Hysong Designs - The Artists Way

Thursday, September 1, 2011

A Festa in Force

Fire juggler, Force

On Sunday evening we went over to Force to the 'festa'. Basically a harvest festival, every town seems to have one sometime in August or September, celebrating their local specialty.

Force is well known for their traditional copper beaters. There are only a couple of little old men still making copper pots, stills (yes it's legal to distal your own alcohol here), and other items. There were little food booths set up all over the town, a few people selling jewelry.

One of the churches had an amazing model of the town and of the old crafts practiced here set up in their basement.

There was also some entertainment, singers, dancers, live folk bands, this fellow that juggled fire and did a mime act and one on impossibly tall stilts who danced. That was an amazing feat to dance on stilts on steep cobblestone streets!

More Sight Seeing in Ascoli

door to Ave Maria

We also went in the church of Ave Maria. There are some fantastic huge marble columns and sculptures from the 17th c. but the interesting part were the very early fresco fragments from the 12/13th c.

Fresco fragment, Ave Maria

We then walked down towards the Roman bridge, still in use and with cars going over it. On the way a church was open that is normally closed. San Maria dell Intervenous, the sign says it is called that because it was built over a vineyard. John however is of the opinion that it means 'of the blood'. This is because the site is right by the river and vineyards are never planted by the river, but higher up on the hills.

Either way the church is quite a find. The inside is obviously old, around 11th century and with some fairly well preserved fragments of frescoes on the pillars along with Byzantine styled lions on the portico.

San Maria Intervenous

S.Maria Intervenous fresco

ancient graffiti on the fresco

Church tower of S. Maria Intervenous

Later we walked across the Roman bridge and took a look at a place that Gabrielli had painted of which I had bought a print. I haven't taken a pic of the print, but will do that and show you the painting and a photo of the place side by side.

Ascoli

Buildings are built right over streets, Ascoli

On Sunday John took us to Ascoli to see the Gabrielli exhibit. He was a19th century painter of the Le Marche area and many of the scenes he painted can be seen today, little changed except for the addition of cars and electric lines.

It kind of cracks me up how the buildings are built right over the streets. You have to remember that this area, like most of Europe has been inhabited since prehistoric times. Most towns have Roman foundations and each generation has built on top of the last. In one street you are likely to see buildings or parts of buildings put up or remodeled in nearly every century. Everywhere you can see traces of Gothic archetecture, some still there, some bricked up.

Gothic window, Ascoli

Modern Italian building consists of pre-cast concrete wall slabs with a little brick work on the corners and around doors and windows. I much prefer the older methods of building with stone.

Carlos Crivelli Alter Piece

While waiting for the Gabrielli exhibit to open we took a walk. In the church of San Emideo is an original Carlos Crivelli alter piece. Fully gilded, egg tempera over gessoed wood panels, it is a beautiful piece.

altar piece closeup

San Emidio was built over a 12-13th century chapel, possibly built by Templars.

13th c. chapel under San Emidio

The crypt under San Emidio

Part of the crypt

Column capital 13th c or earlier

The earlier chapel was partly remodeled and some flashy polished marble columns were put in to replace the older ones. However, most of the capitals were kept and the carving is very fine compared to the later ones.

The early chapel was actually built over the remains of a Roman temple dedicated to Jupiter.

Tuesday, August 30, 2011

One Stroke Class

One Stroke Painting Class

One Saturday Jana arranged for me to teach a One Stroke painting class, I had 6 students, including a couple of young girls, one was 11. Everyone had a good time. Jana spread us a lovely lunch and we painted away most of the day.

Mural in the apartment

Apartment kitchen before

On Friday was lazed about the studio painting and sketching from our photos, doing laundry and what not. In the after noon I painted a little mural in the apartment kitchen where I am staying. Here it is before.

And here it is a couple of hours later with a little one stroke mural of a grape vine and some brick work.

Friday, August 26, 2011

Montefalcone and Vittoria

The door to San Taddeo

On Thursday morning Elise and I hiked up the hill to the ruins of a small farmer's chapel. I'm told it was actually in use right into the 1970's but by then everyone had a car to go to the big church in Force so the priest stop coming to the little chapels.

The roof has mostly caved in and part of the walls are coming down from neglect but it gives a good idea of past building methods. The walls are around 18-24 inches thick, the middles of the walls are just rubble fill and mud. The beams are tree trunks just barely squared off. There is a trace of painted decoration on the inside. As with most buildings even now there are no window screens, but there were shutters for the windows to help control light and heat during the day and cold during the nights and winter.

San Taddeo

The chapel sits on top of little hill in a copse of trees. Just below the crest the farmers fields begin.

View from San Taddeo

The valley on the side opposite of the Retreat has steeper slopes than below Force.

We sat and painted a bit then went back to the Retreat to freshen up a bit and take off again. Our first stop was Montefalcone, Mountain of the Falcons. The falcons nest in the cliffs here and are protected. The town literally hangs on the edge of the cliff.

Montefalcone from below

13th century tower, Montefalcone

Like most Italian hill towns Montefalcone has a surviving medieval tower. Rebuilt in the 13th century the walls extend through the town and you can see parts of them in other places. An odd thing to realize too is that in some places there are residences built into the walls then above them is a road.


street in Montefalcone

While quads aren't something you see on the streets every day, you do see one once in awhile.

street in Montefalcone

But you are more likely to see these little 3 wheeled trucks running about. I'm told that mostly the teenagers drive them because they do not require a license to drive one of these.

convent gate, Montefalcone

Fountain, Vittoria

We left Montefalcone and traveled on over to Vittoria. We sat and sketched this cute little fountain. We walked through the gate to a little shop and had a gelato in the street.

street, Vittoria

Vittoria gate going in

Vittoria, gate from the other side

To Market, To Market

veggie plants for sale in the market

A large vegetable stall in the market

After breakfast on Wednesday we went to the market in Amandola. Besides veggies and veggies plants there were stalls selling clothing and accessories. I picked up a nice all cotton skirt. We stocked up on fresh vegetables and fruit and picked up a piece of sausage (very different than what we get in the States; no ground, a solid piece of meat)

country road

After leaving the market we headed for Sarnano because there is an exhibition of Crivelli works there. Along the way we stopped by this country road in the shade to eat the lunch we had packed.

Sarnano gate house

Typical of hill towns the old part of town at the top is enclosed in walls and you must pass through the guard gate. Today of course there are no guards and the buildings are usually given over to government offices or even made into residences. We parked near the bottom of town and had a steep hike up the winding passage ways to the small piazza on top, where the exhibition is. Unfortunately it was closed for siesta and we did not want to wait around 3 hours. So we sketched a bit and looked around and then took off again.