Fine Art by Kelly Borsheim: Artist in Florence, Italy and Texas

Gardens in Florence Italy

2013-04-29T10:38:00.004+02:00

Cari Amici (Dear Friends),

I cannot help loving the Renaissance City, aka Florence, Italy. I do not always know why, but there it is. However, there are a lot of times in which I feel out of kilter and that is when I cannot be near a tree. So much of the greenery in Florence is hidden behind walls. I was once told that an open door in Italia is an invitation. I am not convinced that I believe this, but there are times in which I act as if I do!

Just over a week ago an American sculptor living in Italy came to Florence (Firenze) and asked if we could get together. Tammy Duris had contacted me many years ago in Colorado and recently we ended up spending a fun day together walking around central Florence. While peeking into an open archway near my home, we started speaking with the security guard. I was happy that Tammy asked him if the space was a residenza. He responded, “No, si tratta di una casa." So, then I asked him what was the difference between residenza and a casa (house). He explained that the first was a place for rent, the second a private home.

And then to my utter delight, he told me that he would allow us to go in if we went only into the courtyard straight ahead and did not linger or explore the other areas. So, I was able to see some trees and flowers! And even a sculpture! It was certainly not the prettiest garden space that I have seen, but my point is that so much of Firenze is hidden. So when you see an open door, sometimes you may just get to walk through it!

Just a reminder, this workshop is coming up soon:

"Portrait Painting with Artist Kelly Borsheim" May 17-19, 2013, Sanford, Florida (near Orlando)

Michelangelo Architectural Design Butterfly

2013-04-25T15:19:00.000+02:00

Cari Amici (Dear Friends),

Some of my paintings and even sculpture have involved doing some research on my basic idea. Sometimes that is because I do not remember details or want to get a related quote exactly right, but often I know that when I am trying to clarify an idea growing in my brain, researching often leads me to a stronger way to express the idea.

Such is the case with my newest painting in the works now. I do not want to give too much away, but like many of my works in the last several years, the basic idea is about transitions. As in my painting "Le Scale dell'Eros", my new work includes the shape of an animal; in this case, I am using a butterfly to symbolize a metamorphosis type of transition.

I first came to Italy in 2004 with a desire simply to touch the work of one of my first sculpture teachers, the great (and very late) Michelangelo. Since that wonderful experience, I had a desire to live with more art around me on a daily basis and thus Italy, especially Florence, was a strong pull. Can you imagine my delight that my research on the Greek myth that accompanies the butterfly idea led me to a butterfly shape designed by Michelangelo? It is an architectural idea he had for the Porta al Prato in Florence. I do not believe it was ever realized… but still. Here is what I found . . .

Add to this that I am trying to push myself in a slightly new direction. I do not really know exactly where I am going, but having created art for many years now, I trust the process to bring me to places that I had not really thought of, but will be appropriate for where I am in my life in the time of the painting’s creation. That sounds a bit “foo-foo” to even me, but … do what you like with it.

That said, one thing that I have struggled with since I was ten years old is the fear of losing things (people really). But for this painting, I want the butterfly form to be more subtle than most things I have painted before. In an attempt to let go without fear of losing the communication of my idea, I sketched the architectural design of Michelangelo on my canvas in charcoal until I was satisfied with the proportions. [(I prepped the 90 x 130 cm canvas with a blue campitura).] I then painted the lines loosely in a blue-umber color. [See the lower left section of the butterfly.]

After letting that be for a small time, I then went in with a blending brush and mushed all of the edges. I tried to loosen up and let the brush strokes soften everything. I want to build from this basic shape and create a composition that I find mysterious, intriguing, and expressing an emotion… in all honestly, I am not sure what. This is a painting idea from something I have felt for many years now, having spent my life in my recent past going back and forth from Texas to Italia. Would you like to follow the journey with me? Or maybe it would be best for me to wait to see if I am successful in this endeavor?

There is still time to sign-up for the workshop that I will be teaching in central Florida this May. I hope you join me and let us make some art and work with designing a portrait!

"Portrait Painting with Artist Kelly Borsheim"

2013 Art Workshop Dates:
Friday, May 17 from 6-9 pm;
Saturday, May 18, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. (lunch is from 1 to 2 p.m.) and
Sunday, May 19 from noon to 5 p.m., 2013
(14 hours in total)

Location: Private historic Victorian estate in Sanford, Florida (central Florida). Paid attendees will be given the address before the workshop begins, but the location is near Country Club Road on Highway 46A.

In this hands-on introductory weekend portrait workshop, you will learn how to improve your drawing and observation skills for creating a portrait and how to achieve a more 3-dimensional effect in your art using pastels and charcoal. Or you may prefer to work with oil paint.

Happy Liberation Day, Italia!

Il Montino Pisa Italy

2013-04-14T09:39:00.002+02:00

Cari Amici (Dear Friends),

In my last blog entry, I shared with you some images from the free exhibition in Pisa, Italy, about the paintings of Artemisia Gentileschi and the costume designs on Anna Anni. Today, I want to show you images of my day trip to Pisa (from Florence). My friend Simone and I did not go into the main piazza where the famous Leaning Tower exists, although we could see the tip of the tower from various points around the city we did visit. I am happy to say that he was able to change my opinion of Pisa in a good way.

After seeing the exhibition at the Palazza Blu, Simone took me to a hidden little gem in which the locals favored. It is called Il Montino and was tasty and affordable. It is tucked away to the left of a short clock tower not too far from the river.

You may see more images of Pisa in my Facebook page, look in the photo album titled “Day Trips.”

Thank you for any amount of appreciation for the time of writing and creating images to share with you. Glad you have you along on this journey!

https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=3M3UZTASNLCPL

Artemisia Gentileschi Anna Anni Palazzo Blu Pisa Italy

2013-04-13T15:54:00.004+02:00

Cari Amici (Dear Friends),

Last week, my Florentine friend Simone invited me to go to Pisa with him to see the free exhibit of the paintings of Artemisia Gentileschi, a good painter who was the contemporary of Michelangelo. And a woman: A financially successful woman artist.

