Artist En Route: Umbria, Italy (earlier version in Art Avenue magazine)

Living in the Umbrian Countryside

It's April as I write from high green hills in the Umbrian countryside, midway between Florence and Rome. We live in Morruzze, a tiny village in which nothing happens. The bells jingle on new lambs in the pasture up the rocky road from our house. Wild boar hide in nearby forests, as do truffles. The bees are out, and the silvery olive trees are growing fuller. The birdsong is absolutely operatic as I walk the 6 km to and from the nearby village, looking for wild asparagus along the way. The views are spectacular coming up through worn paths overlooking rolling green hills and patchwork agrarian plots typical of this region. Walking here each day I'm sure Leonardo developed his sfumato technique from these smoky landscapes that soften edges and blend contrasts. Except for some hard winter months, it's been idyllic. 

 What Shopping Does a Visiting Artist Do?

Art Interest: So much to see. Just stick a pin anywhere and go!

A visiting friend wants to go on the Piero tour (click here). I'm glad to oblige this pilgrimage for a local boy from a nearby Tuscan village. Piero della Francesca is high on my list of Renaissance masters. His sense of serenely sculpted light, of physically solid yet beyond-real forms in space, of emotion perfectly contained yet dramatically expressed, remains remarkable to me. 

You could pick any of your favourite Italian Renaissance masters and plan an interesting tour of Italy just by following the trail of their displayed works. Following the trail of Perugino, for example, will take you to Perugia, home also to delicious chocolates as well as savouring the equally sweet and highly decorative paintings by his associate, Pinturicchio. Like many ancient towns in Italy, there is so much to see and enjoy just by walking around and looking, and often festivals to add to the celebration. 

Nearby in the Cathedral in Orvieto  are the muscular and fascinatingly original Last Judgment frescoes by Signorelli (from whom Michelangelo learned a thing or two). In the other direction there are the lovely painted ceramics in Deruta to take home with you. Go eastward and there's the region of Le Marche, with Crivelli as its local wonder, whose paintings provide an odd mix of Renaissance perspective and Medieval decorativeness. 

The art treasures continue, with fresco-lined chapels by the vigorously emotive Giotto (Padua and Assisi) and the sensitively ethereal FraAngelico (Florence, with some of his most personal work on site, as they were painted in his home, the Convent of San Marco). 

Pick your favorite early to late Renaissance master: it seems they're all here

Where Artwork and Setting Are One 

It's especially impressive is when you see these magnificent artists' creations in the settings for which they were painted. Even Leonardo's crumbling Last Supper retains much of its gravitas in the actual chapel in Milan whose architecture it replicates! 

I especially enjoy scouting for treasures in relatively lesser-known places. But who would want to ignore the big showplaces of art-filled Italy? Rome, where the ancient Colosseum nods to Renaissance feats like the Pantheon and the dome Brunelleschi's derived from it. Then there are the dizzying treasure troves of the Vatican, shown in its museum. And unsurpassed Florence. Art is everywhere in the architecture, statues, fountains, museums and public works of such cities.

 

Two duomos (cathedrals) that I like especially are some distance apart. The one in Milan is staggering. Coming up from the metro station, it's a filigreed vision in honey-white marble that took nearly six centuries to build. It hardly seems real in its intricacy and apparent weightlessness. The best of it for me (sated by now on church interiors, no matter how magnificent) was walking outdoors on its huge, multi-tiered roof. It was stunning being surprised by gargoyles, fanciful architectural flourishes, statues standing on pillars in the air, and vistas across the city.

In contrast, Orvieto's duomo seems to me more humanly appealing in size, proportion, and narrative flourishes. Sitting outside on stone benches built into buildings lining the piazza, you watch as the sun glints on golden mosaics illuminating biblical narratives and assorted statues on its facade. Inside are the Signorelli frescoes I mentioned and, to top it off, in this piazza is the best gelato I've tasted. 

Surprises and delights abound: just keep your eyes open and venture on!

 Contemporary Art and Tradition

What I've noticed about contemporary art seen throughout my travels is that it seems  much the same everywhere. That is, trends seem global rather than regional, with influences like Twombly, Basquiat, and Richter variations everywhere, especially in abstract painting. I'm particular fond of major if not as well-celebrated modern Italian painters, like Morandi in still life and (my favourite) Burri in uniquely abstract works, have pushed new stylistic boundaries. 

