SO, I haven’t journeled in five days. Really, six… because I don’t even know what the 22nd was all about with only one paragraph…
I’m trying to remember back to what I’ve been doing over this past week and all that seems to blur through my mind is images of the town of Cortona, a hike to collect plant fibers for paper making on Sunday morning, spending countable but soon to be countless hours in the studio, being really inspired, talks with R.G. about starting my stone carvings at 8ams each morning, and traveling to Assisi and Perugia on Saturday with the group.
pictures of our fiber findings that are currently drying in the sun:
pictures of our fiber findings that are currently drying in the sun:
But it’s been studio time that’s most taken up my days that I’ve been absent from Microsoft Word.
I’ve been utilizing my time post-map book project to create gifts for those at homes – handmade books. I’ve been learning more finite details about books and Lisa realizes, I think, that I’m obsessed with this craft. I really wanted to add a minor, and I talked to Melissa Harshman and Spivey about it in Assisi, but UGA only offers book arts as classes within the Printmaking major, so I’d only have advanced book arts and letter press left to take. Unfortunately they’re prioritized to print-making majors, and are only offered once a year. I’m starting to really want to stay at UGA an extra semester, and I would do so, quite quickly, if Dad weren’t paying out of state tuition. I just feel like there are a few studios that really interest me that I want to take and have under my belt that would really strengthen my all-around-graphics skills for the “real world”. Melissa loved the feathers in my hair, and we visited the print making shop in Assisi together and she overhead my talk for one of my off-the-record book projects with Lisa… so hopefully when I e-mail her about getting into the class, she will remember my passion and let me do it! I learned how to inlay a picture, and I’ve taken a lot of peer and Tumblr inspiration of ink and watercolor integrations so I did a few small pieces of crosses and a special one for the book I made mom. I’m also trying to work on a book from a few others who I know will really cherish them.
I was at dinner last night, taking a 2 hour hiatus from the studio with Kellie (we brought our kindle/books to dinner for white wine post-pasta since our minds and bodies needed a break) and we had the best little roomie date talking about our lives at home and our families (hers is coming to visit!) and we got to talking about Italian culture (because our restaurant experience with Mario – the owner of Mario’s was so good) and how they really appreciate the slow-pace of life. It’s not that they’re lackadaisical or anything, but despite their simple culture sans-TVs and modern day amenities like washing machines, they really value the idea of a break, resting. Every town we’ve visited thus far has completely shut down from 1-5ish for siesta. Other than the tourists, the town is silent, everyone is at home and it’s a time of peace and naps. Waiters here don’t constantly try to turn their tables and rush you out. You have to pay a 1-3 euro sitting fee at most decent restaurants, because when you choose a table (particularly the ones outside) you essentially choose it for the night, and aren’t expected to leave any time soon. Kellie and I had appetizers (the best bruschetta on this side of Tuscany), a main, second and desert and sat with our bottle of wine reading for as long as we pleased, and we STILL had to ask for them to bring the check to us. It was such a peaceful night, all we kept saying was how satisfied and content we were.
When we got back to the studios after our nice evening meal, I cut my finger open really bad with a print-making tool. It’s gong to be fine, I think but it’s a deep cut and I constantly have to have it wrapped with a lot of pressure. I was making a lithography print, by carving into linoleum. I’ve decided that while I’m here, since there are so many classes I wish I could have taken and all the professors are really cool about open-door policies, that I’m going to try a bit of everything that interests me. I have very little free time, but I’m gong to use it to cross off some pretty cool things on my bucket list. My goal is to:
1. Make a print (check) – I used Rachels left-over supplies and made a few cute stamp-like pieces. I’ll post my first print on here when I can scan it in! I’m going to use this signature one that I made on each of my hand made pieces of paper and on the end-sheets of my final book.
2. Throw a ceramic vase. I took some sort of ceramics class in high-school and 3-D in college, but I don’t think I’ve ever thrown my own vase, and Tony, the ceramics teacher from California, is world-renound.
3. Make my own coin ring in jewelry. Mary Purse is pretty cool and this is going to take a LONG time but I want to do it.
4. Make a stone-carving out of MARBLE! I’ve already talked to R.G. and I’m going to make an egg, and then maybe turn it into a tulip if I have enough time. I have to make diligent sketches, promise to finish and “KISS it” (keep it simple stupid), but hopefully I can work smaller on my first one so I can use it as a large paper weight, because although big is easier, I don’t want to pay a lot to ship it home.
5. Take photos of the morning light with the photo teacher. He’s really understanding of and interested in photojournalism, combining art history with modern photography and telling a story or narrative with one photo. I think this will be a good warm-up to my photog class in the fall.
6. Keep experimenting with watercolor and ink.
7. Experiment with hand-type and calligraphy.
This means that my Sundays will be booked, that I’ll have to work extra hard to keep on top of my other school work, and that I’ll probably have to cut out a little running, but I’m determined.
