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| Sgraffito decoration on the facade of the Palazzo Galli-Tassi, Firenze |
In just a few days, I will be leaving for a
three-month sabbatical in Florence, Italy. My goal is to spend this
time in intensive study of art and painted ornament, and to solidify the
material I have been collecting for a book.
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| Alison luring an American buyer into her shop. |
This plan took shape last winter while visiting my friend and colleague
Alison Woolley of
FlorenceArt.
Ever the voice of reason, she may have suggested we stay an entire
year, and now that this trip is upon us I realize how short a time three
months actually is.
So, for the last twelve months I
have been plotting and arranging, scheduling around unexpected delays
and challenges, and trying to learn some Italian.
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| The Duomo at night, December 2012 |
My remaining days here are being spent organizing the
next projects at my studio, fussing over my (thankfully
drought-tolerant) garden, getting camera equipment in order, working on
my packing strategy, pondering the telecommunications situation here
and abroad,
spending as much time as possible with mourning the
sudden loss
of my geriatric parrot; finding a million things about which to fret,
all the while taking some comfort in the fact that, thanks to jet
propulsion, I am only one mildly inconvenient day away from pretty much
anywhere.
Maestro
Erling Wold and I will be in residence in
(some rooms in)
the Palazzo Galli-Tassi, a 16th century palace where we hope to create
the perfect environment for our exploration of ornament, music, and a
helping of Tuscan culture.
I invite you to follow our exploits here at
The Ornamentalist.
