Posted on Thursday, April 22nd, 2010
So anyone that knows me really well knows that I thoroughly enjoy the journey life takes me on through the observation of “signs” usually in the form of animals in our beautiful natural world.
The Mourning Dove is a favorite as they are a reminder of a rite of passage I went through as a young adult. Now 13 years later they have come back and 2 doves have “woven” a nest by my dining room window.
Look closely! Here’s Lucy!! (as I call her) patiently sitting on her clutch within the Bougainvillia. It has been a full week now, and I understand 1 more to go before the tiny eggs hatch….how exciting!!
So here it was, the final sign I needed to follow a dream I have had ever since acquiring my grandmothers hand woven linens a long time ago. “I will try and learn how to weave!”
A humble beginner’s class will be my first foray into this ancient craft. I am unsure of how I will fair so I will begin the journey as a tribute to my heritage, a continuous attempt to forge a stronger connection to my Italian roots, and I will try and just ‘trust’ where it leads. I will trust the path and enjoy the journey…wanna come for the ride??
I am transported back to a trip to Calabria in the summer of 2008 where I was astonished by the quality and abundance of hand woven linens within the drawers and cupboards of this one household consisting of 4 special women.
Carefully preserved in darkness and an abundance of moth balls I was treated by a private viewing and colorful display I will never forget!
I make a new friend, her name is Vittoria after her grandmother. She will be the proud beneficiary of these fine linens as they are part of her trousseau…how lucky is she??!!
As a special treat I was able to watch some linen being woven on an antique loom still in operation.
The linen was not only hand woven, but also, hand picked AND home spun as can be seen below!!
My biggest challenge was how to acquire a small piece for myself, in a culture where money is not of the utmost importance I eventually traded a small fresco for 2 pieces of linen…a fair trade???
The fresco painting on this antique roof tile depicts the ancestral home of my new friend, Vittoria, her mother and aunt. They are all pleased! Although the home is abandoned it is now immortalized in fresco!…Transaction complete!
As always an added bonus to travelling in these quaint Italian villages are the charming photo ‘opps’ that abound…every nook and cranny is full of delight and may make a fine fresco one day! Any takers out there?
So I will see where this journey takes me and I am already inspired and awestruck at the connections that have been made as a result.
So far I have found 4 blogs and 1 website of special interest! My nephew and his girlfriend have been blogging about their travels throughout South America and I found it poignant that they would post about weaving on their blog “Birds of a Feather”. It became even more wonderful when a link was forwarded regarding Calina’s volunteer work with “Threads of Peru” an organization that helps woman improve their quality of life through , what else? …weaving!
I found Mary Tacconi’s writing while “surfing” for references to Italian weaving. Mary is a native to California, but she lived, married and raised 2 children in Umbria. Read her “Reflections on my 40 years in Umbria” for a taste of authentic Italy. I was mesmorized by the writing and the “reflections” as they matched many of my own and they led me to the beautiful works and website of Giuditta Brozzetti a handweaving laboratory in Perugia, as well as Michelle Fabio’s “Bleeding Espresso”. Another gem of a blog…Michelle is an American writer and attorney who left Pennsylvania for her family’s ancestral village of Badolato in Calabria! Inspiring!!
I am sure you will agree, this has already been quite a journey! Could there be more to weaving then just thread? Stay posted!
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Posted on Thursday, April 15th, 2010
Because of a suggestion from a highly respected friend of ours, Frank and I have decided to try out this funny little thing called a “raw food diet” Being non strict vegetarians (fish eggs etc) for over 20 years it wasn’t too much of a stretch but I still could not beleive how delicious meals could be. Example below…I am calling it “Pasta with Pesto in the RAW”
If you love pesto and you love vegetables you are going to love this…really! If you think about it, flour /egg pasta on it’s own really doesn’t have that much flavor, it’s the sauce that you put on it that makes it. So find your favorite pesto recipe…mine is a classic basil, pine nuts, garlic, olive oil and salt. With a mandoline or simpe carrot peeler, thinly slice 1 or 2 yellow zucchini (summer squash) and 1 or 2 carrots depending on how many people you are serving…and toss everything together. Salt it to your own taste, or I guess you can add shredded parmesan?? hm mm! that’s it…done! …talk about EASY!!
Today is our first 90 degree day here in Scottsdale and what a nice lunch for a hot day. Try it, (if you like trying new things)…it’s such a great big beautiful world, isn’t it? Speaking of which, if this whole thing just turns you right off…I found the most lovely blog called “Panini Girl” that features everything Italian…especially food so check it out and Enjoy!!
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Posted on Tuesday, March 23rd, 2010
It is hard to believe we are in our last week of the 20th anniversary year of the Celebration of Fine Art here in Scottsdale Arizona! The mercury is rising in the tent but energy is high as there is so little time left until the art tents will be gone for another year. Here is a sample of some of the frescoes that are still available. Hope to see you before March 28,2010, and remember to look for me in the Northwest Salon!
