26 January 2014

Sabbatico a Firenze

Sgraffito decoration on the facade of the Palazzo Galli-Tassi, Firenze
In just a few days, I will be leaving for a three-month sabbatical in Florence, Italy.  My goal is to spend this time in intensive study of art and painted ornament, and to solidify the material I have been collecting for a book.  

Alison luring an American buyer into her shop.
This plan took shape last winter while visiting my friend and colleague Alison Woolley of FlorenceArt.  Ever the voice of reason, she may have suggested we stay an entire year, and now that this trip is upon us I realize how short a time three months actually is.

So, for the last twelve months I have been plotting and arranging, scheduling around unexpected delays and challenges, and trying to learn some Italian.
The Duomo at night, December 2012
My remaining days here are being spent organizing the next projects at my studio, fussing over my (thankfully drought-tolerant) garden,  getting camera equipment in order, working on my packing strategy, pondering the telecommunications situation here and abroad, spending as  much time as possible with mourning the sudden loss of my geriatric parrot;   finding a million things about which to fret, all the while taking some comfort in the fact that, thanks to jet propulsion, I am only one mildly inconvenient day away from pretty much anywhere.  

Maestro Erling Wold and I will be in residence in (some rooms in) the Palazzo Galli-Tassi, a 16th century palace where we hope to create the perfect environment for our exploration of ornament, music, and a helping of Tuscan culture.

I invite you to follow our exploits here at The Ornamentalist.