Paper cut

Another person experimenting with the cutting edge approach is Elista
And below, Elsa Mora



Annie Vought



Gorgeous . . . .

paper cut

Doing printmaking I have always had a fascination for the art created using 'paper cut'. Along with many others, I have used intricate surgical precision to produce stencils to use in screen printing, mono printing and mixed media work. 

In 2004 and again in 2006 I used a layered process with paper and canvas cuts, cushioned between perspex and luxaflex translucent paper . . . . however, while on our travels we were seriously fascinated by the sophistication of this particular art form and how it has been taken to the streets.

The rice paper stencils pasted directly onto walls in Rome, which will slowly disintergrate. The flour paste acting as paint, which is rolled through the stencils, we saw on walls in Sienna, Cortona & Istanbul . . . . all intrigued us with their fresh vibrancy.

(We were also pleased to see that these artists are thinking of the environment)

We admired the work of 'Swoon', (artist Caledonia Curry ) with her intricate paper cuts in Venice. There is an entire paper art culture with artists like Kuko - Yamamoto and Lee Bovey (http://www.boveylee.com/ ) pushing the envelope daily.

I have always had a facination with the process of 'what to remove & what remains'?

2010 More is more . . .in Italy

Could we look any more like tourists?

Nearly every surface is painted . . 

Statues everywhere

Yes, we have returned from our recent trip overseas, where I was thrilled to see that there are lots of individuals who appreciate that knowing when to stop, and actually doing so, are two entirely different things.

I have suffered the cries of 'Less is more' for years . . . well now I say 'no more' will I listen to people trying to make me do less . . . MORE it is!
Look at the size and detail . . . amazing!!

A bath!

I find I want to add layer after layer, and more layers, to my work  . . . . . .

No more than 2 inches

Makes you feel so insignificant

. . . but then, as if there were not enough already . . . more!.

Cameron's crime fighting buddies

Our bedroom in Rome . . .with it's own balcony .. . Of an evening, we could hear the opera being performed in the Church next door. . . .  while sipping our wine . . .after having returned to have our evening meal at 10pm . . . .Yep! They certainly know how to enjoy life. . . . La Dolce Vita

All I need to know now - is how to settle back into a normal routine . . . to work!

Italy . . .2010 Rome to Venice. What to do in 9 weeks . . as much as you can!!!!.

July - 9 Weeks in one country sounds like ages, but it goes so fast when you are having the most incredible experiences.

Rome -  Pompeii -  Amalfi Coast -  Rome -  Sienna - Pisa -  Assisi -  San Gimiginano - Tuscany villa -  Cinque Terra -   Florence -  Venice -   that should do it!!!!!

then 3 weeks in Turkey . . .Wonderful!!!!

So much has been said about all these incredible places, that I do not feel I would do justice to a description . . .so will just post a few pics . . .

 Rome Colosseum 

 Outside our hotel looking to Colosseum

In church foyer

 Vatican - Amazing. We spent two days.

Pompei

Amalphi coast

Mmmmmmm!!!

 Our Art Deco Hotel Amalphi coast - views to ocean

Blue Grotto boat trip

After Pompei and Amalphi back to Rome.

Rome - Local lads look a bit sexier than Brissy boys . .  and they know it!

Assisi

Our B&B for 3 nights

View from bedroom - Assisi

Tuscany Villa . . . week of heaven!

Then into Florence for a week - loved this city!

Manarola - gorgeous views to city square where all the activity occurs, hills and ocean.

View from our room. 

Many an enjoyable afternoon spent people watching!

Walking -  'lovers path'

Manarola - Cinque terra

My God !!. . . Venice. I know I am expected, to feel like I am in a foreign country, but it is far more than that . . . . I feel like I am on another planet.

Dancing in San Marco square - as one does. . . 

Nothing seems to operate in Venice the way it does elsewhere, even elsewhere in Italy, and everything seems so exotic. 

Simply turning down a few pathways transforms the environ from the crowded to deserted in minutes. . . making us feel like the entire city has been emptied and it’s now ours and ours alone…. now, combine that eerie deserted street, piazza or canal with darkness and fog, and then it is more than simply ‘transporting – it is sinister’. Venice is different. Venice is special.

Sharing time with friends walking the winding paths, eating out, trying to avoid getting our feet wet and  hunting the shops for a 'special red coral necklace' and some old Venetian glass was a treat.

But I mean that in a good way, believe it or not. It’s like a really good thriller you’ve seen or read, only this time you’re actually in it. And you don’t feel any sense of danger, you just feel the thrill. It’s the kind of thing that gets your heart racing, but instead of screaming all you want to do is smile.

This eerie otherworldyness makes sense. This is the city where debauchery flourished and climaxed in the form of Carnival. Where nobles and commoners could hide their identities for a few days each year and mingle . . . but there is still something of that old hedonistic quality in the modern-day Venetian air.

The people - The art - the scenery

Another day of high tides . . .

However, I have to say - one of my favorite things about Venice, particularly from an artist’s perspective, is the very thing that may eventually doom the city – the beautiful decay. This city lives up to its illustrious history through every layer & lane way. It personifies the very definition of the word decadent – since it is simultaneously “in a state of decline or decay” and “provides unrestrained gratification.” It continuously fascinates & taunts us with the notion that things have been just this way for centuries upon centuries.

I adore the cracking & blistering paint, the sinking streets & crumbling walls, the confusing names ensuring the promise of being totally lost. Would I be so excited if all those walls were intact or – perish the thought – repaired? NO! I could be here for months and still not feel like I have seen her in each watery reflection, admired every flaking layer of chalky paint, or hear each bell resonate in the mist.
One week is just a taste . . .what bliss!

Graffiti everywhere . . .

Now onto 3 weeks in Turkey. . . . 
and that is another incredible adventure . . . for another blog!!!!