I actually used one of her figures in a work I created for my first exhibit in Italy “Kelly Borsheim: Luce dall'oscurità.” The Gentileschi work that I “lifted” was a composition of “Susanna and the Elders.” I looked for this painting in the current exhibit at Pisa’s Palazzo Blu, but they showed a different one of the same title, equally enchanting. I show it here with my friend as a size comparison. Palazzo Blu is literally a blue building and quite easy to find along the river.

I was delighted that my favorite piece in the show was “Allegoria della Pittura” (Allegory of a Painter, 1638-1645) by Artemisia Gentileschi and is in a private collection. For me, that is a bit of the point to attend these collective exhibitions of one artist. Otherwise, you might never see a work owned by private hands. I show my horribly blurry image of the portrait painting here.

The surprise that even Simone did not know about was the exhibit on the costume designs by Anna Anni Normally, I am not so interested in fashion, except maybe perhaps in a bizarre way. But I was intrigued by these costumes, for me a bit of another world, old-fashioned, charming and yet… je ne said quoi. See what you think. I might be a bit too romantic…. Or thinking too much of vampires.

The exhibit at Palazzo Blu in Pisa, Italy, continues FREE until 30 June 2013. Get by to see it and spend a lovely day checking out the sights in Pisa OTHER THAN the famous piazza containing the Leaning Tower.
Palazzo Blu
“Artemisia Gentileschi nel 1632: La musa Clio musa della Stori e gli anni napoletani.
(Cleo the muse of history and the Naples’ years)

Dopo il successo della mostra Wassily Kandinsky. Dalla Russia all'Europa BLU | Palazzo d'arte e cultura presenta la nuova iniziativa. Fulcro dell'iniziativa è il dipinto eseguito da Artemisia Gentileschi nel 1632: Clio musa della Storia. La mostra, che propone importanti dipinti, inediti o mai visti in Italia, si concentra sugli anni napoletani dell’artista e approfondisce le nostre conoscenze sulla sua cospicua produzione partenopea e sulle sue vicende biografiche nella capitale del Vice Regno e in Toscana, dove Artemisia conservava interessi e proprietà.

Costumi di scena: Anna Anni e l'Officina Cerratelli

La nuova iniziativa di Palazzo Blu, realizzata in collaborazione con la Fondazione Cerratelli, è un omaggio ad una delle più celebri costumiste italiane. Anna Anni, infatti, ha firmato centinaia di produzioni per prestigiosi teatri in tutto il mondo. La mostra mette in risalto, oltre alle sue splendide creazioni, il legame professionale con Franco Zeffirelli e con tutti quei registi e artisti che con Anna Anni hanno condiviso il suo successo.

Orvieto Cathedral Duomo Italy

2013-04-06T19:55:00.002+02:00

Cari Amici (Dear Friends),

Here are some of my images from the Duomo (Cathedral) of Orvieto, in the region of Umbria, Italy. The building was started in late 1290. The church is designed with stripes of stone, alternating green and white similar to the Duomo in Siena that earns the nickname of “the zebra castle” with one of my friends back in Texas

While many hands are sometimes involved in the designs of Italy’s landmark buildings, Sienese architect and sculptor Lorenzo Maitani gets the credit for designing the façade. It does not feel like it when you are there, but the position of the church is such that one may see the full face of the church from a great distance from the city. It rises above the other architecture and Caroline told me that on a sunny day, that gold is gloriously broadcast about!

I also enjoy the addition of the pink stone on the façade. As in the famous Duomo of Florence, Italy, the white, pink, and green combinations serve to simply and sooth the eye when framing the more complicated compositions of the mosaic designs. The dark green bronze sculpted doors and sculpture also do this. I was amused that this piece of architecture featured so many statues of animals seeming to “take a leap” off of the face of the church.

Oh, the stories these carvings in marble tell! It is a shame that the lower part must be covered by a semi-transparent protective barrier. I often wonder what is the protection from – vandals or the extremely high numbers of adoring fans and maybe believers who just want to rub on the artwork. Enjoy!

Click here for more information about the workshop: http://www.borsheimarts.com/art-workshops/2013ArtPortraitWorkshopFlorida.htm

Orvieto Italy

2013-04-03T00:39:00.001+02:00

Cari Amici (Dear Friends),

Once the site of an Etruscan acropolis, Orvieto, Italia, is one of those places that you see in a lot of postcards. While my friend Caroline and I did not have much time on our way back to Florence from southern Tuscany recently, she wanted to show me the impressive Duomo (cathedral) in Orvieto, so we drove on up the hill and into the parking garage. Very few vehicles are allowed into this walled city and it was fun to ride up into it in an elevator with a dog! [Dogs are pretty much allowed everywhere in Italia.]

Even on the overcast day when we were there, you may get a sense of history and beauty of this town that I will definitely revisit! This little outdoor bar/ristorante shown here is right next to the Duomo of Orvieto, but I will keep those Duomo images for the next post.

Also, I had hoped to publish this post on Easter Sunday because I was really struck by the gentle face of Jesus in this fresco, also not far from the Duomo. But time slipped away from me and timing has rarely been my strong point. I have written about the Tabernacoli fiorentini, which got my attention by their sheer abundance and my friend Simone’s explanation about these shrines having been created outside in order to slow down the spreading of the plague. The protective Plexiglas makes most of these tabernacles very difficult to see, much less photograph. Peccato!

There is a simple composition in this fresco that felt comfortable in my brain the way many others have never done. In art, vertical lines often portray an emotion of security, the way that tall buildings and trees give us a sense of strength and solidity. [Horizontal lines are peaceful; diagonals are where the action is.] The slight lean of Christ’s body and his parallel cross break up the normalcy of ordinary vertical lines and it feels to me as if there is a sense of movement or life in this image.