Speaking of running… toward the beginning of the week (since I’m covering so many days here) I was running 45 minutes a DAY! Yeah, be proud. I would run all the way to the most beautiful panoramic place on the mountain and then go back. I love this spot so much that I used it in my first graphics piece. (I posted it earlier).
I’ve been on-goingly inspired by hand type, calligraphy and my first journal that I made with the maps of Italy on it (I’m going to post all my creations, and hopefully my peers’ works too from book arts and all the classes around) but I’m thinking of doing a calligraphy page of funny things that Mallory Davis says. I was on the phone with her and in 10 minutes she used “the straw that broke the camels back” and “he played my like a fiddle” and we got into a talk at breakfast about Richard’s old parents and the funny sayings that they say – just southern phrases and old folk slang. I love it J I’ll even use Mr. Hannah’s “dental floss and over the shoulder bolder holders”.
I’m learning that art isn’t necessarily always supposed to have intrinsically deep meaningful messages, but can be very light hearted and silly. People have used their post cards to say things like “this is where I sleep,” “this is where I wash my clothes,” etc. and I really like funny little non-over done puns that people place within really good design. It makes me want to personally get to know them because I know they’re serious about design but they’re chill enough to put some personality in it so that everyone can enjoy. (for all my inspiration check out brittayyy.tumblr.com).
Back on my list of funny things I’m picking up in Europe – I’m starting to see the uses of military time, and really enjoy that they operate on it. There’s never any mix up of when you’re supposed to be somewhere. Just a thought.
Here’s covering the day tripà
We went to Assisi first, where we toured the Church of St. Frances, which was really cool because he founded the Franciscan order and because I hiked to his monastery in Cortona last Sunday. There was a bottom level more Romanesque and dark portion with some cool relics and his tomb and an upper cathedral that was more gothic and appreciated the sunlight. It had a really long and old fresco by Duccio that marked the old to new testaments and I could read the whole story and know what it was talking about!
We explored the city on our way back to the buses and found an adorable print-making shop.
adorable soap shop that reminded me of frontier.
spivey and I (graphics professor)
lisa and I (book arts professor)
The 2nd half of the day was spent in Perugia – a collective group favorite. It has the best chocolate in Italy, really good shopping and lots of museums (that we didn’t visit..oops). We ate for really cheap in a coffee café but it was still delicious and we ended up spending our money on sweets and at the INCREDIBLE antique and flea market at the end of the main drag.
Flea market: (I'll post my other finds later!)
a very happy brittany with all of her flea market purchases :)
(other finds: coin ring, hand soddered pinky ring, 2 skeleton keys, 2 small coins from Italy and Germany to make my own coin ring!)
Saturday night, most of the program went down to the valley for a fundraiser 5 course dinner with karaoke, but Rachel, Mei Lin, Kellie and I ate at Flux Fluns and got AMERICAN FOOD. Can you say hamburger and French fries? MMMM. We ran into Meg Tooher and some ZTAs from Florence stopping through and Preston Shurley, and some boys from the Cape Town program. The odd assortment of UGA students gathered on the steps to enjoy some Cocoa’s cookies (I’ve deemed Cocoa’s the best sweets in town) and then ventured over to the Lion’s Well for a fun night.
Also on my to-do list is suggestion given to my by Lanny Webb (my favorite advisor).
1. Eat at Tucher’s and get white sangria (summery – in pitchers) enjoy the best, free h'orderves, and watch the procession of the city at dinner time.
2. Take lessons from the chocolate man – they’re 25 euros a piece, and I have to get a group of 4, but it cooking lessons on making home made Italian desserts and chocolates and gelato and I get to take home everything I make!! I’m PUMPED.
3. Go down to the valley for the Market on Thursdays – I’m going with Olivia this week!
4. Be wary of the Lion’s Well – which I am doing. After talking to Preston about taking FIVE classes when he was here 2 summers ago (not allowed now), I was extra pumped on my quest to try out different disciplines here, and not get caught up at the Lion’s Well like Webb warned.
We went to the Etruscan museum for Graphics class on Thursday and that little museum is beautifully and graphically laid out. I took so many pictures of the labeling system and signage. I’d love to do a project on a museum like that one. They did a nice clean job with a simple type and color pallet but also with a translation of 2 language and with very nice illustrations. It incorporated a love of type and nice scanned images that I was missing in my link of Murawski and Spivey last semester, but which will hopefully help me in the semester ahead.
Spivey and I just talked and for a warm-up exercise for image and layout, I get to design a CD cover! So Tuesday’s Gone, look out!!
As you can see, I’m very busy, and have lots I want to do, but hopefully I’ll get around to photographing all my art and everyone else’s that we’ve done thus far and posting it up on here so YOU can be inspired!
Xoxo
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