The privilege to live in Sicily

One of the privileges to live in Sicily is that amazing places to visit are very close to you. Like Agrigento and its "Valle dei templi" ("temples valley"), with the (oh, so beautiful!) ruins of the old greek city af Akragas.

A beautiful sight even in a dark, rainy and cold day!

(Oh, yes, this is me with my tourist guide pass)

Even the goats have something special here!

And almonds trees are blooming!

I feel so lucky to live in this beautiful region!

Mushrooms

Holidays at mum's home are going on.

A thing I'm doing these days is drawing+painting.

I decided to bring with me in my suitcase the moleskine journal where I make my experiments with watercolors, because mum has a very big amount of watercolor pencils to test.

 

I started with a whole page dedicated to mushrooms.

 

I like mushrooms. They tell me something about the woods, about nature in autumn, about my lands of origin (the very wet Po Valley in Italy) and about my dad, an expert mushroooms' picker.

 

This is the finished page sorrounded by all my tools:

 

 



Look closer:

 

 

My intentions were to be realistic, so I copied my mushrooms from some books we have here.

I tried to include different kinds and species, with different colors and shapes, for more variety.

 

Quite satisfied by the finished page. I'm very happy to notice that my skilness with watercolor pencils are growing page after page.

 

Now I want to find another subject to challenge myself with. Any suggestions?

Art supplies offered by Mother Nature

S. and I spent some afernoons at the beach this week, a couple of hours after work.

We enjoyed the sun, the fresh air coming from the sea and the rest.

But I also made some beach art, eh eh, with suppplies given by Mother Nature in person: sand and shells :)

After a (not successful) attempt with a mandala (a sort of) I decided to draw something more easy to me: a flower in a sunny landscape.

This is my hand setting the last shell of the seagull:

You can make art everywhere. 

Nature gives you all you need!

Isn't it great?

Time for...

May, time for...

... snuggles!

... new flowers to enjoy

... new fabrics bought at the outdoor market: plain jersey (white, blue/violet, aqua, dusty blue) for my clothes (only 6 € for the whole pile!), strong cotton for table-clothes which will be lovely in my kitchen!

... sewing another striped t-shirt for me, with this 3/4 sleeves this time! I've finished it today and I can't wait to show you how it came out!

... fresh fruits, typicall of this period of the year: cherries and white mulberries! So yummy!

... cutting magazines and pasting beautiful images in my moleskine journal + saving other images in my yellow envelope of future collages (I haven't made collages recently, but I'm still interested in this form of art).

HAPPY MAY!!!

November in drawings: a beautiful start

I've decided to draw more this November.

An easy way to work on this purpose when you have only little time is having your journal and a pen near the bed and drawing something in 5 minutes before sleeping. Only a doodle or two is enough to nurture the artist in you :)

 

But I also like to have more time and fill a whole page with a bigger drawing project.

The first day of this month I realized this page about beautiful things in November:

 

In the scroll on top I wrote (in italian) "November is here" and on the bottom of the page I added a tagline about "November beautiful things":
- little birds coming back (like this)
- mushrooms
- chestnuts
- some rain (not everyday, of course!)
- wind (sometime it pulls up umbrellas)
- leaves falling down and making drawings on the ground
- first snow on the top of the mountains
- the moon (so beautiful in this season!)

 

In the next page I wrote some notes about my daily life and added some sketches about Macchia the cat and November wind:

 

 

 

Only black ink on white pages now, but I hope to have the time soon to paint something! I want to use my watercolor pencils again and test some acrylic colors I received as a gift in october.

02 OTT. 2013

02 OTT. 2013... this is what my new stamp says today!

 

 

Yes, another post about tools, after yesterday post. It's to thank S. for giving me this (totally unexpected) lovely gift :)
 

I'm so happy to have it to "write" the date into my moleskine everytime I want!
I've tested it today, early in the morning, before starting to write down some interesting notes from a book I'm reading these days.
Good way to start a day! A warm and sunny october day :)

And, together with my new stamp, I want to let you look into my moleskine's page and on my desk.

The page was white, but now, after an intense writing session, it's full of black&green words:

I often glue images I like (from magazines, etc.) on the pages, because I like to decorate the space when I write, expecially when these images say something to me.
I'm gluing a lot of birds recently, because I decided that birds are symbols of my dad for me (he was an expert of these little creatures).
I'm working a bit about this symbol, now, drawing and making collages. Believe it or no, I've almost finished a bag with birds! :)

On the desk I also have an interesting book about Palermo's churches (for study) and a pink flower my little niece gave to me as a gift (it is my new book mark).

What is on your desk today?
Have you some new tools you want to share with me?

I don't know its name, but it's funny (edited)

While I was still in Northern Italy, the first days of September, one day I decided to spend some time tidying up some drawers in my old bedroom.