And while it has obviously worn away, the fresco-making process shows us the outline of what once was a huge sweep of drapery on the figure that leads the eye up to the Cross. I suspect most people would not think of such a thing, but I like it that the diagonal lines are looking down from the right. We in the Western world read from top left to lower right. I flipped this image in my mind’s eye and decided it had more grace and surprise for me, maybe even a more contemplative feel, by having this diagonal energy moving “back into” the composition (ie from upper right to lower left). So, I am now curious to know how a person who reads in another direction would response to the shapes in this figure composition.

I also think it is cool that you do not see the figure’s lower legs or feet. A good design is a good design, even as it is eroding before our eyes. I hope you enjoy my snapshots of Orvieto, Italy.

Because time got away from me and I have been very busy dealing with my taxes and a new housing contract and other such head-twisting tasks, I decided to extend the early bird savings deadline for my portrait workshop in Florida… the new deadline will be April 17, 2013 – two days after the IRS tax filing day. Just in case you are as side-tracked from art as I have been lately. Click here for more information about the workshop: http://www.borsheimarts.com/art-workshops/2013ArtPortraitWorkshopFlorida.htm

Little Jerusalem Pitigliano Italy

2013-03-30T15:06:00.001+01:00

Cari Amici (Dear Friends),

I found myself exploring the town of Pitigliano, Italy, recently thanks to my friend Caroline. Pitigliano lies south and east of the more famous Grosseto and is very close to the southern Tuscan border. Pitigliano has a history dating back to the Etruscan times, but in 1293 the Orsini family gained control and began its history warring with Siena.

The city emerges above the tufa rock, rising from organic to geometrical forms, with caves visible in which I was told that hermits used to occupy. Those spaces closer to the paved road that leads into the city were once used to keep donkeys. Now they are simply storage rooms.

I thought it was funny that the map of this city perched on an elongated peak looks a bit like a slug from above, since my traveling companion and tour guide described this city as beautiful, but a bit claustrophobic. She said she could not life there because of the closeness of everything, namely the narrow streets. I knew that I wanted to come back to explore this place longer than the two hours or so that we had there.

While there are few if any Jewish people living in Pitigliano today, it was historically a town quite friendly to the Jewish population. My friend Caroline and I visited the former ghetto in the historic district, now a small museum. We learned that in 1556, a Jewish cemetery was created by the nobleman Niccolò Orsini IV, who had always been supportive of the Jewish population in his territory. He gave the land for this purpose to his personal physician, David de Pomis, a Jew. You may see this cemetery in the last image of this post, below the cypress trees on the left and above the bridge of arches.

The Ghetto was officially begun in 1622 by the ruling Medici family. In the 1800s one-fourth of the population of Pitigliano was Jewish and the community became known as “Little Jerusalem” (a name given by the Jews in Livorno, a city to the north). The brochure says that after the Unification of Italy in 1861 and the emancipation of the Jews, many Jewish people left Pitigliano for larger cities. It is also reported that the remaining Jews were helped out of the city by their supportive neighbors as the racial laws and dangers of World War II came about. Today the city is reported to have so few Jews that they cannot gather enough for a minyan, the minimum number of ten adults required for specific religious gatherings.

The thick stone walls of “Little Jerusalem” give one the impression of being in a cave. In truth, the Jewish people simply adapted the existing spaces when they settled in this part of Pitigliano. And people for centuries have understood the value of going underground for consistently cooler temperatures to store wine and other goods. A couple of the upper rooms near the entrance housed Jewish items, many of which I found quite beautiful, such as this woven Havdalla Candle for use on a Saturday evening. I also found the scroll and the Hebrew writing lovely.

The image of the room with the black bars in front of it is the butcher’s area. It was here that animals were slaughtered in accordance with the Jewish laws. After death, the blood is drained from the animals so that the people will not consume it since “blood is life.” [I do not quite understand this idea (do we not eat to live?), but then it may be that the brochure has simplified a lot and I did not intend to do an in-depth study of cultural rites, however interesting.]

The Synagogue of Pitigliano was built in 1598, but collapsed gradually in the 1960s. It was restored in 1995 and contains furnishings from the 17th and 18th centuries. One cannot enter the prayer room; however we followed the stairs to a balcony. A beautiful wooden rail in a lace-like pattern protected us from falling. It was quite high, but I did manage to stick my arm out above the top rail to show you the downstairs, as well as the ceiling.

You might wonder why I am writing about ruins and such when this blog is usually about art. In my mind, everything is connected. And as my late friend Vasily Fedorouk liked to say, “The artist is the best kind of scientist because he studies everything.” I think the word “best” is something lost in translation for my Ukrainian-born friend, but I think you can grasp his sentiment for artists.

Still Life Tenebrous Painting

2013-03-17T08:35:00.001+01:00

Cari Amici (Dear Friends),

Here is a sneak peak at my current project in a Tenebrous still-life painting (Tenebrism). One of the objectives in this project is to create a painting that has text in it. One wants an idea of the quality of the text, but not necessarily be able to read it. I think it is better if one cannot read it since I usually find words in art distracting from the visual experience. While this is still a work-in-progress (WIP), you can already (I hope) get an idea of what is printed material vs. what is handwriting.

I must apologize for the quality of the images taken during this project. There is so much glare in this studio here in Italy that it makes it more difficult than usual to photograph an oil painting. The colors that I am painting are richer that what you see here.

Now, on the other side of that Atlantic Ocean, I will be teaching a Portrait Painting Workshop in central Florida. I will focus on how to create a likeness and go for a three-dimensional look. You will see some of the techniques and concepts that I have learned over the many years of creating, from sculpture to painting to street painting! The dates are May 17-19, 2013, and there is an EARLY BIRD REGISTRATION low price of $220 if you register by the first of April. [After 1 April 2013, the price is $290 for the 14-hour weekend workshop.] To learn more, please visit: www.borsheimarts.com/art-workshops/2013ArtPortraitWorkshopFlorida.htm Thank you for your interest!

