ORVIETO, ITALY in Umbria

PHOTOGRAPHS OF ORVIETO 
May 18, 2011 

ORVIETO, in the heart of Umbria (and neighbor to the Tuscany region of Italy,) is a most spectacular place in a quiet way. Reread my posting, "Can't Wait to Get Back to Blogging"  (Returning from Italy) of May 14th...that'll explain many of the photos. It's impossible to walk ANYWHERE and NOT want to snap a photo...

That's Orvieto...up in the sky, perched on a rock...a GINORMOUS rock

...on the street where I lived...convent entrance by the red car

A view of the convent once you enter its doors

One of several centuries-old frescoes in the convent's non-functioning, ancient kitchen

My personal angel, on 24/7 guard duty outside my bedroom window

Etruscan Cave interiors near the convent, but they're scattered throughout the town...UNDER ALL the homes and buildings

After ringing the bell, heard throughout the town, each hour on the hour for centuries, this fellow's STILL not tired. He's atop a tower adjacent to the spectacular Gothic striped Duomo (pictured above this bell ringer.)

 Believe me...the streets aren't as empty as they seem in the photos...I just waited for the split second when I could get the best shot...showing it all, with no blocked areas. It took some doing... There were some great views to be had looking down from "the rock" of Orvieto, into the valley, 700 feet below as well as at the surrounding mountains...

Nearby vineyards...

 Finally, one of my favorite things...in addition to my daily dose of chocolate orange peel gelato and thick hot chocoate... TRUFFLES...mixed into pasta, shaved on steak...it IS manna from heaven!! This is a truffle...a rare type of mushroom...TARTUFO- incredibly expensive, but worth every euro!!

 Thanks for joining me on this journey...I leave you with a sunset view out of my convent window...

Looking forward to seeing you next time!

XOX,

abbyj 

ART WORKSHOP IN ORVIETO, ITALY

 DJ Pettitt's Workshop  
May 18, 2011 

For one glorious week in Umbria...Orvieto, Italy...10 ladies from all over the United States, Canada and Mexico, worked beside artiste extraodinaire, DJ Pettitt, learning how to paint on photographs and create memory books. The class involved photography (the taking of the photos on which we painted,) painting techniques, (something new to me, having never painted,) and sewing techniques (haven't sewn anything in 35 years)  to create pages (signatures) for our books, create the actual book and bind it. Some of us just painted on our photos...other of us, like me, constructed books. I'd like to show you my effort at book creation as well as painting on photos... here are photos of the front cover (with a painted photo of one of several huge sculptures in the front of Orvieto's striped, Gothic Duomo,) the pocket inside the front cover, several pages (soon to be filled with trip photos,)  the back cover (with a painted photo of one of the disappearing frescoes created hundreds of years ago on a wall in the ancient kitchen area...no longer in use...in the convent where we all stayed) and finally, a photo of the spine of the book. I'm happy with my first effort at painting and book construction... DJ was/is an awesome, caring teacher...

Thanks for stopping by...next, I'll try to add photos of the gorgeous, welcoming hilltop town of Orvieto...if my computer BEHAVES!!!

'Ti Soon,

abbyj

CAN'T WAIT TO GET BACK TO BLOGGING...

RETURNING FROM ITALY
May 14, 2011

After a glorious week in Umbria's ORVIETO, a small Italian town situated on a rock high above sea level, I'm in transit...with internet access once again!! YAY!! I thought, before I  chatted with you about an extraordinarily beautiful part of Italy, I'd share a few pieces of art that I played with while journeying to and from ORVIETO. Two of them have to do with hands...

 (The theme was suggested a couple of weeks ago by the THEME THURSDAY challenge blog...)

THREE MUSES encouraged blog readers to create art based on Victorian Elegance...

then recently challenged readers to ALTER MONA... Just returning from Mona's home, Italy, I walked right into that one!!

