venerdi friday fotos

Good Friday, or Holy Friday as it is known here, was the day chosen to present the Passione Vivente in the neighbouring village of Castrocielo. Last year I had seen La Passione at Sperlonga. To read about that incredibly moving experience click here. This year was a different experience, but an impressive one all the same.

For the village it was a very big event, as this was filmed by Teleuniverso and went out live. There were five (or was it six?) cameras filming over three different locations. Because there was such a big crowd it was hard to see every part of the action as it moved to different locations in the hillside village, and I watched much of it on the screen used by the TV presenters. (You too can watch it here on Youtube)



The story was not always quite as I expected, with one or two characters in it that made me wonder how well I read my Bible, or how much local interpretation was added in the script. I watched it again to see what I missed in interpreting the life presentation. I totally missed who Lazaro was when the stone was rolled away from a tomb early in the production. If you are wondering and don't have a Bible handy then read here.

I am constantly amazed at the number of young children at such a violent production, and heard yesterday of one child who couldn't bear to hear a hammer after seeing La Passione at age seven. Others appear quite unaffected by what they are watching.

I found the beating of the drum as the procession made its way in the dark quite a threatening and ominous sound. This sound stayed with me as did one or two images I wish I had turned away from a bit sooner.

This was the first time I had seen horses in the production, and the number of costumed participants was impressive to say the least.







The performance started in the centre of the village at 9.30pm, progressed down the street to a stage and piazza in front of the church, and finished higher up on the hillside just before midnight, a long time to be standing in coolish temperatures. I was very grateful for my warm jacket. I don't think I will attend next year unless I have visitors who wish to see it. It is somber, and leaves me thinking of man's inhumanity towards man. I would rather be light of spirit and sharing the wonderful things of life, focusing on the resurrection rather than suffering, on peace rather than on war.

Today I am grateful for incident-free performances.

spring is beautiful - even without gambolling lambs

Long zoomClose zoom
and somewhere in the middle!
I don't miss the farm animals until springtime, when I remember the neighbour's lambs - and then I remind myself of the calf-rearing trials and tribulations and think that my life is OK just as it is!

(Actually I lie to myself just a little... I remember the good things, the lovely smell of the cows and the warm wet noses of the calves as I taught them to drink from a bucket - all the bad things like slipping in the mud, freezing on frosty mornings, calf scours, an aching back and red, infected, bitten fingers seem to have slipped out of active memory).

Today I am grateful for my camera.

paintings to next stage

But not really ready to be photographed yet. They are at the rather uninspiring "blocked in" stage where there is no detail but I am working on the tonal values prior to beginning the serious painting. This stage is where they could possibly be mistaken for almost finished very bad paintings, so I think I will hide close-ups of them a bit longer.

Soon one of them will demand to be finished ahead of the other three, and I will then add some more photos.

I was thinking, as I painted this morning, that I don't teach people to paint the messy way I paint myself. Do as I say, and as I might demonstrate, but not as I actually DO with acrylics! I developed bad habits a long time ago, long before I ever went to a class, and as they are part of my method of finding my way into a creation I don't really try to reform my old habits.

And no, it wasn't a bad habit you might have seen had you been on the street below my studio this morning... windows flung open, Ella Fitzgerald singing happily on the CD player - that was my morning fizzy VITAMINS in the wine glass in my hand. (Wine glass was still on the bench from visitors in the studio several days ago, my house keeping hasn't improved!)

Today I am grateful for travelling friends.

back on task (again)

These have to be ready for the next Legato, 17-31 May; after organising three Legato exhibitions I think it is time I put more than token works in it myself!

Busy times ahead!

spring in the valley

I have been busy painting and not really out enjoying the pleasures of spring, but these demanded to be photographed.

The valley is so softly coloured at the moment, a gentle range of muted greens and pinks. The sun catching the houses today was just lovely. The lack of rain means a lot of pollution in the air, so all is a bit hazy.

Today I am grateful for a productive time in the studio.

one of those forwards...

The Italian Elbow

An Italian grandmother is giving directions to her grown grandson who is coming to visit with his wife.


"You comma to de front door of the apartmenta. I am inna apartmenta 301. There issa bigga panel at the front door. With you elbow, pusha button 301. I will buzza you in. Come inside, the elevator is on the right. Get in, and with you elbow, pusha 3, When you get out, I'mma on the left. With you elbow, hit my doorbell."

"Grandma, that sounds easy, but why am I hitting all these buttons with my elbow?"


"What ……………….You coming empty handed?"

Today I am grateful for the generosity of Dutch and Italian friends :-)

neither fish nor fools

Today is the day of a cousin's birthday. Happy birthday cousin A, and it is the day before a couple of other family birthdays... happy birthday for tomorrow, nephews L and A.

Here in Italy it is "April fish" rather than fools, but still a day for pranks. Wikipedia explains it all in this entry.

Wandering around Wikipedia at this hour has me totally confused. Greeks, Romans, fools and hilarity... you can read it all yourself.

One of my guests is snoring quite loudly. I am glad that this house has very thick walls. And now it's time for me to sleep. Buonanotte.



Today I am grateful for the fragrance of freesias.