I hope you will be a-wearin’ o’ the green today! Share the Irish love.

St. Patrick’s Day, Irish, art workshop, portrait workshop, tenebrous, still life painting

Basilica di Santo Spirito Florence Italy

2013-03-11T09:07:00.000+01:00

Cari Amici (Dear Friends),

One of the most interesting and certainly lively squares in Florence, Italy, is Piazza Santo Spirito. She thrives on the Oltrarno “other side” of the Arno River from Florence’s famous Duomo (in the background right of my first image). There is a market every morning and a different one all day on Sundays. I ended up randomly meeting several friends here recently as we shopped all of the eye candy and also bought some local organically grown foods (a bit of a redundant phrase for these parts).

The Basilica di Santo Spirito is a distinctive church that resides on the end of the piazza that is closest to the River Arno. It is not often that it is open to visitors, but today I wanted to share some of the art and architecture of the inside of this amazing place. Of special note is that two of the first sculptures that you will see (one on each side of the doors) are very good copies of Michelangelo’s compositions, the “Pietà” and “St. John the Baptist.” I believe the artist was Giovanni Lippi, an architect who worked under the name Nanni di Baccio Bigio (1510-1568) and a contemporary of the great Michelangelo. I hope you get the chance to visit the Basilica di Santo Spirito and the piazza with the same name. So much art is INSIDE the churches in Italy!

Portrait Workshop Florida

2013-02-24T21:11:00.000+01:00

Cari Amici (Dear Friends),

Well, newsflash! I have just firmed up a workshop that I will be teaching in central Florida this May. I hope you may join me and let us make some art!

"Portrait Painting with Artist Kelly Borsheim"

2013 Art Workshop Dates:
Friday, May 17 from 6-9 pm;
Saturday, May 18, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. (lunch is from 1 to 2 p.m.) and
Sunday, May 19 from noon to 5 p.m., 2013
(14 hours in total)

Instructor Kelly Borsheim will demonstrate for the class, as well as assist students on an individual basis on their project(s). Emphasis will be on the designing of a portrait and not so much making something look photographic. For this reason, we will create a copy of a master artwork (please choose one shown on the information page on Kelly’s site, borsheimarts.com. On the last day, if you like, you may bring in a photograph of a person's face and we can work with designing a portrait from it. [Or you may bring in a current project you wish to improve.] If you would like to do this, please contact the instructor for more information on the kinds of images you will need to take of your subject.

This workshop is intended for beginners, intermediate, and any professional artists who would like to work on design and technique for portrait painting. However, many of the concepts demonstrated and discussed will apply to many subjects in art. You will receive much personal instruction in a peaceful environment.

Participants do not need to have had prior art experience, although some drawing skills will be helpful. Class size is limited, so please enroll early. More details, as well as the supply list and prices, are listed on the information page on Kelly’s site, borsheimarts.com.

Thank you and by all means contact the studio with any questions!

The above portraits you see here are ones that I created. This last image is a portrait by Pietro Annigoni and is one of the choices you will have to copy in this workshop. Annigoni was a very good designer of portraits!

Carrara Marble Pietrasanta Sculpture

2013-02-17T10:03:00.002+01:00

Cari Amici (Dear Friends),

Well, what a surprise to learn that this is my 600th blog post! Who knew that I had it in me? So, I am happy that what I wanted to write about was my recent trip to Carrara and Pietrasanta, Italy. Marble is my drug of choice and I miss carving it very much. However, like my dream to have a dog, some things will have to wait until their time comes again.

My friend and fellow sculptor Gilbert Barrera came to Italy from San Antonio, Texas. We met each other MANY years ago when he came to Austin, specifically the Elisabet Ney Sculpture Conservatory, and met our group up there. Like me, Gilbert came to Italy to improve his art skills. This first image is of the two of us standing next to his current project in Carrara, Italy. He wants to carve this marble all with hand tools… good enough for Michelangelo, afterall. I am too impatient for that sort of thing, but respect that we all have different goals in life. At least Gilbert is doing SOMETHING with stone now!

We then headed to Pietrasanta for some lunch and sculpture viewing. “Convenient” is rarely a word one thinks of when Italia comes to mind. With the poorly timed train schedules to these industrial towns, one usually finds oneself here during the long lunch hour and things are mostly closed. However, il Museo dei Bozzetti was open. Housed inside of the library, the museum is where they keep a decent collection of plaster sculptures that were used as the models for artists to copy their works into marble. Direct carving is not as well known as in the States.

My favorite works here are those of Leone Tommasi, sculptor active around 1930s and 1940s. His realism in the human figures is like a caress in his sensitive forms. When Gilbert saw the reclining Jesus sculpture, he remarked that Tommasi understands well the form in gravity. Like Pietro Annigoni, Leoni Tommasi was creating a very different style of work from what was popular in his own time. I am glad his stuck to his guns. The next images you see here are all the works of Leone Tommasi.

After all of this, I had to show Gilbert the piece that completely surprised me during my first visit to Pietrasanta in 2004. Charles Umlauf was a sculptor who lived, worked, and taught in Austin, Texas. He even has his own museum there and the Umlauf Sculpture Garden & Museum is a real gem in the town! Naturally, I have spent time there and am familiar with his work. I was stunned to bump into his “Eve” so many years ago! Later, Nelie Plourde, director of the Umlauf Gardens, told me, as I related to Gilbert yesterday, that Charles Umlauf found it better and cheaper to create the art here in Pietrasanta, cast it into bronze here, and then SHIP it to the USA. Here we are posing (using my self-timer on the camera) with Umlauf’s “Eve.”

