Like the daffodils that emerge vibrant green and fresh through a snowy earth, welcome to the new work that has emerged from my season of change along with continued efforts to live simply, simply living.

After a year of self reflection, new experiences and exposure to the knowledge of sculptors such as Bruno Lucchesi and Brenda Wainman Goulet the seed of an idea that had been germinating for many years had time to grow.

The Bas Relief Fresco is born. Thank you to all of my collectors for your patience and support and I hope you look forward to seeing more soon!

Expect your prayers to be answered in wondrous ways. The dry seasons in life do not last. The spring rains will come again.” ~ Sarah Breathnach 

HAPPY SPRING!

After 20 years of meeting hundreds of fellow artists I must agree with that painter of long ago. But even though the road isn’t  a straight one, the creative spark within us all remains a gift that keeps on giving, no matter what.

This year I have learned to weave, carve in wood and took a course in mould making. I honed my skills at reading and writing in Italian, and took freelance work creating logos,  food blogging and producing videos .

This holiday season I took the time to think about Christmas decorations for the first time in 6 years. Usually all consumed by upcoming show preparations, painting, shipping, framing, designing printed materials etc etc etc. my thoughts instead turned to reverse painting on glass. ( oh and yes we have a pink vintage tree!)

But how? what kind of glass? what kind of paints? why, where, when? etc. And as my better half watched me squirm, google, and plough through the next few days with a loving smirk on his face, here is the result.

Christmas is a time of giving, sharing and a reminder to be thankful of our every blessing amidst both the joy and sadness of our lives.

May the light of the season, both colored and white,  light you up with joy and love this season and throughout the entire year.

Merry Christmas!

Adorned with Baroque architecture and rich in culture and beauty it stands proud and sure that it will remain forever. A stark contrast to the lazy, pastoral and fragile Ferruzzano from where my mother came. Click on the play button in the middle of the screen below and enjoy the trip!

You can also watch directly on You Tube here.

Wan’t to experience more Sicilian delights? Visit one of my very favorite blogs Baroque Sicily where Jann Huizenga writes about her life and experiences while living in Ragusa Ibla. And by the way her photographs of the people, architecture, colors and beauty are exquisite. Well worth a look! Enjoy!

Always willing to move and grow I welcomed the change of scenery just like a cool breeze on  a summer’s day.

As I painted this lavender field of Provence I was reminded of a wonderful trip of my youth spent meandering through Europe as a newlywed buying  chocolate in Switzerland, a fresh warm baguette in France, and enjoying the pairing in the countryside much like this.

And who can think of Italy or France without thinking of wine and grapes. This 300 year old terra cotta roof tile was the perfect rustic backdrop for a cluster of grapes.

Well, “Ophelia and Genevieve” have come home! Let me tell you their story.

When I first started showing my work at the Celebration of Fine Art in Scottsdale Arizona, I was a relatively young and inexperienced in the world of “selling myself.” Thankfully I was in the perfect environment to learn and grow along with 100 other artists at varying stages of their careers.

“Ophelia” fresco detachment on silk

I learned the most from Charles Duncan, a jeweler that became a dear friend.  He quietly watched me from across my studio as I fumbled and struggled along.  He sternly offered me advice as I closed my first sale with a tentative… “Are you sure? And when things went awry, for either of us, he was quick to point out that every situation was yet another opportunity to shine, serve and perform unprecedented acts of kindness to our collectors.

Charles felt that it was in our best interest to allow the art buying experience to be a completely pleasant one. From beginning to end. But to Charles there was no end until his passing in 2010.

“Genevieve” fresco detachment on silk

“Coming Home” is a tribute of gratitude to my friend Charles.

In his memory and through his mentorship it was my pleasure to accomodate a dear collector that found herself in dire straits by purchasing “Ophelia and Genevieve” back from her collection.I hope you enjoy them here, or in person at my next exhibit. (tba)

Until then, I am happy to have “the girls” home, and I am especially pleased for the opportunity to not only assist a collector, but to offer them for purchase once again so that they can be enjoyed by yet another household. Perhaps yours?

For more info on these special frescoes please contact me at liana@lianasofia.com

This summer, five Belgian horses moved in across the street. As I observed these beautiful animals from our front window, I became particularly interested in their behaviour, noticing that not very much would sway them from their main mission, munching on the grasses. Can life be this simple?

Summer and fall views, Muskoka, Canada

On my last post I shared my interest in learning to weave and after one funny little course, I dove right in, purchased a floor loom, and tackled a number of projects. After the first dozen or so not so inspiring placemats, I found a pattern I liked and created this shawl made of linen, cotton and silk.

From the moment I started this journey I knew it would devour time… and I was right. Winding the warp, dressing the loom, threading the heddles, all became terms I would become very familiar with. It soon became apparent that I would have to make a difficult decision regarding my regular obligations. I opted for a summer of simple living, inspired by the horses, the herons and the wild turkey, to continue this exploration.

I thought I should prepare an apology to my collectors for this, but after re-evaluation, why apologize? Throughout history artists have taken time to reflect, re-energize, stoke the fire of creativity. I have done this in the past with other mediums, sculpture, stained glass, photography…there is so much to explore, here is a small sampling of some stained glass works from the archives.