Now, on to ORVIETO, Italy.  (I was here for a week-long art workshop with an artist I have long admired, D.J. Pettitt.) This seriously old town, situated between Florence and Rome, has a history dating back to before the first Olympic games in Greece, before Homer wrote The Odyssey and waaay before the birth of CONFUCIUS...back to the time of the Etruscans (prior to 200 B.C.)  There's a system of Etruscan caves riddled throughout the rock upon which Orvieto sits, but much of what's above "ground" has its roots in medieval times...the narrow streets and piazzas tell part of that story. Much of its art tells even more. Most buildings are made from the volcanic stone ("tufa" rock)  excavated from the caves, giving the town a beautiful, rich color...especially in the glow of the evening sun. It's  about the size of a university campus, making it intimate, homey and easy to navigate. It's charming, with spectacular views of surrounding farmland, wine vineyards and mountains from our perch 700 feet above the valley. The sights, sounds, smells and tastes of this little town appealed to ALL my senses (and my heart:) the church bells striking on the hour; the extraordinary striped Gothic Duomo...the finest in Italy... constructed between 1290 to 1607; the use of much-sought-after truffles in their fresh, homemade pastas; the incredible, ancient art and the serenity and beauty of San Lodovico, the convent- turned-B&B where I stayed. I even had an angel looking out for me all week...she sat outside my window...
The class...my reason for being in Orvieto, was intense with learning and purpose. Since I don't paint and haven't sewn anything for 35 years, these were two skills I was anxious to garner. I also learned how to construct a book...something else that was new to me. I painted on specially-treated photographs I'd taken in Orvieto and used two of these paintings as the front and back covers of "my memory book"...made to  hold my photographs of the small, sweet town that was my home for too short a time! The cover is painted-on photo of a sculpture found in the front of the DUOMO, the back cover is a fresco that's been worn away through the centuries, found in the convent where I stayed. (The convent building dates back to the 3rd or 4th century B.C.) 
I'd love to show you some photos of Orvieto and many of the things I've described above, but the software for this blog must be reinstalled so the pictures will load properly. That will hopefully happen soon...
For now, you'll just have to close your eyes and imagine walking along the narrow, cobbled streets, stopping at a local cafe for a thick hot chocolate or cappuccino, watching the locals go about their daily shopping to the market or into the plethora of shops, listening to the hourly church bells that echo throughout the enchanted hilltop town of Orvieto. Enjoy...


Thanks for stopping by...
Until next week,
abbyj

SPRING

SPRING AWAKENED 
May 5, 2011  

SPRING IS SOONER RECOGNIZED BY PLANTS THAN BY MEN...Chinese Proverb

After splashing through the wettest April in Central New York's recorded history, GLORIOUS SPRING has finally fallen into our laps! The birds' sweet songs awaken me in the morning, the deer are grazing on our flowering shrubbery (much to our dismay)  and the grass is emerald green and growing by leaps and bounds. The birch tree  outside our bedroom window is heavy with spring's jeweled flowers. I listen to the earth yawning as  it warms...awakening- and it's awakening quickly!  Although I'll miss the snow and cold (I KNOW...it's CRAZY,) I welcome SPRING!

Happy days, friends...

xox, abbyj

TEST

TEST ONLY 
April 26, 2011

This is a test of "the vivere," posting from my laptop. I'm sharing more of my favorite graffiti...seen mostly in big cities throughout the world. Did you know that there's a fine and jail time for creating graffiti in Tibet?

Let's see what happens with THIS test...

Hopefully,

abbyj 

ANCIENT ART

GRAFFITI

     April 26, 2011

  

Graffiti is the name for images or lettering scratched, scrawled, painted or marked in any manner on property. It has existed, in one form or another, since ancient times, with examples dating back to Ancient Greece and the Roman Empire...even earlier, the prehistoric cave paintings or scratchings.

It's an art form that I particularly love...it's the art of the people and a reflection of their culture. It helps us gain understanding into lifestyles and language of the cultures that produce it...past and modern day history In modern times, paint...particularly spray paint...and marker pens have become the most commonly used graffiti materials. Graffiti has its own vocabulary and many forms of expression. Themes haven't changed too much through the centuries: they continue to be based on human emotions, political and religious rhetoric, social ideals and simple words of thought. Artists just want the public to admire their art...and, I believe it IS art as it's highly decorative.  The canvas is larger and more public, though. Here are some examples that I love...

 

Here's the reason I'm sharing my love of graffiti with you...it's because of a project I recently discovered... graffiti based... that inspired an entire neighborhood in New Orleans. Created by artist CANDY CHANG it's an unusual type of graffiti... a mural of sorts...applied to a boarded-up building in the artist's neighborhood. The painting, "BEFORE I DIE I WANT TO..."  takes the form of a blackboard with fill-in-the-blank areas where passersby can note their desires. Chang provided small baskets of chalk for the purpose. Twenty-four hours after the installation was completed, every line was filled with the hopes, dreams and desires of contributors...some sincere, some funny and of course, some meant to offend. Once the wall was filled, it was washed down with water so the slate was clean for additional participants. April 10th was the last day for the project as the HOUSE was purchased. The positive part is that it will, once again, become a HOME.  What a brilliant way to gauge the consciousness of a community. Here are the photos from the event...enjoy,  and let me know how you'd fill in the blank...

Before I die, I want to see my grandchildren happily settled into their adult lives...and I'd like to complete my children's book!

'Til our next visit,
abbyj