Finally, I leave you with a sculpture that amuses and charms me. It was sculpted by Giulio Ciniglia and is titled “L’ora” (The Time) from 1992. Ok, I have got to go. Just look at …

Love and Courage

2013-02-14T09:59:00.001+01:00

Cari Amici (Dear Friends),

"For a relationship to stay alive, love alone is not enough. Without imagination, love stales into sentiment, duty, boredom. Relationships fail not because we have stopped loving but because we first stopped imagining."
- psychologist James Hillman

"Love is the most difficult and dangerous form of courage. Courage is the most desperate, admirable, and noble kind of love."
- Delmore Schwartz

Happy birthday, Cayla!

Mermaid Bronze Sculpture

2013-02-12T18:34:00.002+01:00

Cari Amici (Dear Friends),

I always loved the Grimm fairy tale of “The Little Mermaid.” Here was depicted a creature who had no soul (but wanted one), but knew what love really was. As a young girl, and even now I suppose, I am touched by the story of her figure falling in love with a human prince, saving his life when his ship capsized, and allowing another girl to take the credit and the joy.

As luck – and the nature of a good story – would have it, the Prince fell in love with the girl he thought saved his life. However, our heroine went through great personal costs (her lovely singing voice traded for a pair of legs to replace her tail, but sharp pains were felt whenever she walked or moved with those legs) and finally met her prince after she transformed on his beach. While he became enchanted by the youngest daughter of the Sea King and loved her in his way, she never gained his romantic love.

As his closest companion, she had to endure watching him marry another. On top of that, she loved him too much to refuse his asking her to dance for them all at the wedding, despite the physical pain the movements gave her. She had no voice with which to complain. The rules of her world dictated that as the sun came up the morning after her beloved had chosen another, her life would end and she would become sea foam, returning to the ocean, her natural life cycle cut way short.

During the night of the wedding, the little mermaid’s older sisters swam to the boat where the festivities were taking place. They, too, had been to see the Sea Witch. They traded their graces for a special knife. If the little mermaid were to use that knife during the night and kill her beloved and his new wife and let their blood run over her legs, she would have her natural life as a mermaid back and could return to her royal family.

The Little Mermaid stood in the dark bedroom of the slumbering newlyweds that night. Love completely overwhelmed her as she gazed down upon them. She could not harm them. She left them there and went to meet the sun. Her body became lighter and lighter. The sea was before her. But she felt herself lifting higher and higher. . . until she began to see small figures in the air beside her.

Because of the pure and unselfish love she had shown, she was being given a second chance to gain a soul. She had become a “Daughter of the Air.” Depending on the joys and sorrows of the children she was to witness, there was a faint possibility that over much time, she could gain a soul. It was not love, but a soul is something, isn’t it? And it is interesting that gaining a soul depended on the behaviours and whims (or love?) of others. Well, Grimm IS the name of the author, after all! Ha.

Sadly, from my point of view, the prince and his bride never understood what happened. They were oblivious to her pain. They never appreciated that in the hands of another, they could have died. They never knew how much she loved them. They never knew what happened to her. And worse, perhaps, they never knew that they could help her in her new search for a soul.

What I always liked about the ending is that idea that we do not know how our choices, our smiles, our groans, affect others. So, should we not do all we can to lighten the load instead of possibly denying one a soul or at least a chance at happiness? I have never seen the downside of a genuine smile.

Art Anniversary Promotion: Get more art for your buck. Hurry, this one-time offer expires on 15 February 2013.

Portrait Oil Painting

2013-02-09T09:53:00.001+01:00

Cari Amici (Dear Friends),

I was amused recently when one of my close friends, a painter, said (as he has on more than one occasion over the past year) that he thinks that I am a strong enough artist that Angel [Academy of Art here in Florence, Italy] will not beat out of me what is so good about my art. It is funny how some of us have this discussion about the four major classical art schools here in Firenze and how they differ, as well as how they do not. And most of us strive for our own independence.

Educating myself on the work of others is something that I have changed my opinion about over the years. I did not receive the traditional art education and before coming to Firenze, I knew very little about art history. I sometimes choose NOT to see the work, being curious about what kinds of images I would create without much influence of much anyone else. Other times I feel that looking at the work of others helps me hone on my own taste and grow faster. Much in the same way as my picture taking, each time I see an image, I refine my own sense of composition. It is helpful to analyze my emotional response to try to find that elusive quality that makes me FEEL something in one artwork, and feel too little in a similar effort.

I am where I need to be at the moment, despite my impatience. I find when I paint at Angel that I am trying to piece together many different approaches. Here is a small detail image of a portrait of a model Mauro that I am working on at the moment. This image reminds me of my approach with pastels when I do street painting. I have since gone in and refined the shapes in the face. Shapes are the most important thing and I find myself getting lost in them. But here, I am playing with putting the background color into parts of the face. This follows one idea that every part of a painting is a combination of the same colors. Each part simply varies in how those colors are proportioned. Let us see where this path takes me . . .

Art Anniversary Promotion: Get more art for your buck. Hurry, this one-time offer expires on 15 February 2013.

Art Workshops Pastel Sight-Size

2013-02-07T22:46:00.003+01:00

Cari Amici (Dear Friends),

I am planning to be in Florida, Texas, and North Carolina (USA) around mid-May to mid-June... I would love to teach some workshops in one or more of these areas. Please contact me if you are interested in learning something artistic (tell me what) and are near any of these areas. Thank you. I will focus on 2-dimensional art this time since I will be flying in from Italy and logistics and supplies/tools may be an issue for me. I see that May 24-May 27 is Memorial Day weekend: I am not sure how that impacts you. Thank you for the feedback!

