First Week of Teaching

Chuck started the Plein Air Painting first week on Monday with a critique in the Monastery and I went off to Bookmaking/Printing. The students are already 4 weeks into the program, so I am catching up presto! A little one hour project making a 16 page book out of one sheet of paper took me an anguished afternoon and now I'm onto a "storage book" - NOT to be confused with a scrapbook -that should take three hours (hmmmm...how about a day per page?). I am tempted to make something that is precious - remembering that there is definitely a wide gulf between deep 'n cute and Diebenkorn.

Alas, I thought I'd be so clever and read Dante's Inferno, learn Italian and actually pre-cut a little printing plate in the shape of the boot of Italy. Suffice it to say, my Italian is non existent (the 4th grade Spanish just LEAPS out my mouth, leaving a brain muddle along with a very perplexed listener). my little boot has been squished in the printing press and I am living the second level of the Inferno - I knew it was hot in Hell, but I had no idea there were so many mosquitos.

Tuesday morning started with painting on the streets of Corciano followed by a trip to Perugia, filling our van with art supplies and electric fans (they expect the heat wave to continue through the weekend). We will be off to Venice on Thursday to check out the known sights and their t-shirted tourists and participate in the Festival of the Redeemer (the plague indiscriminately killed some one million Venetians and somehow it just stopped one day - this is T.H.E. day they celebrate the generalized saviour with fireworks that start at midnight and last all night). When will Jonas Salk get such an honor?

Did we tell you that between the Catholic saints, politicians, music and foods (this appears to be the season of truffles, boar and jazz) and a general desire to celebrate anything we plan to catch AT LEAST ten celebrations. That is, after the painting students learn to control their values and lines and I finish my handmade "spy book."