Arizona....Be sure to look for me in my new larger space No. 254 on the sunny side of the tent! The weather has been just beautiful (except for a few cool days.) and there is a lot of new and beautiful work to see (from all 100 artists!) We hope to see you soon because we are now entering our 5th week!! TIME FLIES WHEN YOU ARE HAVING FUN!!!

Part of series "Tegole Antiche" title: " w i t h C h i c k e n s" 1650.00 (now sold)

Here are some of the peices I talked about in earlier blog posts....the tiles from Italy are now mounted and framed and have been gathering quite a lot of attention...2 have already found a new home! Will one of the remaining 3 be yours??? part of series "Mattoni Antiche" title " o n t h e r o c k s " 1250.00 (now sold)


part of series "Tegole Antiche" title: " w i t h o c e a n" 1495.00 (now sold)

Well as you can imagine it's been pretty busy lately so I haven't been able to post in a while. If possible please come in and see me instead. Hours are 10 am to 6pm daily until March 29th.
You can find us in the "little white tents" at the Loop 101 and Scottsdale Rd- exit 34.

http://www.celebrateart.com/

WHERE ART LOVERS AND ARTISTS CONNECT.
Hope to see you there!

Via Roma under a pale blue sky

After months of preparation and planning, I am happy to unveil my latest work titled "Via Roma under a pale blue sky" a fresco painted in 5 sections measuring approx. 58"X35." Although the painting stage is complete, this peice will cure in my studio for the next several weeks before I begin the transfer process onto linen.

As you can imagine, a fresco this size would be extremly heavy and difficult to move, therefore I will utilize the process called "Calicot" or "a strappo" to strip it from the wall. This process is often used in restoration, as well as in museums, to repair or transport frescoes from the Renaissance and even earlier. I will be able to post on this at a later time, for now I will explain the painting process in detail using the amazing technology of time lapse photography. Before launching the video however, allow me to provide a breif explanation of what you will be viewing.

Fresco is painting onto fresh plaster. A large fresco is painted in sections called "Giornate" or whatever the artist can complete in 1 day. You will see me plastering a section and then painting it. You will notice that it is important to work quickly and to work all over the section so that no part of it is allowed to dry.

Each section of plaster represents a days work which consists of approx. 12 hours of working time. Take notice that as I work on the final section, the sky, you will be able to view the painting drying lighter as the time passes and the plaster dries.

Enjoy the time lapse video here or follow the link at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JAnZJm_OgqQ . You will be able to choose a normal or high quality version, either way I hope it will offer a better understanding of one of the oldest forms of painting, and such an important part of art history... Fresco Painting, an ancient art revisted!

The Fresco Challenge: Edition No. 1

As I glance around my studio I realize that the more space I make for myself, the more space I take...it never seems to be enough. 20 kg buckets of lime imported from Italy, sacks of sand, powder pigments in a multitude of glass jars ready to be mixed with distilled water. Trowels, cheesecloth, rags, plastic, wet towels and spray bottles to keep the work moist as long as possible. "Why go through all of the trouble?" is a question I am often asked. My reply is always the same. As an artist I don't think you pick the medium, I think the medium picks you, and I am ecstatic to be part of a renaissance for the fresco technique...such an important part of art history and one of the oldest forms of painting!

As I prepare to begin my next large fresco I will take you through some of these challenges as they don't stop with just the materials required. Above, below and in the sidebar you will see 3 fresco studies I have completed in preparation for a much larger fresco of the same subject that I will be commencing soon. The reason I do these small studies is the time factor I mentioned in an earlier blog post. In large works I benefit greatly if I have had a chance to paint a smaller version first, always remembering that I must acheive my desired result before the plaster I am working on has a chance to dry, I guess this would be challenge #1.

( sold)

Above you can see an example of challenge #2. Upon completion of any fresco I have to consider that the painting will dry anywhere from 10-25% lighter depending on the amount of lime paste (bianco san giovanni) I have added to my palette. Take a look and notice how the whites have popped, and the shadows have lightened somewhat in this newest fresco titled "Via Giacomo Under a Pale Blue Sky."

A typical 12 hour day in the fresco studio

It is September, and now that everyone is back to school and back to work and I am back in my studio full time, without friends, family and the summer sun tugging at me to "come out and play," I thought I would walk you through a typical fresco painting day at my easel.

I am often asked "how long did it take you to paint that?" A difficult question for any artist to answer, not because the time cannot be measured, but because the creation of a piece of art often includes much more than brush and pigment.

In my case, the fresco shown here is part of an intense study of my mothers village in Italy through time spent, sketches, and photographic references. My goal is to try and capture the essence of this place in a large panoramic fresco which will include some of the village and its inhabitants (my feathered friends, the chickens,) and the awesome view of the Ionian sea.

In order to acheive this in fresco, a fairly unforgiving medium, I will do a series of smaller frescoes (approx 18"x18") These will be segments or close ups of the larger fresco which will ultimately be approx. 40"x60"

For those of you who prefer a more concrete answer to the time question, I have documented the "clock"time for you. As you can see a time sensitve fresco must be completed before the plaster that I am painting on has a chance to dry (buon fresco.) This can vary, but this particular peice, at this size, at this time of year, where I am in Canada took 12 hours (whew!)

(sold)

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!

Posting No. 4 fresco titled "Bella Vista"

This true fresco painted in 4 sections was unveiled towards the end of the 2008 Celebration of Fine Art show in Scottsdale. http://www.celebrateart.com/ . I call it "Bella Vista" because this home truly has a beautiful view of the Ionian Sea and hills of Calabria where it is situated in my mothers home town of Ferruzzano, a very special place to me!

Framed in a beautiful Italian moulding shown below with a distressed gold leaf fillet this peice measures 43 1/2"x 38"

Posting No. 3 fresco titled "La Carriola" una veduta di Ragusa Ibla, Sicilia

Thankfully I will now be able to start uploading new images and current work for those of you that have noticed that my website hasn't been updated in a while. This is the place to be from now on to see "whats new" I hope that you will feel free to post comments along the way!!

Inspired by the "Carrettini Siciliani" (sicilian carts) of my fathers home on the Island of Sicily, this is a unique work as it has evolved into a playful array of color and light. Starting out as a true fresco in 4 sections, it then underwent the transfer process onto linen called Calicot or "a strappo". Restoration work was done as well as a metamorphosis of the cart, adding color via the secco technique (pigment and a binder.)

The result is truly unique and very textural. A rare combination of fine Italian moulding in pewter, greens and golds, complement the work beautifully. 36"x45" unframed, approx. 48"x57" framed as shown above.