Thus far, the votes are coming in for pastel painting workshop and using the Sight-Size method of drawing and painting. Pictured here is the pastel painting “Reluctant Temptress”

"Reluctant Temptress"

12" x 9"
Pastel on Pastelbord
© Kelly Borsheim

Like this original pastel painting? There is a one-time offer going on right now to celebrate my “taking the plunge to full-time” art anniversary. Act before 15 February and enjoy more art for your bucks. See details of the twelfth anniversary ART EVENT, here: http://www.borsheimarts.com/news/2013_01_GuggenheimSerraBilbao.htm

After The Bath Sculpture Women

2013-02-03T14:19:00.002+01:00

Cari Amici (Dear Friends),

It is not so often that I get the opportunity to sculpt two models posing together. However, some years ago in Texas, I was able to host anOpen Sculpture Studio with Austin Visual Arts Association. I hired two great models and did a couple of sculptures of them. It is quite interesting to have people hold a position for hours (with breaks, of course; the body is simply not designed to stay still for very long!) while touching each other. Touch is so personal, even the most seemingly casual or insignificant.

Today’s featured sculpture “After the Bath” is the original “sketch” in clay that I created during a short series of modeling sessions (perhaps three sessions of three hours each?). These photos were taken during the patina (coloring) process out in my wooded studio in Texas. The two women are of different ages and physical physiques. I like the contradiction of shapes and forms. I like the openness of this composition to interpretation. What is yours?

"After The Bath"
terra-cotta, one-of-a-kind
10" h x 18" x 18"
© 2005-2006 Kelly Borsheim

Like this original sculpture? If you make arrangements to add this artwork to your collection before 15 February, you will receive MORE art (of your choosing). See details of the twelfth anniversary ART EVENT, here: http://www.borsheimarts.com/news/2013_01_GuggenheimSerraBilbao.htm

Happy birthday, Great Aunt Lil in St. Paul!

Tenebrism Black Oil

2013-01-31T09:14:00.003+01:00

Cari Amici (Dear Friends),

Continuing from my previous post about my painting in Tenebrism, here you see that I am adding a layer of black oil paint. In my composition, much of the raw umber will be covered over in black as I build the dark tones and refine shapes. But not all of it. This is why you saw a spool appear last time when the raw umber layer of paint did not show it – the spool was darker than the applied color.

By the way, the line between the black paint and the raw umber paint was simply my stopping point for that day. Black is a very slow drying paint, more than umbers I believe, and I tried to avoid painting over the previous day’s section.

I hope that you can see how I am developing the forms of the sewing machine in the background by adding only the dark shapes around those forms and moving into those forms where needed. I find this way of painting to be similar in approach to stone carving and therefore intellectually satisfying and gorgeous.

I must apologize for the poor visuals. There is a horrible glare in this studio where I work and it makes it difficult to see while I am painting, as well as when I photograph the canvas on the easel. Also, the black is dry in some parts and not others, so you will also see a mixture of shine and non-shine. Generally these kinds of paintings are terribly difficult to photograph well, even when finished. But how beautiful they often are and I hope this one will be!

Allora, do not forget about my art anniversary celebration for taking the plunge to full-time art in January 2001! There is a special offer described in my latest art newsletter: http://www.borsheimarts.com/news/2013_01_GuggenheimSerraBilbao.htm. It is the best “sale” I have ever had, giving you more art with each purchase. Offer expires on February 15, 2013. Valentine’s Day gift, anyone?

Tenebrism Painting

2013-01-26T11:37:00.000+01:00

Cari Amici (Dear Friends),

I fell in love with an old wooden spool the other day. What fun we had! Perhaps you have read the stories of Giuseppe, the shoe flirt and his father (now flirting elsewhere). I had originally decided that my painting project of Tenebrism would be about the historical music of Firenze, such as in my pastel on black paper artwork “World Traveler.”

However, after the many interesting exchanges with Giuseppe, I changed my Tenebrism subject to something more personally connected to my life. "Mr. Kisses" was generous enough to loan me some old tools for repairing shoes, so old he said he could live without them for about four months. He also gave me pieces of leather, polish, and various doodads that I asked for, not knowing how I would arrange the items. I bought the old shoe forms from an antique market in Piazza Santo Spirito. The old sewing machine is borrowed from another artist friend. And the spool on top of it came from Norway, handed down from a mother to a daughter, who is living now in Firenze and is a sweet friend of mine.

I am using the Sight-Size Method, which is a time-saver for those who can draw, and a crutch for those who cannot. So, my canvas is situated perpendicular to my eye position about two meters away and alongside the grouping of objects in the middle ground of my composition. In this exercise, I have three distinct groupings, with at least seven centimeters between each section. I have arranged them in a way that I hope is pleasing, but also in a way that conveys depth. I want a feeling of space on my two-dimensional canvas. My first image here shows you my work station from my viewing position, where all judgments are made.

I prepared a canvas with a dark campitura of burnt umber, black, and white. Now I will sketch in the basic shapes with charcoal. I have drawn too much in my attempts to get the shapes right the first time, but since this is the first time I have painted this type of painting, I will give myself a break about it. It just means that I have done more work than necessary.

The next step is to take a mixture of raw umber and a smidgeon of white and make a tone painting of everything that is darker than the campitura. I only work on a section that I can finish in one sitting.

I then repeat the process, using black this time with a little bit of black medium. You may see in this image how little of the sewing machine remained in the raw umber stage. Actually, I left too much of it light just because I did not relish the time wasted in redesigning the shapes of some parts.

You may notice, though, that the spool on the top of the sewing machine did not exist when I painted the raw umber tone painting. I find this stage of painting subtlety in the darks glorious fun and wondered how I could ever make myself add any color to this painting! My goal is to keep everything soft, yet rounded as its form is, and in the right amount of light. So, now, I am off to the studio again to finish the black!

Mobius Strip Sculpture

2013-01-25T09:35:00.002+01:00

Cari Amici (Dear Friends),

Many different ideas come together to form a single idea for a work of art. That is the case with Möbius Mouth. I bought this particular piece of creme Rattlesnake Limestone from another Texas carver that I know. This stone is named after the shape of the fossil shells embedded in the limestone - they resemble the rattle on the tail of that well-known snake. When I have a busy patterned stone, I want to carve a simple shape to show off the personality of the stone. Mathematics, in one form or another, never seems to be far from my mind, so I decided to sculpt a Möbius Strip in the shape of an open mouth as part of my Lips Series.

