More sight seeing in Rome!
The trevi fountain, Hadrian's monument, the Boca della Verita, an alley in Trastevere and a fantastic snack of cappuccini and ricotta cheese cake at the Hendrick (yes Hendrick) Christian Andersen museum.
Ostia Antica day trip
These recent posts are out of order, as it was two weeks ago (before Ravenna!) that Pete and I took a day trip to Ostia Antica, the second largest preserved ruins, after Pompei. This ancient Roman city of Ostia was founded in the 4th Century BC, and in antiquity situated at the mouth of the river Tiber, some 30 kilometres to the west of Rome, likely to guard against seaborne invasions. The shoreline moved seawards, due to silting, from the Middle Ages until the 19th century. Thus, today, Ostia is still lying next to the Tiber, but at a distance of some three kilometers from the beach. Ostia is Latin for "mouth", the mouth of the Tiber.
The pictures include a floor mosaic from the Baths of Neptune, an archway that allows you to see the multiple levels of the city, and some of your other basic, centuries old ruins images. It is an amazing place.
Weekend in Aqueleia, Grado, and Ravenna
These are pictures from my weekend studying the art and architecture of Aqueleia, Grado and Ravenna. Ravenna is best known for its mosaics, I've included pictures of the ceiling mosaic from the so-called mausoleum of Galla Placidea (she's actually buried in Rome) as well as mosaics from San Apollinare Nuovo and San Apollinare in Classe. And-- the night sky was amazing! That's not photoshop!
More works from the show
Pictured are three more works: "Reflected Tumble" (woodcut and goauche on Japanese Paper), 'Cartwheel" (woodcut and goauche on Japanese paper) and "Self Portrait as Venus/ Eve" (monotype, etching and relief on Japanese paper). Enjoy!
First Year MFA Show
It's been a busy month! I spent most of it preparing for my first year MFA show. I shared the Temple Rome gallery space with one other first year grads, a painter, Marco Phillips. Here is a portion of my artist statement:
"Rome, a modern metropolis whose infrastructure has been built and rebuilt for over two millennia, serves not only as a home base for creation, but also an inspiration. As I build layers on the plate, and then place print upon print and collage drawings over the printed surface, iterations begin to connect on all sides. By printing a plate over and over on a large sheet of paper, the bottom of one image blends into the top of another, recalling the melodic repetition of prayers or chants in which the end of one mantra becomes the beginning of the next. The myriad elements fuse to form a greater, boundless image. As a mark runs off the page on the top, it reappears on the bottom, as it disappears on the left, it reemerges on the right in the same manner as the facades in ancient Rome."
Pictured is a series of unique prints (mixed media on Japanese paper), titled, "The Grace of the Descent."