(above) Limited Edition Stained Glass Pendants (2003) ~ (below) Ristorante Ritorno bottle commission (2007)

Always welcoming the inspiration that inevitably spills into my other work, it will be interesting to see how this fiber art may influence my work in the future. I know stained glass did in it’s own way. I guess only time will tell! This second piece, a table runner, uses the same pattern as the first but it is made of bamboo and shetland wool.

I am very grateful for my life as an artist, an occupation I don’t take lightly. The world can always use more beauty to offset the chaos, and I hope to continue to do my part. But I am also grateful that I am not a production artist that relies on “what works” to make a living. Rather, I rely quite heavily on personal life experiences to inspire my  own version of “what works.” Whether it involves time in Italy, lime and pigment, glass and solder, horses, or  a whole bunch of colored thread, there is so much joy in creating emotion and connection through art. But for me this needs heart, and sometimes heart needs time for further growth. It is with this in mind that I will live this year simply, observing nature, and creating.

Thank you to my collectors, my husband and my family and friends who have supported me in these past years allowing me the luxury of being able to take this time. Needless to say, I will be taking this year off from exhibiting at the Celebration of Fine Art in Scottsdale and  although I will miss it immensely, I look forward to a future that remains fresh and exciting for myself, as well as for my collectors. Thank you all in advance for your support!

The Mourning Dove is a favorite as they are a reminder of a rite of passage I went through as a young adult. Now 13 years later they have come back and 2 doves have “woven” a nest by my dining room window.

Look closely! Here’s Lucy!! (as I call her) patiently sitting on her clutch within the Bougainvillia.  It  has been a full week now, and I understand 1 more to go before the tiny eggs hatch….how exciting!!

So here it was, the final sign I needed to follow a dream I have had ever since acquiring my grandmothers hand woven linens a long time ago. “I will try and learn how to weave!”

A humble beginner’s class will be my first foray into this ancient craft. I am unsure of how I will fair so I will begin the journey as a tribute to my heritage, a continuous attempt to forge a stronger connection to my Italian roots, and I will  try and just ‘trust’ where it leads. I will trust the path and enjoy the journey…wanna come for the ride??

I am transported back to a trip to Calabria in the summer of 2008 where I was astonished by the quality and abundance of hand woven linens within the drawers and cupboards of this one household consisting of 4 special women.

Carefully preserved in darkness and an abundance of moth balls I was treated by a private viewing and colorful display I will never forget!

I make a new friend, her name is Vittoria after her grandmother. She will be the proud beneficiary of these fine linens as they are part of her trousseau…how lucky is she??!!

As a special treat I was able to watch some linen being woven on an antique loom still in operation.

The linen was not only hand woven, but also, hand picked AND home spun as can be seen below!!

My biggest challenge was how to acquire a small piece for myself, in a culture where money is not of the utmost importance I eventually traded a small fresco for 2 pieces of linen…a fair trade???

The fresco painting on this antique roof tile depicts the ancestral home of  my new friend, Vittoria, her mother and aunt. They are all pleased! Although the home is abandoned it is now immortalized in fresco!…Transaction complete!

As always an added bonus to travelling in these quaint Italian villages are the charming photo ‘opps’ that abound…every nook and cranny is full of delight and may make a fine fresco one day! Any takers out there?

So I will see where this journey takes me and I am already inspired and awestruck at the connections that have been made as a result.

So far I have found 4 blogs and 1 website of special interest! My nephew and his girlfriend have been blogging about their travels throughout South America and I found it poignant  that they would post about weaving on their blog “Birds of a Feather”. It became even more wonderful when a link was forwarded regarding Calina’s volunteer work with “Threads of Peru” an organization that helps woman improve their quality of life through , what else? …weaving!

I found Mary Tacconi’s writing while “surfing” for references to Italian weaving. Mary is a native to California, but she lived, married and raised 2 children in Umbria. Read her “Reflections on my 40 years in Umbria” for a taste of authentic Italy. I was mesmorized by the writing and the “reflections” as they matched many of my own and they led me to the beautiful works and website of   Giuditta Brozzetti a handweaving laboratory in Perugia, as well as  Michelle Fabio’s “Bleeding Espresso”.  Another gem of a blog…Michelle is an American writer and attorney who left Pennsylvania for her family’s ancestral village of Badolato in Calabria! Inspiring!!

I am sure you will agree, this has already been quite a journey!  Could there be more to weaving then just thread? Stay posted!

If you love pesto and you love vegetables you are going to love this…really! If you think about it, flour /egg pasta on it’s own really doesn’t have that much flavor, it’s the sauce that you put on it that makes it. So find your favorite pesto recipe…mine is a classic basil, pine nuts, garlic, olive oil and salt. With a mandoline or simpe carrot peeler, thinly slice 1 or 2 yellow zucchini (summer squash) and 1 or 2 carrots depending on how many people you are serving…and toss everything together. Salt it to your own taste, or I guess you can add shredded parmesan?? hm mm! that’s it…done! …talk about EASY!!

Today is our first 90 degree day here in Scottsdale and what a nice lunch for a hot day. Try it, (if you like trying new things)…it’s such a great big beautiful world, isn’t it? Speaking of which, if this whole thing just turns you right off…I found the most lovely blog called “Panini Girl” that features everything Italian…especially food so check it out and Enjoy!!