Bikes (July 6)

Even though our apartment is only steps away from FAA's central office and studios, the rest of the school's facilities are spread throughout the city. My AM still life painting class and Kes's figure drawing class are held at the Via Ugo Foscolo location across the Arno river. It's about a 30-40 minute walk from our place on Casine, but add bags full of class supplies combined with the notorious Florentine heat, and it quickly becomes exhausting. We vowed to rent bikes for the month.

75 euros later, Kes and I were riding back on our new, clanky, and extremely unwieldily cruiser bikes. Manuvering through the narrow, crowded, cobbled streets of Florence is anything but a ride in the park, and "Scuzi!" quickly became my most spoken/shouted Italian word.

To get acclimated with our new mode of transportation, went for a ride along the Arno that evening. I haven't ridden a bike for years and forgot how quick they actually are. Before we knew it, we were well out of the heart of Florence and in the suburbs. It was a nice change to be out of the crowded streets. Trees began to line the Arno and the small patio restaurants along the river began to light up and fill with people. It was a beautiful, balmy evening.

One our way back, Kes noticed a small festival happening on a side street and we decided to visit. There were a lot of kids running around with their families, so I guessed that it was a fair put on by a local school. We ate gelato and wandered about until the mosquitos chased us back onto our bikes.

A Trip to Zecchi's and the Best Pasta Ever

After the first day of class, I headed over to Zecchi's with some friends to pick up materials for class. I had brought most of my paints, brushes, and even some linen from home, but I still needed to purchase some items that I couldn't bring with me on a plane (turpentine, lead paints, etc.). Zecchi is a small store located less than a block from the Duomo. It is divided into three aisles, and is packed ceiling to floor with boxes of paints and jars full of ground pigment.

I was pleasantly surprised to find that a small tube of Old Holland cobalt blue here is 35 euro- half the price of what its U.S. equivalent would have cost.

My instructors have all recommended a brand of charcoal called "Nitram". It's a wonderful natural charcoal that comes in a light rectangular stick and isn't sold in any of the stores at home. I will definitely be doing some stocking up before I leave.

My most expensive purchase that day was a balanced hand-held wooden palette for 50 euro. I've never used a hand held palette before, but apparently it's a staple at the Academy. Back in California, I've always painted off a glass palette with a sheet of toned paper underneath. It's easy to clean and you can paint off a tabouret. While a traditional painter's palette seems to be a near-universal symbol of an artist, I've always thought it was a bit archaic and impractical. Despite my doubts, I gave the palette to try. Thanks to a slight built in counterbalance that takes the strain off your arm, it's surprisingly comfortable to hold. It's also roomy and contours to fit against your body. I think I can get used to it.

After spending a fortune at the store, Kes, Francine, and I wandered the streets in search of a good restaurant. We sat on the patio and I ordered tagliatelle (a wide, flat pasta) with mushrooms. The description sounded simple: "homemade tagliatelle pasta with olive oil and mushrooms" but it was seriously the BEST pasta dish I've ever had.

We sat for awhile and enjoyed the rare flush of light rain that cooled the usually warm evening air.

Kes and Irin decide to go out... (July 5)

After class was over for the day, Kes and I decided to take ourselves out and explore Florence after dark. Most of the bars at the center of town are pretty touristy, but we didn't feel like walking very far so we picked one closer to our apartment. Our first choice "Loch Ness" sounded promising (their slogan was "get messy with Nessie") but it was closed, so we ended up at an Irish pub crawling with Americans.

We were hoping to meet some other foreign students, but were approached by two Italians instead. Kes and I knew about three phrases and a handful of Italian words between us, and the two spoke even less English. But with the help of google-translate and a lot guessing, we were somehow able to carry on a conversation. As it turned out, I was better able to communicate using what little I remembered from three years of high school Spanish (not much) than in English or Italian. In any case, humor is universal. We swapped stories and joked around even though only 30% of the conversation was understood. By the time Kes and I left, we had improved our Italian vocabulary bank by a few more words and vowed to remember our language guide next time.

First day of class (July 4)

Summer classes at the FAA officially began today. I am enrolled in two three hour classes Monday thru Friday: Still life painting taught by Sofia Romark, and Figure Painting with Hege Elisabeth Haugen. Both classes are taught in the traditional academic method which built on the foundations of the technique of sight-sizing. Sight-sizing and I have always had a sort of love-hate relationship with it.
The process takes an excruciatingly long time, and the methods seem archaic and at times ridiculous (walk six steps back, measure, six steps forward, make a mark, six steps back, re-check accuracy of mark, six steps forward, fix mark, six steps back…). However, artists who are trained in this method produce jaw-dropping work. After taking a sight-size-based cast drawing class a year ago, I've grudgingly come to respect and appreciate the method. While I may not use it all the time, sight-size is a great exercise in training yourself to see and record subjects more accurately. One of my goals during my time here is to learn as objectively as possible.

