Impressions Part III
from this summer Art Lab in Civitella D'Agliano by Linda Kunik
In the article used images by Linda Kunik and Lark Pilinsky
Thursday, July 21
My painting is finished. Yay!
I will start another one tonight, but today I am going swimming. Sergio and Alexandra have invited the group that helped make the video to come swimming in their pool. 2 hours of heaven! I float and swim, dive and do underwater summersaults and finally cool down in the beautifully refreshing water. I am re-energized.
Late this afternoon we will go to Serpara Sculpture Park, the home and surrounding grounds of iron sculptor Paul Wiedner, an established Swiss artist who began as an assistant to Jean Tinguely and Niki de Saint Phalle. Lovely sculptures placed throughout the grounds give you cause for surprise and contemplation. I especially liked the works along the stream. Sculptures melded into the landscape, iron morphing into tree branch. And then there were the ubiquitous explosive sculptures of Wiedner—steel sculptures that would erupt when you least expected it. A lovely time except for the mosquitos. You don’t feel the bite, but they leave big red welts. Don’t scratch!
Wednesday, July 22
A full day away from the studio. We all need it. We take a large air-conditioned bus (yay again) to the Sacred Wood of Bomarzo, a garden built in the 16th century by an Italian nobleman, Pier Francesco Orsini, as a memorial to his wife, Giulia. It is a huge forest-like park strewn with fantastical images and mythological characters carved out of the huge local rocks and stones that were already there. I could stay forever. What a magical, romantic place! But after two hours, it’s time for lunch, so we hop back on the bus to go to Ristorante Piccolo Mondo, for an alfresco lunch of antipasti and a cold beer. It’s so hot Larissa is sticking her head under the fountain. I’m throwing water from the fountain on my neck and chest and arms, wetting my blouse. Boy it’s hot here. By the time we leave (Italians do not hurry their meals), the skies are clouding over, it’s getting windy, and we’re headed for a volcanic lake to swim. We arrive in a blustery windstorm, dark skies, maybe rain? There was thunder. But some of us went swimming anyway. The water was warm, but wonderful. Some of us walked around the picturesque medieval town for a while, had a glass of wine at a seafront restaurant and then back on the bus to Civitella. A wonderful day, but we’re all tired.
Friday, July 23
It was actually cool this morning. What a pleasure! I guess the storm last night brought in the cooler air. I got up at 6:30 a.m. and made myself some eggs, cherry tomatoes with pesto and Chai tea. That’s the last of the Chai tea I brought. Bought some flowers for the apartment along with some Italian playing cards. They are very different than the American version. The cards are divided into four suits: Bastoni (club), Danari (coin), Spade (spade) and Coppe (cup). The deck came with directions for two card games. I want to learn them. Sergio said he would teach me.
Worked most of the day in the studio. Tried two new pieces with the abstract tearing/ripping process. One looks great! The other?? Don’t give up on it yet, Linda. It’s only the first wash.
Thought it would be a quiet evening tonight to only hear the announcement that Enzo was doing a performance piece in the open space on the 3rd floor of the Fortress at 7 p.m. We were all gathered in a circle with a group of 4 artists sitting back to back on the floor forming the spokes of a wheel. Libbet representing Australia, Anis-Africa, Lena- Europe, Diana–Colombia. A long roll of paper was unrolled inside the circle. Enzo proceeded to draw figures and faces with a black marker all along the inside of the paper. Then, with the help of 2 other people, they acted out the role of sculptor with each of the individuals in the center and carried them off—The creation of an international Art Lab and artist exchange!
Tomorrow is the Farmer’s Market again and the first night of the wine festival. They have been preparing the piazza for two days. Putting up tents, setting up long tables and chairs, putting flowers on each table, taking them off, when a huge downpour suddenly arrived, putting them back after the rain stopped. There must be 20 tables alone in the main piazza. Other tables are set up in the fortress and right outside my apartment. Each area has a restaurant where you can order dinner and then sit at one of the long tables with your friends. Can’t wait.
Please sign in to our RSS and be one of the first readers of our materials