Visions

This piece is entitled Visions and was created with imagery I captured while in Assisi, Italy working on my Thin Places project. It was created by fusing two photos.  One image is of a fresco from the exterior of the Basilica of Saint Mary of the Angels, located just outside of Assisi.  The other is of a medieval alleyway winding through the town.  I like how the images work together to create the sense of a vision unfolding ahead.  It conveys a trace of a thin place.  This glimmer of the unknown-- that which is just beyond-- continues to draw me in.

I am very excited to continue my work exploring thin places.  I will be traveling to Scotland May 30-June 8 to capture imagery to create a new body of work that portrays thin places.  I am particularly interested in Iona, which is a very small island in Scotland that is considered a thin place.  I am very eager to explore and experience this place!

But I wouldn't be doing this without the amazing support and encouragement of so many people! I am grateful for those who really "get" this project and want to see it succeed.  A friend recently wrote me: "This is an exciting part of your art journey, life journey too... enjoy/share/create/teach... but most of all = GROW! "   Thanks, my friend, I plan to!

For more information about my upcoming project, visit my Iona Imagery Kickstarter page!

Size: (h x w) 20" x 16"
Media: Digital Photography
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Iona Imagery Kickstarter Partners

My sincere gratitude goes out to the following people who are partnering with me on my Iona Imagery project.  Their support will help enable me to create a new body of work inspired by my experiences of thin places in Iona, Scotland.  

Special thanks to:

Barbara J.

Pamela Daum, in honor of her mother, Betty Joan White Zucker Milner

Lexi

Tom and Joyce Waalkes
Sharon and Jim Charmley
Fredlee Votaw
Brett and Brenda Woudenberg
Emil Alecusan
Jeff Dreyer
Su Nimon
Robb Hankins
Heidi Beke Harrigan
Marcia Everett
Barb Walker
Paul & Gail Wetherell-Sack

To find out more about my Iona Imagery project and how you can back my project please click here to visit my Kickstarter page!

The piece pictured above is part of my Thin Places body of work that was inspired by my thin place experiences in Assisi, Italy.  It is entitled Shelter, and is a combination of two images.  One is a photo of sheep grazing on a peaceful hillside outside of town.  The other is of the Eremo delle Carceri, which is the cave in Mount Subasio where St. Francis used to retreat for prayer and contemplation.  Perhaps it was because the cave was integrated in the quietness of nature, but I found it to feel even more sacred, or thin, than the St. Francis Basilica with all of it's frescoed splendor.

Size (h x w) 12" x 9"
Media: Phototransfer on wood panel
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Journey

The Basilica of St. Francis is a structure with three levels.  Each descending level grows more simple. The Italian Gothic upper church, built upon an existing church, is the most ornate with brilliant frescoes by Giotto of the life of St. Francis.  The lower church, is smaller, darker, and more intimate, with more humble frescos.  Below this is the crypt that contains the tomb of St. Francis.  This rough hewn space with simple adornments, low lighting, and few distractions turned out to be a quiet space of contemplation for me. 

I used an image of a cross candle holder from the crypt and overlayed it with a photo of a long stone hallway from the fortress, Rocca Maggiore (which is lit sparingly by arrow slits and a few lights), to echo the sense of the deep quiet in the reflective crypt space. 

This is part of the Thin Places body of work created from my artist residency in Assisi, Italy last year. 

Size: (h x w) 20" x 16"

Media: original digital photography

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Porta

The medieval arched gate seen in this piece is the Porta Cappuccini.  It was built in Assisi around 1316 and is still sound (cars drive through it!).  I overlayed this image with a shot of the winding dirt road that leads to the Arte Studio Ginestrelle, where I stayed for my artist residency.  These images were paired to convey the feel of wandering, of not knowing what lies ahead, and of the intrigue that drives us on. 

Size (h x w) 24" x 18"

Media: Phototransfered digital photography on panel with pastels

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Salvation

St. Francis used to withdraw from others to pray and contemplate in a cave on Mount Subasio, in Assisi, Italy. The cave is now incorporated into a hermitage called the Eremo delle Carceri.  

When I went to visit St. Francis’ cave, which is the main attraction, I was surprised to be so moved by the Oratory of St. Bernadine.  This intimate space set aside for prayer is located on the way to St. Francis' cave.  It was constructed in the 15th century and one of my guidebooks only briefly noted that it had one of “a few worn frescoes.”  Yet this oratory, with its beautiful "worn fresco", was a very thin place for me. 

(A thin place being a place where it feels like the divide between the Divine and human is mysteriously thinner).

