Sunday, April 17, 2011

Fabriano

The Italy sketchbook came home nearly full. There was much to record visually and so much to write about. And so, I begin to work within it and juice every memory I can. 
Color and shape were simply addressed. Over the next few weeks, these sketches will be plumped up a bit and added to. I see many future artworks on these pages. 

The painted paper used as the background in these photos has a story.

One peaceful morning, I took the paper to the terrace at Fonte Fresco and splashed paint on it. Then dabbed my teabag onto it. I let it dry in the hot sun then took it into the garden. I rubbed a crayon on it, picking up the texture of the rocky soil beneath.
It blew away once and I chased it down and rubbed it into the dirt. A leaf from an olive tree felt on it and I traced around the leaf. Delilah, the kitty walked over it. Another leaf blew down and I rubbed it into the paper, it's brilliant green color lending both a scent and a series of smudges. I drew and wrote on the paper and splashed it with Pellegrino. I stamped and rubbed it onto the rocks to soften the paper.
This paper has been embued with Italy.

16 comments:

Scrapacat said...

Wow - busy day for that little piece of paper. Sounds like a lovely day, though, and it looks scrumptious.
♥ky

Jeannie said...

Welcome home. You will make that paper talk!

Anonymous said...

Oh what an adventure that paper has had. Sometimes papers here have similar adventures (though somewhat tame English ones), usually late at night after a glass or two of wine! Once, I accidentally sat on the painted pages; pages good, nightdress ruined.

Your Italian pages are just gorgeous, and there's a bottle of Italian wine in my fridge, so ....

Dawn D. Sokol said...

That paper looks devine!

Pam Carriker said...

So awesome! I'm going to teach there next March and I'm so excited! It sounds heavenly!

Paula said...

Oh, gorgeous. That paper is just bursting with energy and memories! Welcome home, Diana!

Raylee said...

what a great story.....i bet there are lots more!

Judy Merrill-Smith said...

LOVE that paper! (and so glad that you were not afraid of or bothered by that dirt - it's perfect.)

Megan Greenholt said...

happy you're home, safe and sound

Diana Trout {Nan.DT@verizon.net} said...

I wanted the paper to be immersed. A part of Italy. Sort of regretted putting my jeans in the wash today. It is nice to be home though.

Anonymous said...

That paper will always be Italy for you. If you yearn for those days, you can steep the page in water, drink it, and I'm sure you'll wake up in Fabriano again!

Jenny Petricek said...

I love the layers and the way you included your own handwriting within them. Although I detest my own handwriting, I'm inspired to try this in my own art journal!

Anonymous said...

Love what you did with that paper Diana and I look forward to seeing more from your Italy sketchbook.

cathy slobodzian kress said...

Ah ... an art-ifact!

Jane LaFazio said...

yummy.......

Jo Anne O. said...

wow...love that you did that, Diana. I was planning something similar when I visit the town I grew up in later in May. I planned to use salt water from the ocean to activate my w/c pencils and add sand to the pages but this goes off in a further direction that I would not have thought of..thanks for the inspiration!