”Möbius Mouth” by Kelly Borsheim

Take a long strip of paper or a ribbon, such as 1” wide by 10” long. As you pick up one end, give it a half twist before attaching it to the other end to form a ring. You will now have a Möbius Strip, which means that you may "travel" from one side of the ring to the other without crossing an edge. [Take your pencil and mark a point on the flat surface of the paper; anywhere, just not on the edge, but in the center makes for a better demonstration. Draw a line with your pencil in one direction along the length of the surface. Keep on until you reach your starting point. You will discover that your pencil has traveled on “both” sides of the paper without breaking your line! THAT is the genius of the half twist.]

Named for German mathematician and astronomer August Ferdinand Möbius (1790-1868), a Möbius Strip only has one side and one edge. I understand that engineers have used a Möbius Strip in the belt of a car engine, for example. The twist allows the belt to wear out evenly and have a longer, more effective life.

My 2-part stone sculpture Möbius Mouth is part of my "Lips Series." The mouth has a heart shape in the negative space inside the lips. He is carved from a Rattlesnake Limestone from Texas, named after the shape of the shell fossils in the stone. The triangular base enhances the idea of the mathematics of the Möbius lips and is carved from Henna Limestone from Canada. This rich brick red colored stone is saturated with golden fossil patterns in which I find I can lose myself for hours while staring at them. I hope you enjoy this original artwork. He is absolutely one of a kind!

Limestone sculpture may be displayed indoors or out. The top piece rests on a stainless steel pin (so no rust) that is permanently mounted into the red stone base. This also allows you to turn the top stone for a different view each day, if you like. Both stones have been sealed for protection from finger oils and the environment, so please – touch and enjoy!

The price of this sculpture is not listed below. While prices of my available works are posted on my Web site pricelist, in this case, I wanted to encourage you to take a look at my anniversary celebration that is happening now. If you add this or many other sculptures to your art collection (or start one!), check out how much more art you may acquire…thank you for reading and for your art appreciation.

"Möbius Mouth"

Rattlesnake Limestone (Texas)
with Henna Limestone (Canada)
one-of-a-kind
17" h x 22" w x 8.5" d
by Kelly Borsheim

Identity Crisis Sculpture

2013-01-22T01:32:00.002+01:00

Cari Amici (Dear Friends),

I try to use my head often, but it is my heart that typically makes the decision and asks the brain to figure out how to make the idea into reality. I have been experiencing a bit of an identity crisis lately. I am living here in Firenze, Italia, a place I feel strongly connected to although I do not exactly know why and maybe do not need to. I am studying the art of painting in a classical style. I am enjoying it and learning a lot. I am.

But my hands are missing the touch of the stone and the feel of a heavier tool. Some days it feels that painting is a system of constantly making corrections, while stone carving means knowing that I may not be able to redesign if I remove too much material. One shot. One unique stone. There is no putting ON of the stone. One would think that this would be stressful, but I find this process strangely freeing and intellectually challenging. Perhaps freeing BECAUSE of the challenge.

Does it matter? I need to get back to it. I need my drug. I need to touch a stone and work with it again. And the heart is strong in this desire and rarely patient. Since January is my anniversary month for taking the art-life plunge and I typically make a special offer to promote art for the home and office, the brain decided to “up the ante” this year and create a promotion involving my stone carving. Some part of me hopes that if I find new homes for my existing stone carvings, I will feel the void in my studio and then the priority in my life will have to change and I will be carving again sooner than originally anticipated.

Allora, this special offer is described in my latest art newsletter: http://www.borsheimarts.com/news/2013_01_GuggenheimSerraBilbao.htm. It is the best “sale” I have ever had, giving you more art with each purchase. Offer expires on February 15, 2013. Valentine’s Day gift, anyone?

The sculpture ”Encounter” (shown in this post) was carved from the most amazing stone. It is called Astra marble and features white crystalline starburst patterns in a black rock. Busy, but beautiful. The stone came to me from a quarry in Canada. I wanted to design simple elegant lines to show off the stone and eventually created a pair of stylized manta rays.. Like many of my stone carvings, you may see images of the work-in-progress on my Web site.. This is the best time to get the art you love! If not this sculpture, maybe another (stone or bronze or even terra-cotta).

Portrait Painting Thibault

2013-01-18T21:59:00.001+01:00

Cari Amici (Dear Friends),

I heard again recently painter Michael John Angel's lecture on the artist he knew, Pietro Annigoni here in Firenze, Italia. I like many of Annigoni’s works, mostly his portraits, but also his drawings after Firenze was bombed during World War II. I like the way he mixed media in his work in a very contemporary way. In fact, John Angel related that he once saw Annigoni paint with a brick!

But what I enjoy best about seeing his portraits is being reminded that a good design trumps a photographic likeness every time. On Monday, I started to paint a portrait of a young artist I know named Thibault (pronounced “T-bow). He is a good-looking French boy with dreadlocks and wears cool clothes.

Anyway, Mondays are typically my lesson exchange night: I teach anatomy to an Italian artist friend and he teaches me how to speak and understand Italian. On that night I was also making him dinner so that he could taste the new oil I had received from our weekend of olive picking in the Tuscan countryside. This is the Kelly length of telling you that I only had one-hour of a typically two-hour session with the model. So, I hope to improve upon this with more time. The third image is a close-up of the second image.

Compatibility Sculpture

2013-01-16T20:00:00.000+01:00

Cari Amici (Dear Friends),

Most people do not know how shy I really am because when I was a teenager my mother enrolled me into the organization Toastmasters International that helps people conquer fears of public speaking (and also to learn how to do it well). I remember feeling unworthy of introducing myself to new people as an “artist.” Artists were cool people, I thought, and I am only me.