I combined the image of the oratory fresco of the crucifixion with an image of a double door that lead into a small mausoleum in the cemetery in Assisi.  In the middle of the doors two halves of a crown of thorns come together.  A brown string held the doors together and yet there was still a small gap in between, offering a sense of accessibility.  

This piece is part of the Thin Places body of work that I created after an artist residency in Assisi, Italy last year. 

Size: (h x w) 16" x 16"

Media: Original digital photography on aluminum

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Senses

While wandering around Assisi, Italy I happened upon this wonderfully chaotic little gallery. The gallery was closed, but I could not resist checking out the different pieces of artwork in this dusty nook.  It was filled with assorted relics of creativity and exuded a captivating sense of history. I resonated with the feel of the place so I took a photo through the bars that were closing it off. I overlaid the photo with an image of a medieval balcony that echoed the artistry and time worn beauty found within the gallery.

This is one of the pieces from the Thin Places body of work that I created as a result of my artist residency in Assisi in 2012.

Size: (h x w) 14" x 18"

Media: phototransfer on arches paper

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A Round

In Assisi there were many sensory experiences that were thin places for me.

One of the most memorable was hearing the bells that would start to ring slowly and then quicken triumphantly as other bells joined in and rang in a round throughout the town.

It is the beauty of those bells ringing that inspired this piece. I incorporated a photo of the Basilica of St. Francis (where I was first stunned by the beauty of the bells) along with a close up of the bells in the campanile or bell tower.

This is part of my Thin Places body of work created after an artist residency in Assisi, Italy last year.

Size: (h x w) 16" x 20"

Media: Original digital photography on canvas

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Distance

The background image of this piece was taken on top of Mount Subasio in Assisi, Italy.  This mountain, where Saint Francis used to retreat to a cave to pray, is considered by locals as sacred. One pamphlet notes that Mount Subasio has been shaped by “the religious paths that have been moulding these landscapes for centuries...”  It seemed like a good explanation of this thin place.

I layered an image of an arched doorway (from the hilltop fortress Rocca Maggiore) over the photo from Mount Subasio.  I wanted to offer a glimpse of this landscape that has been moulded into a beautiful thin place.

This piece is part of my Thin Places body of work created as a result of an artist residency in Assisi, Italy.

Size: (h x w) 30" x 20"

Media: original digital photography on canvas

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Today and Tomorrow

The sense of history and remembrance that is encapsulated in old cemeteries intrigues me.  When visiting the cemetery in Assisi, I was impressed by how much artwork was incorporated into the graves and how many fresh flowers there were--the scent actually wafted through the air.  It was a beautiful place, full of memory, where people paid tribute to those who had gone before them.  

The quiet splendor of this remembrance is referenced in this piece utilizing an image of a side window of a small mausoleum, with fresh flowers inside, and layered with a sculpted figure of a woman above a grave. 

This piece is part of my Thin Places body of work that I created after an artist residency in Assisi, Italy.

Size (h x w) 24" x 16"

Medium: Original digital photography on aluminum

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Pilgrim

This piece features the Oratorio dei Pellegrini or the Pilgrim’s Oratory located in Assisi, Italy.  It has historically “offered rest and restoration to pilgrims,” as one pamphlet says.   Although I never had a chance to enter this place of prayer/worship while in Assisi, I kept circling back to it, admiring the exterior frescoes and slyly peeking through the thick glass doors from behind the velvet curtains.  It was always locked.  I took this shot from across the street.  It is my reflection in the glass doors--the reflection of a pilgrim.  It seemed fitting to combine this photo with one that showcased Assisi, the place of the pilgrimage to explore thin places.  

Pilgrim is part of my Thin Places body of work.

Size: (h x w) 20" x 16" framed

Medium: original digital photograph

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Passage

Passage was created from two viewpoints that shaped my time in Assisi and my perception of thin places.  The first is of an archway that opens up to reveal a stunning view of the countryside.  The first time I came upon this place, it was such a delight to see the hazy blues and greens of the countryside in a break between the pale medieval stone walls!  

The second image is of the window in my room at the Arte Studio Ginestrelle.  When not out wandering the town and countryside, I spent a fair bit of time in this room researching and looking out the window reflecting.  This view offered me a place where I would get lost in thought and it inspired me.

These images capture the thrill of discovery and the significance of contemplation. 

This piece is part of my Thin Places body of work, created after an artist residency in Assisi, Italy last year.

If you have a minute, please read the view the review of my latest Thin Places exhibit!

