slow progress

I'm struggling to stay on task today. I want to lean all over the work, put in tiny details, and start "constructing" the village in the centre of the painting, but it's all too wet! Working in oils again is good but...
Today I am grateful for good weather.

on the job again...

Landscape, stage two.
A wide landscape is difficult to photograph. The photo montage that I am working from is taped to the shelf above the canvas. Soon I will be ready to head outdoors and pick out the highlight colours from the landscape.

Oh, and oops! The bookshelf hasn't been tidied since my artist student/visitor left. I wonder where I have put the rest of the books? Must sort that before the next photograph!

Today I am grateful for the smells of home cooking.

a little too busy still

I am slowly getting some order back in the chaos that was my life leading up to and during Legato. It is time to write a few more blog posts and get back into routine. There are many many loose ends to tie, new applications to make, letters to write in another language... but there is also a little sunshine and a comfortable couch that I can flop onto occasionally.

Today I am grateful for the semblance of order and getting a few bills paid!

forgive the quality...

but here's a video for Angela and her family :-)

Today I am grateful for understanding and patient people.

along the way

Check the Legato blog for photos. The exhibition is now into week two.

Today I am grateful for good food and company.

The Artist has left the building....

FOR THOSE WHO LOVE KAY AND WOULD LIKE TO KNOW WHAT SHE'S UP TO:
Here is a post copied from the "Legato" blog.

KIWI INVASION
The Commander-in-Chief of this army of peace has given the job of (Legato's) blog to a lesser ranked communications officer. I'm Nicola, the videographer for the Legato exhibition, and on the eve of the opening I've taken over the writing of this blog. Please excuse the change of style. Kay is currently lost under lists of things to do and only the scent of tea or the sound of a cell-phone brings her to the surface.

Over the last few days the pace has changed from hectic to chaotic as wave after wave of kiwi artists (lugging tubes of rolled canvas and oddly shaped parcels) sweep into the small Italian village of Roccasecca. It's a bit ironic that an exhibition promoting peace has prompted such tumult and noise. "Legato" is demonstrating that peace can be a state of delight and laughter, not just calm. It is also showing that there is room for lofty ideas and philosophical chat alongside the mundane minutae of bedding, brackets and bolts, or breakfast in a foreign place.

By tomorrow night (Italian time) the artworks will be in place, the opening party will have started and those lucky enough to be here will be able to view the culmination of a huge amount of effort from many many people, all working towards the common goal of world peace and rememberance. We wish you were here to enjoy it too.

For those that couldn't make the trip I am hoping to have video highlights throughout the course of the exhibition available online, so keep checking this blog for updates.

the ups and downs... and up again!

Six travellers, including three artists and their works, will be a day late as their flight out of Auckland was cancelled. That really stretched my Italian, changing their accommodation bookings by phone!

The brochure for Legato, which really is more of an essay with illustrations, is ready to be put to bed... that was REALLY cutting it fine!

The works are still arriving daily, or not arriving, depending on how you look at it. I will not stress! We have more than enough for an exhibition, but it would be better not to be changing it every day, which I will do if works arrive late. Ah well, if life were simple it would be less interesting.. maybe?

The four lots of works that arrived yesterday were very interesting... completely diverse, and equally wonderful! Kiwi artists are right up there with the rest of the world.... and ahead in many ways! Perhaps because of our isolation we do try harder?

Zacchi has an upset tummy. I think that maybe when the Kiwi artist and friend arrived yesterday with two bags (artwork, wonderful!) he thought that I was heading away again. Poor wee mite.

I have a list a mile long, things to do, but somewhere inside me I know that they wont be done, they are not so important. More important for me now is to "chill out" with my blog and my cuppa, and hope that I will be disturbed by arriving artworks.

The Legato blog has had well over 3000 hits in only a few weeks... 8 or 9 weeks, I think it is. There are as many now from Italy as from NZ. That's well worth the effort, spreading the word!

And after Legato? "But wait, there's more". Yes, an equally important project, this time in summertime New Zealand. Watch this space!

Today I am thankful for loyal friends.