 

And I found a lovely thing I received as a gift when I was a child.

 

It's a thing "to make art".

I don't know its name, I only know it's super funny. Similar objects were almost everywhere during my childhood (I remember I had a smaller version, too).

 

Does its photo say something to you?

 

 

You put your pen into one of its "holes" and start moving. This instrument help your hand to move till you have finished a whole round.

You can decide to remove the instrument to see the result or (more funny!) decide to go on, without moving it from its position on the page, and re-start with other shapes to mix them together.

 

The result is a sort of mandala, an hypnotising work of art you can't get tired of.

Yes, making these circles is addictive (the reason why I've decided to leave it where I've found it, because I don't need other time-consuming things here at home, eh eh).

 

But I brought all the circles with me, of course. And I cut them to glue my favourite into my moleskine.

 

 

I think they can have several funny applications... for example they can decorate cards, or became part of gift wraps, or be hanged up the Xmas tree like balls.

 

Do you know this funny tool?

Can you help me in giving it a proper name?

Thank you in advance!!!

EDIT: My Etsy Italia Team mates say its name is "spirograph". Mystery solved!
I'm a proud owner af a vintage spirograph, eh eh :)

A carved owl from the past

 



Oh, that owl!

It has been sitting near the fireplace in my parent's livingroom for years and so it became almost invisible, neglected like a common part of the furniture.

But, hey, look at it!

It's special! I made it!

I carved that big-eyes owl when I was 15 (or 16) years old.

20 years ago, oh my gosh!!!

I took a class to learn how to carve wood. I was so thrilled! I worked on my masterpiece for days. I can remember everything about the process and how much I liked it.

I've also left my signature on the left of the work (I'm not sure you can see it by the photo).

 

Everytime I visit my parents I find this little treasures that remember me how creative I've been in the past, in my childhood and adolescence.

Do you remeber the little drawing I found last january?
 

Guess why I've totally abandoned my creative way after the age of 16/17.

Luckily I've put my feet in the right path as an adult. Now I try to listen to my creative voice everyday and, I'm sure you understand, I'm a happier woman :)

A curious note: I'm noticing that birds are a very common subject in my works. There are a lot of little birds in my works of the past, but also in what I make  now that I'm an adult (sewing softies, drawing, carving stamps, modeling clay)
Uhm, I need to investigate what this "symbol" means for me.

Stars and snow in July

Vacations  close to mum = cornstarch clay! :D

She makes for me the clay everytime I ask for it. I shape hexagons and stars in blue, red, white and green, because I decided it's not too early for working around Christmas decorations.

 

 

Then,when dried, I have fun fun fun painting on them with a tiny brush.

And voilà... stars and snowflakes come to life... in July, eh eh.

 

 

 

I worked a lot these days, can you see it?

 

 

Say 'Yes' to art - my third collage

I had some time for collage and drawing today, after cleaning the home, cooking and organizing things for my last day of work at school!

I glued a background (wood) in a corner of a page in my moleskine journal and  then I started to add things.
When finished, I wasn't 100% happy about the result, so I decided to draw something on it!
Oh, so scary!
I used to think that drawing on a collage is a bad thing, a misdeed, a way to ruin your masterpiece.
Well, I was wrong, drawing on a collage is the best part of the process!!! :)
I had so much fun adding little details and words. And, while I was working with my black pen, the title of this collage came to my mind peremptorily: "Say yes to art"!
Like that funny elegant man does. Say 'Yes'! Like I did starting a new collage at the end of a session of "domestic obligations".
Say 'yes' to art... hope you will do it today! :)

Beautiful sight

My new camera is an amazing toy!

It offers a lot of options and possibilities that my old one hasn't and I even couldn't imagine before experimenting with it.

Although I haven't found how to use the self-timer already (!!!) I had fun fun fun making more complicated things like panoramic photos like this one of Taormina's ancient theatre.

Almost 360° photos °___°

So exciting!

 

We visited Taormina, a famous town in Sicily, when mum&dad were here.

We enjoyed this beautiful sight of ancient ruins, Mount Etna emetting smoke and deep blue sea in a very sunny sunday.

Sometimes I feel very lucky to live here in Sicily :)

I published more photos of Taormina (+ Castelmola village) in my flickr album...

old churches, details noticed on the main street, sculptures and other things that make me happy :)

 

A princess and her sumptuous skirt

Another post about drawing, this week!

Yes, drawing is really in my mind recently :)

I like making this kind of art, but also watching other people making it, expecially little people, like my niece C.

 

She is 5 years old now, a super feminine little girl, who likes elegant dresses, brides, high heels shoes, lipstick and nail polish... uhm, she is NOT like me!