“Via Roma Sotto Il Cielo Blu” fresco detachment on linen 61″x81“
As I wandered throughout the streets of my mother’s village in the south of Italy I was not alone. Although most of the houses are now abandoned I imagined life as it once was, armed with a lifetime of stores told to me by my grandmother. I envision children playing ball, old men playing cards, the smell of wood fired bread baking and women crocheting by the front door. The views of the Ionian sea fill my vision as I try to bring each story to life, silence broken only by the sounds made by the 5 chickens that followed my every step. A particularly favorite spot of mine, situated on the beginnings of a cliff, a myriad of warm and subtle hues blend into the cool blue of the sea as I again dream of the past. I was told that for most of the year the sea was gazed upon and admired from afar, as I do this moment. In august however, after the intense labor of the grain harest, the shoreline, clean and tranquil would be transformed into a backdrop for a row of huts, built like townhouses one supporting the other. Although temporary, days of frolick, midnight swims and tarantellas in the sand replaced the toil of the rest of the year. This place holds the past dear, high on a hill top it stands proud yet crippled by the wheels of progress, like so many Calabrian hill towns, waiting for it’s fate. I see beauty everywhere and pray for it’s renaissance.
“Bella Vista” fresco detachment on linen 38″x44“
Set amongst the rocky hillside of my grandmother’s village is this charming home, almost octoganal in shape overlooking the foothills that lead to the shoreline of the Ionian Sea. You can see the “calvario” in the distance that donns a metal cross on a cement monument marking a point for prayer during the processions that meandered through the streets during the feasts of the village’s patron saint. After the procession, the feast would culminate into the “piazza” for the evening where food and wine were to be enjoyed. An odd and quirky event called “u Sceccaregliu” would then take place as a traditional tarantella begins to play,and a chosen local appears dancing while wearing a large paper mache donkey costume on his shoulders. Dancing the tarantella with a donkey on your shoulders would be tricky enough, however, as the music progresses, fireworks begin to stream from the donkey in all directions until finally it’s tail begins to spin quickly and even more quickly. Sparks whirl in an amazing display of color, light and sound while the little man under the donkey continues to dance without missing a beat.
“Bella Vista”
Set amongst the rocky hillside of my grandmother’s village is this charming home, almost
octoganal in shape overlooking the foothills that lead to the shoreline of the Ionian Sea.
You can see the calvario in the distance that donns a metal cross on a cement monument
marking a point for prayer during the processions that meandered through the streets
during the feasts of the village’s patron saint. After the procession, the feast would
culminate into the piazza for the evening where food and wine were to be enjoyed.
An odd and quirky event would then take place as a traditional tarantella begins to play,
and a chosen local appears dancing while wearing a large paper mache donkey costume on
his shoulders. Dancing the tarantella with a donkey on your shoulders would be tricky
enough, however, as the music progresses, fireworks begin to stream from the donkey in
all directions until finally it’s tail begins to spin quickly and even more quickly. Sparks whirl
in an amazing display of color, light and sound while the little man under the donkey
continues to dance without missing a beat.
“Pacifica” fresco detachment on hand loomed linen 24×28
Raised in many ways by my grandmother I feel a connection to her that is strengthened with every passing moment and every thought of her. The stories she told and the memories she shared of the village she loved are threaded within my spirit. The heirlooms I cherish most are blankets woven by her hand with thread dyed by her hand, with wool purchased with the sweat of her brow. That is why on a recent trip to her village, when I was introduced to a local weaver I was anxious and excited to see her loom and watch her work. Although filled with the most exquisite textiles inside, her home was modest and rustic on the outside. There were steps that led down a garden path behind the kitchen. Beside a grape arbor where a clothesline also hung was a small shack with a dirt floor where 3 new born chicks were huddled in a corner. The rest of the room was filled by a huge loom where 3 beautiful metres of raw linen were being woven. After some negotiations I was able to acquire a few peices one of which is laid behind this fresco titled “Pacifica.” Her name means peace for the feeling she’ll give when you look at her. How many stories, how many memories, how much love is woven within the linen draped behind her? can you imagine?
“Penelope” fresco detachment on linen 48×49
In Homer’s Odyssey, Penelope, wife of Odyseuss, is known for her patience & faithfulness keeping many suitors at bay as she waited for her husbands return from a long absence fighting, and returning home from theTrojan War. Her name is associated with fidelity because of the tricks she devised to delay her suitors, one of which is to pretend to be weaving a burial cloth for her elderly father claiming that she would choose a suitor upon it’s completion. All the while Penelope cunningly unravels her work every night. She waited and remained faithful for 20 years.
“Kalypso” fresco detachment on linen 48×49
Kalypso, from Homer’s Odyssey, was a sea nympth and daughter of Atlas. She was madly in love with Odesseus. When he became shipwrecked on his way home from the war, she rescued him and kept him on her island of Ogygia. She offered him eternal youth and immortality but Odesseus continued to long for his wife and child. After 7 years Zeus finally intervened and forced Kalypso to free Odesseus and he was finally able to return home to his wife Penelope where she was patiently waiting.
“Oceanview” fresco detachment on linen 40×34
My time in Calabria is spent in many ways. The evenings are joyful, afternoons relaxing, and mornings…well, mornings can be busy. I love to take pictures in the early morning and this was no exception. We rose at 5 am to drive up the mountain 7 km from the beach where I was staying, this morning 3 of my companions (2 nephews and a neice) decided to run up as the rest of us drove. Upon our arrival up top I started capturing images everywhere…the sun still low, it cast long shadows from the east towards the sea….perfect! The view from this tiny abode was spectacular and a fresco was sure to be born….but this will come much later. For now, after about 30 minutes and about 300 photos we were all re united at the piazza of the old church, greeted by a local woman curious as to what we were all doing up so early. After a brief explanation we were soon having coffee in her kitchen before she walked us through town to watch the 3 “sisters” baking bread in their wood fired oven. Early risers are rewarded with a breakfast to remember! Fresh bread drizzled with olive oil, dried oregano and local cheese, mmmm….Does it get any better then this? I love Italy!
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