Simplicity

Simplicity. This work combines an image of a sculpture of St. Francis in a niche with a photo of a window with plain lace curtains and a sparse, unpretentious window box. Nothing fancy, just simplicity in the everyday. This seemed like a fitting way to portray the humble monk known for striving to live simply and at peace with fellow humans, animals, and nature. 

The imagery was captured while on an artist residency in Assisi, Italy.

Size: (h x w) 12" x 9"

Media: phototransfer on wood

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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.

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!

Assisi

I spent a full day in Assisi, walking up hills and down hills. There was a wonderful sense of adventure as the streets have small alleys branching off and interconnecting with other streets. There was a continuous feeling of discovery as I wandered around bends, hiked up steps and wound through narrow streets. Assisi is on the side of a large hill, so it obviously slopes downhill, but it also goes downhill on the opposite plane, making for a lot of inclines and steps! It is really amazing to see the various Roman arches that indicate where the city walls were and where expansion took place. One road shows three expansions, a very early arch, one from an expansion in 1265 and another from 1316.

It wasn't very crowded today, so I really got a great feel for the place in a quiet atmosphere. I saw the Rocca Minore and the Rocca Maggiore, both medieval fortresses. I toured the inside of the large fortress, which was historically and architecturally intriguing. It also provided an excellent view, since it is on the top of the hill that Assisi is situated on. I spent a good amount of time at the cemetery just outside the city walls. It was a contemplative place with abundant artwork and a beautiful view. It didn't have the forsaken feel of so many other cemeteries, the dead were not forgotten with the scent of fresh flowers by numerous graves, old and new.

I visited many churches today, but the church I enjoyed most was St. Stephano. It is one of the oldest churches in Assisi and was built very plainly by stonemasons. It was the most unadorned basic church I had been in so far, but there was something about the beauty of the sparse space, with only a few faded frescos and low lighting, which provided dramatic shadows.

Eremo delle Carceri

Perhaps my favorite place yet is the area around St. Francis' hermitage, the Eremo Della Carceri. On Mt. Subascio there is a cave or grotto where St. Francis would withdraw to pray and contemplate. (Carceri means "to withdraw"). To get there, you go through a tiny 15th century oratory connected to a small chapel area, the Cappella Della Madonna. There is one fresco in each area, which you can stand very near to and focus on. These intimate spaces provided a deeply thin place for me. I am still pondering the oratory and chapel, as to why it felt so different. Perhaps because of its close proximity with nature, intimate spaces, fewer crowds, the history surrounding it, or a mixture of them all. I know there is no formula for thin places, but I am still left with a sense of wonder.

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.

Assisi Thin Places Partners

I am honored to list those who have pledged to partner with me on the Assisi Thin Places project:

Jill & Todd Rich
Harry & Laurie Winters
David Wills
Ann Lawson
Steve & Sarah Shumaker
Brett & Brenda Woudenberg
Tom & Joyce Waalkes
Su Nimon
Laurie & John Skipper
Paul & Lynn Digby
Richard Thomas
Todd Walburn & Brennis Booth
Tom & Debbie Beiter
Margie Stocker
Tiffany Marsh
Kevin Maxwell
Marcia Everett
Ginny & Steve Jensen
Paul & Gail Wetherell Sack
Marge & John Oliver

If you are interested in learning more about the Assisi Thin Places project or partnering with me on it, please check out my project page on Kickstarter.

Artist Residency in Assisi

I have been accepted for an artist residency at the Arte Studio Ginestrelle in Assisi, Italy. While there, I will be working on capturing imagery for a new mixed media body of work that conveys thin places. A thin place being a time or place in which the veil between the divine and human feels mysteriously thinner, or more permeable. I will be using the imagery from the residency to create mixed media pieces that juxtapose different images together to create intriguing perspectives of a thin place. In addition, I will have a piece of my new work, created as a result of the residency, exhibited in Assisi this fall, along with the work of other artists in residence from throughout this year.

I will travel to Italy on March 21 and return on April 2, 2012. I am using Kickstarter as a funding platform to help fund the travel costs involved in getting to and from Assisi for the residency. Please check out my page on Kickstarter.com, my project title is: Assisi Thin Places. By funding my project, you are also funding the creation of my new body of work for exhibition!