No longer apprenticed to guilds or schools, emerging artists now seem to gravitate towards their preferred international icons. Historically, however, Italian art has shown recognizable regional stylistic variations and "schools". Tradition remains important here where people live with centuries of art history at their doorstep. The great humanistic emphasis of the Italian Renaissance, especially, is a tradition that endures even in contemporary paintings. For example, look how many figurative works are included in Saatchi's online Focus on Italy.  

Old Artists and the Avant Garde

Visiting the Sforza castle (Milan) and seeing Michelangelo's final and compelling Pietá emerge unfinished from stone, I thought about his spending his final decade on earth working, on and off, on this sculpture. I wondered why some master artists turn away from their attained mastery and refinements to produce, in their old age, something apparently more raw, unsettling, dramatically different, and far less popular with their contemporaries -- but seeding the future avant garde. True of Rembrandt, Turner too, and others, this development runs contrary to the too common clichés for old age.

Practical Matters: Art as a Way, Not a B

P   Art is a Way, Not a Brand

Wh    When I left Canada more than a half year ago I thought that, whil  I'd settle my continuing argument with my painterly self to mov  pursue one track instead of many and do what art-marketeers advi  advise: develop a brand. I haven't. Instead, away from the

         marketplace, I've decided this isn't for me.  Not for lack of self-dis    discipline or indeterminacy in directions to take, Instead, I have a genuine preference for working and lear  learning that is broad in scope. I don't think I'm alone in this conflict between way and brand, and many of     you may feel similarly. But I've come to respect this as a stylistic preference in how one chooses to expl  explore, experiment, and bring things together in order to create. Away from the usual influences at hom  home, it seems clearer to find one's own creative direction.

Travel's End and  Journey Onward

Looking back over the art I've seen, and done, and the life I've had here, I hope to have shared some enjoyable and useful facts and personal insights with you, wherever you are en-route. The artwork I've produced while travelling has been plentiful and surprising to me, as fitting into several unpredictable "series" resulting from new ventures into fluid painting and mixed techniques .A practical note to travelling artists is that duties for mailing artworks are often prohibitively high. So stay light, if you can. .    

            

It's been a remarkable journey, with a month remaining before returning home. This way of life has become 'home' now --- travelling from place, setting up one's life anew in each place for awhile, learning the necessary, exploring, making do. Never long enough to lay down roots ... or ruts. The only constant has been one's own sense of continuity and of change throughout this voyage. I haven't finished. I'm not ready to "go home." I want to find a way to take some of this way of living with me, even when returning to all the comforts of home, friends, and family.

                                

This trip has been about lots of things, both external and internal. Learning to do without the familiar, reassessing priorities, decisions, needs, and desires. A bit of a juggle between making and making-do, keeping to a plan or letting the winds decide, moving on or staying safe. Living away from home provides opportunity to re-examine decisions and expectations, to re-align oneself without the supports, stimulation and constraints of family, friends, and the familiar buzz of art shows and fellow-artists wanting to get their work noticed. It's been an opportunity to expand, to break out of molds that need breaking, and move in ways that feel authentic and rewarding, whether or not they are applauded by anyone else. 

 My artwork has taken different directions, depending upon where I've been: inside and out. I've met with local artists, seen shows, visited sites, museums, and galleries in each town. Everywhere I've been I've keenly felt how art, whatever form it takes, is a vital part of living life. How this is personally vital for me is the lesson I'd like to take home with me ...  plus a few gallons of gelato.

I hope, in reading these articles, you've shared in this sense of adventure, each of us being artists-en-route in our lives and in our work.

More Creative Life News

You can read and see more about Italy at Creative Life News here. plus other travels and creative adventures by this itinerant artist at Creative Life News here

 @ janetstrayer.com

Of Fables and Myths

Art Show on Saturna Island: Of Fables and Myths

I've written before on this site about the magical island I live on -- and where my art studio is located: Saturna Island in the Salish Sea (the Straits of Georgia). It's quite appropriate that this fabulous setting will be home to an art show entitled "Of Fables and Myths".

