CHRISTMAS IN PARIS!!

Bonjour mes amis


Well we are halfway through our time in Paris.  Weather has been incredible.  Clear streets, no snow and although a bit crisp very sunny.  Here are some highlights so far.  Hope you all had a great Christmas.
Aurevoir et bonjour.

MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR!

The white stuff has arrived in Italy!!!!!!!

Buon Giorno mi Amici


It has been sometime since I have sat down to write to you all.  Yesterday Florence was paralyzed with a heavy downfall of snow.  Every time I went outside I would laugh...thinking to myself...welcome to Canada!  Had a wonderful dinner at my friend Marco and Maja's house and then the girls hit our favourite bar.  It was empty...normally on a Friday night it is packed.  After several more glasses of wine we decided to call it a night...on the way home Sophia and I participated in a snowball fight at Santa Croce....people were going crazy with the snow.  Many were stranded unable to get home as all buses stopped moving.  It pays to live in the centre with weather like this.


I am now packing up my things and have moved quite a bit of my acquired things out of the apartment.  I have 3 days left and cannot believe my time here is nearing an end.  This morning Firenze is in a deep freeze.  Interesting to watch people manoeuvre about...especially on bicycles!  The city is quiet but the market was buzzing....people securing their goodies for Christmas.  


At this time I would like to wish you and your families a Very Merry Christmas and a Most Magical New Year.  I have enjoyed my time sharing my stories with you all.  I am off to Paris on Wednesday to join my family for Christmas.  I will be back home on the 30th of December so look forward to seeing you in the New Year.  Ciao e tanti baci e abbraccio!  

One week left to go and I will be on my way home!!!

Buon giorno mi amici


Well the year is slowly winding down.  One more wine tasting, a visit to
the gala event at the Uffizzi, latin dancing at Salamanca and a final goodbye
dinner with my dearest friends and I will be saying good bye to Firenze.
This year has been filled with abundance.   The knowledge I have gained 
artistically has been priceless.  I have mixed emotions of leaving but know 
that it is time.  Onto the next chapter of my wonderful life.   If I don't get 
onto this blog before I leave .... I want to wish you and your families a most
Wonderful Christmas and a Magical New Year.  Tanti baci e abbraccio.  Ciao!

I think I might add photography to my bucket list.  This is one of my favourite shots.

this is the clay version of what I called my plaster disaster.  Gifting it my dearest friend here.  I poured it in cement...that way she can hang it outside.  For those of you who do not recognize this sculpture...it is Nike..famous Greek sculpture.

still life...realized I need to keep drawing and painting!

A portrait of me by a talented young artist named Andrea Mosley.  

16 days to Christmas!!!!

 Buon Giorno mi amici


I am realizing that I only have 12 days left in Florence and there are 16 days to Christmas. The year has passed so quickly.  I am winding down with my sculpture next week and have a couple of more projects to complete.  I'll post those next week.  This morning I had an incident with runaway plaster.  My clay barrier broke as I poured my bas relief and there was plaster everywhere, wall, floor and on me.  Luckily I managed to save it but not sure if
it will turn out as I planned.


I am looking forward to getting together with my family for Christmas in Paris.  One of those rare opportunities where we can experience something so awesomely different.  The wonderful thing about this Christmas is we have decided not to buy gifts.  Whew!!!  For the first time in my adult life I am not running around with the rest of the zany crew trying to find a bargain or
two.  This is a relief to me as now I am packing and the big decisions are what to take home.  Home.....what a wonderful word.  Although Florence has been my home for the past year I do truly miss my home.  I look forward to seeing you all again very soon.   Have a magical day!  Ciao!

Starting to look a lot like Christmas!

Buon giorno mi amici

Well it is starting to look like Christmas time around here.  The shops have begun their displays of glittery gold and silver.  The panatone breads are in abundance.
The rains are consistent...I think this past week I have seen 5 minutes of sunshine...thank goodness my heat is on in my apartment otherwise it would be a damp winter.  I love rain but this is ridiculous rain.  Looking forward to seeing snow...never thought I would say that in a million years!  Just finished my typical morning breakfast of dry toast, butter and jam and now on my 3rd cup of coffee....getting ready for what I hope is an easier day than yesterday.  My dear friend offered to sit again for me so that I could do a bas relief...which I was very excited about.  So for 6 hours of sitting I am pleased with the result.  Also yesterday afternoon was a full half day of plaster mixing.  Sculpting is laborious and tiring so needless to say it was early to bed last night.  I am dreaming of my own sculpting studio and every day I create ideas of how I want it to look.  My friend in Venice who is a glass sculpturer gave me a tour of the workshop she works in through Skype this morning so was able to see the production in full gear.  They had a lot of ovens and the glass sculptures they produce are awesome.  She is sending me a package today so am excited to see what is in it.  Well my alarm keeps going off so that is telling me I must get moving and on my way to school.  Hope you all have a magical day!  Ciao mi amici!

Creating the silicone mould.  I was excited to pour the plaster yesterday.
Hopefully should be dry and ready to go either today or tomorrow...I think I will wait until tomorrow.  It may be fragile so we shall see.  Stay tuned.

I was very happy to see that once we lifted the silicone mould the original clay sculpture was very much intact underneath.

Ahhhhh....finally finished and putting my signature on it.

Pretty happy with the final result...six hours of work...not bad.

Original plaster cast I had mixed two colours hoping I would get a marble effect.  Didn't work and I added to much liquid soap to the barrier of the mould so we spent a week trying to take of the plaster.  We decided that painting it in a bronze tone might be suitable.  So I did.  I like it...we'll see today how the paint was absorbed...might need another coat.  I am having a blast.  Loving every second.

Back from my time away....this visit was to Spinello

Ciao mi amici


It seems like posts are few and far between these days.  I have opted to engage in more meditation than internet play.  My most recent trip was to a little town called Spinello....and I mean little but beauty like I have not seen in a long while.
The rolling hills were magnificent.  I found a sculpture that I would love to replicate.  I am enjoying sculpture more than I ever imagined.


When I got back to Florence on Sunday I became aware that the city has put up their Christmas lights and the storefronts are slowly bringing out the red and green and it feels like Christmas is in the air.  Yesterday was the 5 week countdown to Paris.  My life here in Florence has been awesome...I am looking forward to coming home.  We have hit rainy season now and I am consistently focussed on the sun to shine.  I know that I will return to this beautiful city to continue studies down the road...but for now I am wrapping up my stay  here and have started to pack.  My schedule is filling up quickly with goodbye dinners and events.  I will miss Florence and the wonderful friends I have made here.
On that note....must get to class.  Create a magical day.  Ciao!

this restaurant the academia de tartufo had the best food I have tasted in Italy.