When I was 5 years old I used to play soccer with my cousins and explore the grass around the house looking for little animals, eh eh.

But we a precious thing in common: we both like to draw and paint.

When C. is with me, she smiles and says: "Aunty, can we draw?".

She usually asks (ehm, orders!) me to draw ("Draw a bride with high heels, bows, long hair, a bag, earrings....") and she paints with crayons.

 

But last sunday she surprized me. A lot.

She said: "I'm drawing a princess to paint together!".

Oh, yes, of course, lovely girl!

 

The whole process has been amazing!

And this is what we made together:

 

 

A princess with blond hair, a crown, high heels shoes and... a giant skirt, so sumptuous, so decorated!!! *___*

Super funny!

I have no notions about how to interpretate children's drawings, and the thing is not important to me now. I've only enjoyed (oh, so much) the process and the final work of art.

 

This is C. starting her drawing:

 

 

I love those little hands bravely holding the pencil.

I love the way she draws hair (so sweet) and her attention for details.

 

I'm a proud aunt!

I hope we will have this moments also in the future and I hope I will be able to teach her all the creative things I know, like my AuntFran made (and is still making) with me.

Let images inspire your drawing

I'm experimenting something new in my moleskine journal in these days.

It's something about the "drawing homeworks" I often do when I have some free time (Tv time, expecially) and my brain says me: "Draw! Draw!" but I have no ideas of what I want to give birth with my pens.

 

This is what I do: I glue an image I like and then I start drawing, letting image inspire me how to add all around it.

It's super funny.

Nothing so innovative or surprising; I know that something similar is part of common methods of art lessons. But it's a new thing to me and I want to share it with you for its simplicity.

 

When you glue an image on the page you haven't a precise idea of what your brain is going to create and watching the process is so funny and interesting! It probably says something about who you are!

And it's also amazing the mix of printed images with a professional look and the various media you can use in the drawing.

In my pages I really like the contrast between super coloured photos on shiny paper and my black and white drawing with a childish look.

It's a strange mix, but it works :)

 

This is what I realized some evenings ago, in bed:

 

 

All started with a lovely photos of well-arranged flowers I cut from a magazine. 

The title is "Garden in april".

I filled the empty space around the flowers with my usual subjects: nature, flowers, little animals I like, weather conditions... this is me! :)

There were endless possibilities to complete the scene with (an altar in a church, a windows, a grave...), but my brain suggested to speak about gardening.

 

Have you ever tried this method before?

Feel free to write me in the comments about your experience and share your works of art with me!

Postage stamps: a light in the dark

Some days ago S. came back home from the office with an envelope of postage stamps for me, like he did last december.

I haven't found amazing works of art on them, this time. Most of them are a bit boring and traditional, nothing really new.

But a stamp captured my attention. This one from Austria:

 

 

Since I like ancient buildings (like churches), rural landscapes and special light effects ... it was love at first sight! :)

But there is also a different reason why this postage stamp fascinates me: its drawing shows a warm and spreading light in the dark, a thing I tried to draw in one of my faux postage stamps last January (but I explored the light of a candle).

 

 

The same theme, realized in two different ways in two postage stamps (one real, one faux). Isn't it funny?

 

Another stamp I like in this bunch is dedicated to International Women's day.

Spotted photo theme: found hearts

It's time for the second episode of "Spotted photo theme"! Love it!

 

 

Hanna decided that the february theme is "Found hearts" and here you can find her collection of photographed hearts.

 

I'm not a fan of haerts as a symbol, but, surfing into my folders, I  noticed I have taken some pictures of hearts here and there.

 

My favourite is this one:

 

 

This is the keyhole of an old door of a church. The door has been made probably in the 18th century and so this heart-shaped keyhole.

I took this photo around 4 years ago, when I was working as historician of art for an amazing project of cataloguing.

 

Another photo I really love is this one:

 

 

It's a heart accidentaly "shaped" by a thread on my pincushion in 2010. Sometimes nonliving things can be very creative :)

 

I found an heart on a cake, last september. We were celebrating my "parents-in-law" 60th (!!!) wedding anniversary and our niece ML made and decorated this lovely cake and added a tiny heart:

 

 

 

And here we have some hearts AuntFran crocheted for me this winter (I'm using them for my bunnies now!):

 

 

And a sweet memory: the cake S. bought last year for Valentine's Day:

 

 



A thank you message for Roberta written into a heart (+ me):

 

 

I'm not sure to be really into the theme with some of these photos.

I mean... some of these hearts aren't "found", but "handmade". 

But I think they can be included in the game the same!

Hanna, if you're reading, let me know if I'm wrong or not!

 

Here the first episode (critters)!

Why is embroidering so awesome?

"Why is embroidery so awesome?"