It's enough just to explore this unspoiled island. And summer usually brings many visitors here. But now, I'd like to invite you to come celebrate an art event with me on Saturna.  APRIL 25, 2015 marks the opening of an exhibit of my paintings at the Saturna Café. You can view it whenever you step into the café from April 25 to July 9. But the opening is a special celebration that involves the community. As you can see from the notice below, there will be a reception from 4 to 6 pm followed a special dinner feast by our local chef, Hubertus (by reservation).

The show was curated by Jean-François Renaud, a resident curator whom I so enjoyed meeting. He has my gratitude for organizing these special events on Saturna and making community celebrations of them. It's such a small island, yet there are so many uniquely talented people here.

As a resident of Saturna for many years (traveling back and forth from Vancouver), I look forward to this opportunity to have my paintings shown in such a welcoming setting. I hope to share a toast with you at the opening. 

More Creative Life News

You can read and see more about creative life, travels, tips and creative adventures by this itinerant artist at Creative Life News at https://www.janetstrayer.com

Regards, Janet 

 @ janetstrayer.com

Viva España

First off, thanks to all who have emailed or told me personally that they enjoy this blog. Really, it means a lot to be communicating with more than just an imaginary audience. I know personally that, despite some rumors to the contrary, many of you are real. In any case, your welcome messages just encourage this to continue. So now we're off to Spain for the next few postings.

In real time, we went to Spain during the winter months. The idea of our time in Europe was to keep the sun shining on us as much as possible. Our plan was to spend autumn in southern France, winter in southern Spain (the most southern of our European locations), and spring in Umbria (not the warmest part of Italy but so much visible and beautiful change in springtime).

It was hard to leave France, as it became hard to leave all the homes we'd make. But I was ready to take full advantage of living and touring in Spain. I speak Spanish well enough to have eagerly expected to get right in with the Andalucian life on the southern coast. Ha!

The Costa del Sol is indeed a beautiful place. I think it must be especially stunning in the wintertime, when the coast is relatively abandoned by tourists. We arrived to live in a wonderful spot for sure: Torre Blanca (Fuengirola) in Malaga. Land of palm trees, beach, and lulling ocean waters, all  with the distant sounds of flamenco in the nearby hills behind the sea. Nice?

First, we had to accustom ourselves to living among high-rises lining the beach. Of course, I’d known this because my friend (who owned the apartment we’d rented) had told me so. But, after living so quietly in tiny quarters in France, the movie in my mind took over. So, my quaint idea of getting to “fit right in” with the Andalucians was pretty much shattered upon discovering that I could hardly find any.  Nor did I see anything like that movie in my mind. The high-rises with their ground-level shops were packed pretty closely together, reminding me at first glance of other tourist-driven, built-on-the-spot resort locations.

Visions of Miami Beach and Cancun come to mind. And like them, this was also a place in which English was spoken more than Spanish. Many, if not most, of the residents were Brits, Scandanavians, Dutch, German and some Russians. Even the beach stalls (not yet in full swing) had signs out from last season, the one I liked best advertising “We speak English, German, and Holland.” So much for my Spanish! Iid  just have to learn to speak Holland.

Today’s Thought:

Ya que estamos en el baile, bailemos. 

Spanish proverb which I'll translate as "Since we're already at the ball, let's dance!"

Was I disappointed? Well, I wanted it all, that’s all: a quaint little sunny spot in Spain beside the sea undiscovered by other northern Europeans who craved the sun as much as I did. But they’d gotten here before I had! 

On the other hand, how can you be disappointed being in a place that makes it comfortable for you in terms of language, eateries, shops, amenities all within easy reach? All I had to do was smell the air, feel the warmth, look at the sea right across the street from where we lived atop the high rise with an unobstructed, almost 360 degree view of sea and hills. So, was it really so terrible being in a resort town that nearly everyone in Europe visits for bank holidays? Besides, there was always  Estaquio, the building’s porter, who spoke Spanish. 

After a while there, I started producing some paintings that conveyed some of my sense of the drama and energy of Spain.

Today's Painting:

Malaga , painting by Janet Strayer

More NEWS! I just crafted a new website that slideshows my paintings. I think it's cool. Please tell me what you think. You can see it by pasting this into your URL if  just clicking on it doesn't get you there. Thanks for visiting! 

 http://www.wix.com/janetstrayer/paintings

 
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