Italian Memories represents a trip down memory lane and was created for a show that will be held in Italy in summer, 2017 along with fellow students from the studio of Nerina Simi.
The chalice is an example of the type of ceramics that I like to collect from the Tuscan city of Siena, and is the very first piece that I purchased in 1992, acquiring quite a number of pieces since then. The colors and certain elements of the design are taken from the floor of the Cathedral of Siena.
The silver medallion was what I received from the city of Florence, Italy in 2003 in recognition of a Career Achievement Award. The portrait image is that of Lorenzo di Medici the Magnificent, a huge patron of the arts in the late 1400s. Also included is a bottle of olive oil, liquid gold so to speak, which also serves as symbolic feature to represent the towers of San Gimignano, a lovely little hilltop town south of Florence, and one of Catherine’s and my favorite places to visit and paint.
The dried rose in the olive wood holder is symbolic of love or my feelings in general for the Italian culture, art, food, and without a doubt the language itself. The napkin is from Bologna, another of our favorite places to be in Italy, since it is not a huge tourist-driven city therefore a nice place to experience the culture. Then the garlic bulb, the symbol of fortitude in Italian culture, plus I love to cook so it is an extension of my day. The nail is an old antique piece I found years ago in the countryside at the ruin of 15th century farmhouse.
Italian Memories represents a trip down memory lane and was created for a show that will be held in Italy in summer, 2017 along with fellow students from the studio of Nerina Simi.
The chalice is an example of the type of ceramics that I like to collect from the Tuscan city of Siena, and is the very first piece that I purchased in 1992, acquiring quite a number of pieces since then. The colors and certain elements of the design are taken from the floor of the Cathedral of Siena.
The silver medallion was what I received from the city of Florence, Italy in 2003 in recognition of a Career Achievement Award. The portrait image is that of Lorenzo di Medici the Magnificent, a huge patron of the arts in the late 1400s. Also included is a bottle of olive oil, liquid gold so to speak, which also serves as symbolic feature to represent the towers of San Gimignano, a lovely little hilltop town south of Florence, and one of Catherine’s and my favorite places to visit and paint.
The dried rose in the olive wood holder is symbolic of love or my feelings in general for the Italian culture, art, food, and without a doubt the language itself. The napkin is from Bologna, another of our favorite places to be in Italy, since it is not a huge tourist-driven city therefore a nice place to experience the culture. Then the garlic bulb, the symbol of fortitude in Italian culture, plus I love to cook so it is an extension of my day. The nail is an old antique piece I found years ago in the countryside at the ruin of 15th century farmhouse.