Size: (h x w) 20" x 12"

Media: Original digital photography on canvas

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Grateful

As I scurry around this week finishing up the last installment of Thin Places artwork and looking back over this past year, I am reminded of how very thankful I am to have had the opportunity to go on the artist residency in Assisi to work on this project.  At the end of this project I have particularly enjoyed revisiting my photos, my stash of mementos, and my journal entries that so vividly remind me of the "thinness" I experienced.  I have been moved and inspired far beyond my expectations.

Many thanks to all of you who have affirmed and supported me through this adventure.  I am deeply grateful!

At this point, I am not sure if my Thin Places body of work will be exhibited again locally, so if you are in the area, please come to the opening reception for the show on Friday, January 11 from 5-9 pm at the Market Street Art Spot in Minerva.

Nearing Completion

Well, I am happy to say that the Thin Places body of work will be completed by the end of the year!  It has been such a wonderful process for me to strive to create work that offers a glimpse at my experiences of thin places while I was in Assisi, Italy.  Some of these pieces are currently in an exhibit in Assisi (opening December 2) and in the Dueber Cafe Gallery at the Timken Company in Canton, OH (until January 15).  The rest of the work will be on exhibit at The Art Spot in Minerva, OH, opening January 11, 2013.  Now my next goal is to try to find a venue for the entire body of work to be exhibited all together!

With that said, it feels a little sad to be nearing the completion of this project.  It has been such a fulfilling experience and I have been stretched and challenged in so many new ways-- I don't want that to stop.  I want to use this as a springboard to the next project...whatever that may be!  Though the next project has not yet emerged from the bramble of ideas in my head, I look forward to seeing what's next.

Thinking and Being

Two images are combined in this piece to capture experiences while in Assisi, Italy that made me want to just pause and “be.”

One image is of a weathered chair.  It was in an old Italian farmhouse outside of Assisi.  It captured my imagination with its distressed beauty and seemed to exude a sense of history that was embedded in this worn, yet sturdy chair.

The second image was a mountain view taken from the top of Mount Subasio, also in Assisi.  The vastness of the beauty made me pause to savor it.

Thinking and Being
Size (h x w): 24" x 30"
Media: Digital Photography on canvas
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Unexpected Surprise!

So many have asked about my time in Assisi.  It has been difficult to articulate and share about the large and small elements of the experience that made it so inspiring, rewarding, thought provoking, moving,...but I am working on it!  I am still thinking about and processing so many aspects of it, which I am sure I will be doing for quite a while!  Creating the new body of work will undoubtedly be an integral part of processing the experience. 

Interestingly, since returning from Italy I have noticed that I am still scanning my surroundings with a heightened sense of observation, looking for beauty and meaning around me.  In Assisi, I knew I had limited time and was seeking to capture imagery and experience the surroundings to create my Thin Places body of work.  Yet, here I am, back in Ohio, looking closely and appreciating the beauty around me.  What an unexpected surprise!

Arte Studio Ginestrellle

I arrived at Arte Studio Ginestrelle yesterday. It is a 19th century farmhouse that originally

housed animals in the lower level. Today, the lower level is made up of three different kitchens and a large communal space for the artists in residence. The house is very charming and has a real sense of history that seems to invite discovery in and around it.

Last night I had dinner with Marina, the director, Jo, a visual artist from Alaska, and Tommie, a writer from Finland. We had a lot of fun chatting about cultural differences, from food to how to call a cat or other animals, to traditions that accompany different holidays. We laughed a lot at some of the random things we discovered.

Today was my first full day in the town of Assisi. Apart from the masses of the Italian version of girl scouts, wearing monks clothes and lady bug beenie hats, that swarmed around in the earlier part of the day, it was easy to maneuver. Though no photography is allowed in most churches, I thoroughly enjoyed my experiences within.

Some of the pigments in the frescos in the Basilica of Saint Francis have oxidized, actually giving it an inverted look that plays with your perspective. I sat in a side chapel in the lower church during mass and was deeply moved by it. (The lower church is the older part over which a grander basilica was built and frescoed by Giotto, Cimabue...it was awesome to see both levels of frescoes!!) When the priest sang, it was so beautiful, perhaps because I have not experienced mass before or perhaps because I did not focus on the words, since I don't understand Italian very well...regardless, this was a thin place for me filled with pure beauty, both audible and visual with the frescoes all around. I think Lent is a perfect time to explore art in Italy, there is a heightened sensitivity to the imagery.

In the Basilica of St. Clare, there was a misty haze from the incense that glowed in the late afternoon sun coming through the rose window. Again, a thin place for me.