Well, that is one fear I rarely struggle with these days, since I have embraced who I am wholeheartedly. I am very happy to be celebrating this month my twelve-year anniversary for “taking the plunge” to full-time art. You may share in some of this joy, if you like, by reading my latest art newsletter about my visit to the Guggenheim in Bilbao, Spain, and noting how you may enjoy some of my sculpture (or my friend's -- the amazing Ukrainian-American sculptor Vasily Fedorouk).

Here is a sculpture I did of a couple of models who happened to be married … to each other. My favorite comment from them after our multiple sculpting sessions together was that posing for me was the best quality time they were able to find in their busy lives. I dearly hope they have continued to find more of that after the sculpture was completed! What a rare treat it was to be able to work with a couple of models in such an intimate pose! I hope you like the love in this composition titled “Compatibility.” For views from other angles, please click on the title “Compatibility.” Thank you for your interest!

"Compatibility"

bronze with wood base
9" h x 14" x 11"
limited edition of 12 for bronze
Price List

Also, terra-cotta original sculpture
artist's proof (one-of-a-kind)
11" h x 13" x 9"
by Kelly Borsheim
Price List

Painting the Female Figure Magda

2013-01-13T13:40:00.000+01:00

Cari Amici (Dear Friends),

Back in October, I wrote in a blog post about my oil painting of Magda. And I shared with you some of the process of the painting I was creating as a study of a nude woman’s back. Here is the finished work.

”Study of Magda”
80 x 40 cm
Oil on Canvas
By Kelly Borsheim 2012
Available, just ask…

Also, a gentle reminder that if you enjoy the art of sculpture and are intrigued by the vision and work of my friend and artist Vasily Fedorouk, please see this once-in-a-lifetime offer to receive more art with his sculpture in this special offer in my latest art newsletter: http://www.borsheimarts.com/news/2013_01_GuggenheimSerraBilbao.htm

Taking the Plunge to Full-Time Artist

2013-01-11T09:01:00.001+01:00

Cari Amici (Dear Friends),

Today is the anniversary date of the day I sold my beeswax candle business in 2001 and took the plunge full-time into an art career. It has been a bit of a roller coaster ride and I cannot say it is a life of security by any means; however, it was the right move for me. And the only one I could have made by that point in my life and even today, twelve years later.

As a thank you for helping me keep to this journey, I typically have a special offer in January to help you get more art in your life. This offer is detailed in my recent art newsletter that is posted on my Web site. In this newsletter, I have also shared some of my experiences and images while visiting the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, Spain. In addition, I have written a bit about artists Richard Serra and David Hockney.

Whether your interest is in sculpture or travel or even 2-dimensional artworks, I hope that you will check out my latest art news: http://www.borsheimarts.com/news/2013_01_GuggenheimSerraBilbao.htm and help me celebrate TWELVE full years of art making! Thank you for reading and riding along!

P.S. Many thanks to my friend Anna Laura in Mexico who took this silly shot of me pole dancing among friends when we had “The Blob” to ourselves this past July. I enjoyed getting to be friends with her as she lived in Firenze for a short time. Charming girl. [The Blob is a horrible little nightclub that is one of the few open till 5 a.m. in Florence, Italy. There are more images from that party on Facebook, my “Friends – Album V” in case you are curious.]

Happy birthday, Aunt Patsy! Let’s dance some more!

Guggenheim Serra Bilbao

2013-01-08T21:00:00.000+01:00

Cari Amici (Dear Friends),

Friday 11 January is my 12th anniversary for taking the plunge into full-time art. I have been busy writing my next art newsletter for those on my list. The main subjects will be the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, Spain, as well as the architectural sculptures of Richard Serra that are part of the Guggenheim’s permanent collection. I include a few of my images here as a wee bit of a teaser.

Also included in the newsletter will be my annual special offer on my available artworks. (I am still dreaming that up!) If you would like to receive this newsletter and have not yet signed up for it (the list is a different one from this blog subscription), please visit my contact page to subscribe. You may also read past newsletters to see if you would enjoy receiving your own copy, click on my art newsletter table of contents page: www.borsheimarts.com/newsletter.htm.

Thank you for sharing this artistic journey with me. And stay tuned . . .

Fine Art by Kelly Borsheim: Artist in Florence, Italy and Texas

Gardens in Florence Italy

"Portrait Painting with Artist Kelly Borsheim" May 17-19, 2013, Sanford, Florida (near Orlando)

Michelangelo Architectural Design Butterfly

"Portrait Painting with Artist Kelly Borsheim"

Happy Liberation Day, Italia!

Il Montino Pisa Italy

Artemisia Gentileschi Anna Anni Palazzo Blu Pisa Italy

Orvieto Cathedral Duomo Italy

Orvieto Italy

Little Jerusalem Pitigliano Italy

Still Life Tenebrous Painting

I hope you will be a-wearin’ o’ the green today! Share the Irish love.

Basilica di Santo Spirito Florence Italy

Portrait Workshop Florida

"Portrait Painting with Artist Kelly Borsheim"

Carrara Marble Pietrasanta Sculpture

Love and Courage

Happy birthday, Cayla!

Mermaid Bronze Sculpture

Portrait Oil Painting

Art Workshops Pastel Sight-Size

"Reluctant Temptress"

After The Bath Sculpture Women

Happy birthday, Great Aunt Lil in St. Paul!

Tenebrism Black Oil

Tenebrism Painting

Mobius Strip Sculpture

"Möbius Mouth"

Identity Crisis Sculpture

Portrait Painting Thibault

Compatibility Sculpture

"Compatibility"

Painting the Female Figure Magda

Taking the Plunge to Full-Time Artist

Happy birthday, Aunt Patsy! Let’s dance some more!

Guggenheim Serra Bilbao

Buon compleanno, Tomaso!