Here are some examples of work by FAA students:

Move Day

July 3

The nice thing about jet lag is that it guarantees an early start to the day- something I rarely am able to do in my usual timezone. The complimentary breakfast served at the hotel looks like it fell straight out of a Dutch still life. In a small room overlooking the courtyard below, a table had been set up with silver platters of breads, cheeses, assorted croissants, and a bowl of plums and apricots fresh from the farmer's market. Cappuccinos were made to order.

My mission today was to pick up the art supplies I was not able to bring with me (mineral spirits, lead paint etc.) at Zecchi's, a local art store. I finally found it only to discover that, in true Italian spirit, they closed on weekends (as well as three hours out of the afternoon). What. I guess supplies will have to wait until tomorrow.

Slightly disappointed, I wandered around Piazza del Duomo and watched the swallows that nest there make their morning rounds. Because it was still early, the Piazza was pretty much deserted. I still had eight hours to kill before I could enter my apartment, so I decided to get lost in the city.

My first stop was the Museum that houses original artwork from the Duomo. Among the collection are illuminated manuscripts, original sculptures, and ceremonial items. Michelangelo's unfinished "Pieta" is also among the collection. I found this piece particularly fascinating because of its in-progress state. I always get scolded at by security guards at museums because of my habit of getting up close and personal with paintings. I can't help it. I love getting close enough to see individual brushstrokes, to demystify it and assure myself that it was made by a person and not some masterpiece-making magic. This in-progress still life was a treasure trove of information and I must've spent at least an hour in front of it. The unfinished head of Nicodemus/Michelangelo was a good subject for a quick head study.

After the museum, I headed down the street where a little cafe offered pizza and wine for 8 euro. I still had a good four hours to go before I could check into my apartment, so I wandered around, baked in the sun, and paid 6 euro to get eaten by mosquitos at the Medici medicinal gardens. I couldn't be happier when 6pm rolled around.

My apartment on Via delle Casine is literally across the street from the Academy. It has high ceilings and tall windows to let in plenty of natural daylight. I share it with another summer study student, Kes. She shares my love for tea and has the most adorable British accent. I think we will get along just fine.

Uno

Sometimes, brilliant opportunities cross our path when we least expect them to. A few months ago, I was given the chance to travel to Italy and study for the month of July at the Florence Academy of Art. Even as I write this from my little hotel room on Via Fiume, it still feels surreal.

My flight left LAX yesterday at 7pm. About 14 hours, nine timezones, a layover, and three screaming children later, I landed at Amerigo Vespucci Airport in Firenze, Italia. It was a surprisingly balmy evening despite the July heat. I had anticipated being overwhelmed by a storm of humidity, but today was actually relatively mild. I caught a taxi from the airport (25 euro plus tip… ouch), and arrived at my hotel to find out that they had run out of rooms even though I had booked in advance. The receptionist was sincerely apologetic and directed me to another place across the street where I could get a room for the same rate. The hotels on this street are all small, family-run businesses. In a building, there could be as many as four different hotels, each one situated on their own floor. Hotel Beatrice, where I am staying, has only 20 rooms.

I dropped off my suitcase in my room and decided to head out to explore Florence in the evening. The man at the front desk had mentioned that there was an orchestral concert going on at the Piazza della Signoria so I headed there. After trying to navigate by hard to find street names, I finally gave up and just headed toward the Duomo. I figured that everything would connect to it any way. I got there just as the dome was catching the last rosy rays of sunlight.

The concert was to begin at 9:30, and while it was still an hour away, the piazza was already beginning to fill up. Restaurants fortunate enough to be on the periphery marketed their patio seats like valuable real estate. By the time the concert started, the square was packed from end to end with hundreds of standing spectators. Those with rooms overlooking the square leaned from their windows to listen, away from the growing crowd.The event was put on by Florence's Teatro del Maggio Musicale and conducted by Maestro Zubin Mehta. As the sky faded into darkness and spotlights lit up the surrounding buildings, the orchestra began to play. Even though I was jet lagged and had to stand on my tiptoes to even glimpse the conductor, the event was still amazing. Highlights included the chorus and the lead violinist who played with so much energy that he was wiping sweat off his brow at the end of his solos. Such a unique public event is a testament to the deep cultural ties of the city.