 

 

This is a question I read in &Stitches (issue 3) and the super talented Jenny Hart of SublimeStitiching answered:

"I love that it’s inexpensive, non-toxic, relaxing, is accessible to anyone and endless variations can be accomplished with it. It’s thousands of years old, yet continues to undergo ever-evolving, contemporary applications. It’s an incredibly fascinating, deep and varied medium".

 

I agree. 100%!

But I want to add something to her answer.

To me, embroidery is awesome, because it's a way to draw (and you probably know that drawing is my first creative love).

Stitch+stitch+stitch ... you make a drawing! But not a simple a bi-dimensional drawing, but a "materical" one.
A special drawing you can touch and enjoy in a different way than normal drawing made with paper and pencils.
This is why I like to embroider without a pre-made pattern traced on the fabric.
I like to improvise and draw with needle+floss like I would do with paper+pencils.
To make the owl, I started with a vintage pattern and then I added other details going totally free.

Embroidery is awesome because of its modernity, too!
Yes, modernity, who knew it? Before starting I used to think that embroidery is an old-style thing. And the first thing I made is a "classic" embroidered tablecloth.
I couldn't see other possibilities.
But in these months I learned the lesson. Embroidery can be modern and a la mode. With needles, floss and fabrics you can do everything! No rules, no "obliged style".
I think my idea to continue the fabric's pattern with embroidery is a modern application of embroidery:

But I saw lots of super modern ideas on flickr or other websites; I'm going to share some of them one day.

Recently I bought some embroidery floss in new (to me) colors (first photo). Black, two shades of grey, violet, blue (I picked up this one probably inspired by Pam's Dutch Canal Houses).
Not sure what I want to make.
Probably a new pencil case, because a girl in Japan bought the first one.
And other things for sure, becasue the modern-embroidery-bug infected me :)

And you?
What is on your embroidery hoop?

Fell free to answer the question "Why is embroidery so awesome?".
I want to read what you think! :)

Zarina, the empress of russian dolls

 

This week, after a long long intercontinental travel in the cold winter, Zarina arrived in her new home (my home) and now she's enjoying some rest in her new warm and safe place.

She sits on a soft handmade (by AuntFran) doily, close to her new friends, two tiny snails :) 

And she smiles gently.

 

Zarina (Czarina in english) is her name, because she is a russian doll, the most beautiful russian doll I've ever seen, she is the empress of russian dolls (zarina is the word we use in Italy to call the russian empress).

 

A lovely woman made her for me, using her talent to give life to a dried gourd: she shared how to make these dolls here and here.

You've probably understood (even without following the link) that this talented and kind woman is my friend Pam! :)

 

Isn't Zarina an amazing gift?

Let's look a little closer to see all the details:

 

 

I really like the sweet expression of her face, the red dress and its yellow and violet dots, the emerald necklace.

Pam said she painted poinsettias on her dress because it is the traditional mexican flower for Christmas. Well, Pam, it is the same here in Italy, too!

Poinsettias are regularly given as a Christmas give (I received one, too, this year).

 

I love this gift! :)

I'm so grateful for having her in my bedroom. She inspires me to use my creativity every day and reminds me I have special friends like Pam!

 

 

Thank you, Pam!!!

Doing my drawing homeworks: hedgehogs and paisley motif

Sometimes S. and I watch tv shows or movies after dinner. If I'm not too tired and have some energies to spend in something creative, I open my moleskine journal and start to draw.

I watch tv through rapid glances and by listening the sound, eh eh.

You probably know that women can do two (and more) things at the same time.

 

Recently, instead of drawing usual things (for me: pastage stamps, flowers, imaginary landascapes, birds and snails), I started to work around themes I like.

Subjects that fascinate me but I have difficults with. A bit challenging but relaxing. It seems like I'm doing drawing homeworks :)

"Draw a house ten times", the teacher in me says. And I do it!

 

Last week I spent almost an hour drawing hedgehogs:

 

 

These little creatures are so lovely!

They are very common in Europe; when I was a child dad captured one in our garden (and he gave it freedom after showing us).

I titled this drawing "Il prato dei porcospini" (hedgehogs' lawn).

 

Yesterday, while watching "Letters to Juliet", I challenged myself with paisley motif:

 

I have a fatal attraction for paisley. Don't ask me why.
My idea is to draw by myself an embroidery pattern to use on new accessories, but I'm not satisfied by my drawings.

I numbered them and my favourite are number 4 and 6, but I'm not sure if they have the right look to be embroidered. They have probably too much details and haven't the indian/oriental look that it is supposed to be "a must" in this kind of motivs.
Uhm, what do you think?
Suggestions are welcome.

In the photo you can see my favourite drawing pen at the moment.
Green+black, a recent love! :)