time to make a stand

The more I thought about the senseless dangers of the unexploded bombs in these hillsides the more I was determined to finish this painting. It was not so much about having the work in the exhibition as an exhibiting artist, but about not missing the opportunity to highlight the dangers that the civilians here still live with, 66 years after the war has ended.

The late Princess Diana led a high profile campaign against land mines. I don't know if this work continues, I hope so. If there are any other high profile figures out there who will come and join me, to highlight this cause, please let me know! In the meantime, I'll fight a low profile battle to clean up these beautiful mountains. My Italian vocabulary is not adequate, but maybe my paints and brush will speak for me. This is the test painting. There will be more, bigger, better, speaking louder! A picture paints 1000 words. Instead of counting words, let's make those words count.
Today I am grateful for passion and energy.
.

shifting the gaze

"They Were Only Boys: 1944-2010"

So nearly finished... I think the title works as I have written it above. However, comments are welcome if anyone has a better idea for it!

Today I am grateful for the right to protest.

maybe tomorrow

Maybe tomorrow I can get this finished. But I think that today I should show it to my biggest and most useful critic, my picture framer. I am not objective enough at the moment, too close to it, and I know that there are parts I will never be satisfied with. If they get by him, then I can live with the message being more important than the painting. If not... another lesson in what happens when you try to do too many things at once! I went to sleep thinking about this painting, then when Zacchi woke me by barking at the fox (3am every morning) it hit me that this is neither about peace nor commemoration. It was inspired by true stories of post-war tragedies, but, in effect, it is about today, and the legacy of war. When even the curator gets it wrong... anything goes!

Today I am grateful for honest and helpful art critics.

underway

Working title: They Were Just/Only Boys. (Just/Only - I am not sure which word will translate more accurately).

Progress after day two. The challenge for me is to make these figures real, or real enough to carry meaning, as with such a horrible message I didn't want to use real models.



I have chosen the title to link the tragedy of 65 years ago to the present. So often I hear people say "They were just boys" when they read the names and ages in the war cemeteries. Here we still deal with the legacy of the war, with children, trampers and hunters at risk every time they venture into some of these mountains. I have heard stories of children playing with grenades and bombs completely oblivious to the danger, and adults with little more knowledge or respect for the unstable mortars picking them up to have a closer look. The danger is real, and is not going away.

Today I am grateful for journalists.

little windows...

Today five paintings arrived from NZ for Legato. It gave me such a lift that I was able to steal some time in my afternoon and start a small work myself! Tomorrow is festa, so there will be no deliveries, no paperwork to do, not a lot beyond computer work to weigh me down. When things are out of your control there is no point in worrying, that doesn't help and only adds to the wrinkles.

So...
I have started a work for Legato. I would love to say that I am going to take my time and it will be great, but I know that I am not in that space at the moment. I do, though, see little windows of opportunity ahead in the next week where I can paint. So maybe not the ideal working conditions, but it will be a work. More than that, it will be a work with a strong message, and that is important to me.

Today I am grateful for the wonderful scent of orange blossoms.

paint relationships

Here is another great post from Mike Bailey. Read the comments too. I will (hopefully) write more on this later, lots of things popping into my mind (especially about painting relationships!) but for now it is back to Legato details. It's time I put some new artwork on the blog; it has been a bit neglected since the Legato Fan Page took off on Facebook. It will probably be more neglected as I stand in queues trying to retrieve art works as they arrive in Italy!

You can see Legato works here on the photo pages.

Today I am grateful for a helping hand.

whew!

Saturday I composed myself, ready to go to battle with only soft voice, a smile and a "Mi dispiace ma...(I'm sorry but...)" to help me, and set about curating a local exhibition in my town.

This is a place where artists guard their status and their relative positions jealously. My task was to present us as a new association, a unified group, in the best way possible. Knowing that I was going "where angels fear to tread" I happily admit to asking for divine intervention to get me through the weekend.

Twenty artists and crafts people brought their works and jostled for position. Tempers flared. For six hours I argued politely, explained, insisted, and quietly worked away at producing something worth seeing. I requested potted trees, and added drapes. I altered positions, and split up displays. After six hours I was exhausted and asked for a bottle of water. The president and the deputy mayor then realised that I had been there for the whole time without a break, while eveyone else came and went for food and coffee. One of the artists said "Haven't you eaten?" Another said "She hasn't even stopped to pee!"

Sunday brought more drama, as egos were bruised. I had made everyone equal. Cultural differences were showing! One wanted to remove her whole display. Another tried to pull rank and pointed out to me that his work was the most important in the show. In the end it was I who "pulled rank" and pointed out that it was my name on the posters, it was my work and my responsibility, and that being in a curated exhibition meant giving away some control of the works.

Luckily for me the layout was a hit with the visitors, the special guest was generous with his praises, the photographer said "I've never seen an exhibition like this before in this town, this is a first" and the artists one by one came round and either apologised for their outbursts or thanked me for the work.

I think I'll keep my body-guards nearby when I go shopping, just the same!

Today I am thankful for inner strength.