So just over one week in Pietrasanta, one week exactly in the studio.
It’s been such a trip already, the place is amazing! So many new people and things to get my head around as well as getting to know the workshop and material and what I’m going to make.
I drove from London with some friends joining the trip at different times. We camped the first few days in the west coast of France, slept, walked and ate. It was such a busy period leading up to setting off, this was perfect for recharging and getting prepared for the long drive. Second stop was in Amiens to visit a project I just finished in its final weeks of being open to the public.
We stopped in Geneva to stay with a friend who is at the end of his painting residency. It’s a very strange place, completely empty! The city reminded me of Berlin, but a post apocalyptic version, we arrived on Friday for the weekend and the streets were so quiet the whole time. It was great to see Philip and meet the other artists on their residences there. It began to remind me of the focused, experimental, free mindset residencies offer artists from being supported, in a totally new environment for a limited time.
I wanted to break up the journey and stop half way to Pietrasanta when driving from Geneva. Happily I ended up staying with a friend of one of the artists I met in Geneva. Oliver was very happy to have a visitor as he had been locked away (under his own wishes) in his mothers house in a remote and very beautiful part of Northern Italy in order to finish his PHD, which had been a five year incline.
I didn’t arrive at Oliver’s till almost midnight as the small roads around Lake Lugano was where I had my teeth cut for me on the Italian driving style and faster is safer mentality (which was later explained to me). We stayed talking till the early hours and had an amazing walk (his daily routine and sanity keeper) to a waterfall in the forest behind the house.
The walk and enjoying the day led to a later than expected leaving time meaning a very hairy entrance into Pietrasanta.
I arrived 20 minutes before the office closed where I had to pick up the key for the flat rented for me. I screeched into what I hoped was the correct car park and ran into town, a huge marble sculpture marks the entrance to the town (of course).
I was so happy to be shown into a lovely flat that felt like a hotel after two months of sleeping on friends sofas and spare rooms and had to resist jumping into the bed straight away. In a daze I moved the car to the only place I was allowed to park in town and made many trips with my strange array of possessions packed for this adventure.
Finally I had a home for a few months, I went to sleep very happy.
The next few days I ran around in a sort of ecstatic, dream, the sun, the mountains, the beach, art studios and galleries everywhere and so many kind and welcoming faces at every turn. I had arrived!
First visit to the studio, Keara (the Director of Studio Sem) showed me around, and the nerves, expectation on myself and excitement set in.
I spent the first studio days meeting the artisans (master craftsmen and women) and artists currently using the space. Looking at the huge spectrum of different marble sculptures around the space, from Christ, lots of naked women, hippos to abstract and organic forms.. my thoughts and ideas were opening. I was also getting increasingly scared that I would break something. I felt like a child who’s eaten too much sugar and been left in an antiques shop.
I drew and drew and read (new great anthropological book I bought called “lines” by Tim Ingold) I found it really helpful to begin to make models in clay.
It’s been such a trip already, the place is amazing! So many new people and things to get my head around as well as getting to know the workshop and material and what I’m going to make.
I drove from London with some friends joining the trip at different times. We camped the first few days in the west coast of France, slept, walked and ate. It was such a busy period leading up to setting off, this was perfect for recharging and getting prepared for the long drive. Second stop was in Amiens to visit a project I just finished in its final weeks of being open to the public.
We stopped in Geneva to stay with a friend who is at the end of his painting residency. It’s a very strange place, completely empty! The city reminded me of Berlin, but a post apocalyptic version, we arrived on Friday for the weekend and the streets were so quiet the whole time. It was great to see Philip and meet the other artists on their residences there. It began to remind me of the focused, experimental, free mindset residencies offer artists from being supported, in a totally new environment for a limited time.
I wanted to break up the journey and stop half way to Pietrasanta when driving from Geneva. Happily I ended up staying with a friend of one of the artists I met in Geneva. Oliver was very happy to have a visitor as he had been locked away (under his own wishes) in his mothers house in a remote and very beautiful part of Northern Italy in order to finish his PHD, which had been a five year incline.
I didn’t arrive at Oliver’s till almost midnight as the small roads around Lake Lugano was where I had my teeth cut for me on the Italian driving style and faster is safer mentality (which was later explained to me). We stayed talking till the early hours and had an amazing walk (his daily routine and sanity keeper) to a waterfall in the forest behind the house.
The walk and enjoying the day led to a later than expected leaving time meaning a very hairy entrance into Pietrasanta.
I arrived 20 minutes before the office closed where I had to pick up the key for the flat rented for me. I screeched into what I hoped was the correct car park and ran into town, a huge marble sculpture marks the entrance to the town (of course).
I was so happy to be shown into a lovely flat that felt like a hotel after two months of sleeping on friends sofas and spare rooms and had to resist jumping into the bed straight away. In a daze I moved the car to the only place I was allowed to park in town and made many trips with my strange array of possessions packed for this adventure.
Finally I had a home for a few months, I went to sleep very happy.
The next few days I ran around in a sort of ecstatic, dream, the sun, the mountains, the beach, art studios and galleries everywhere and so many kind and welcoming faces at every turn. I had arrived!
First visit to the studio, Keara (the Director of Studio Sem) showed me around, and the nerves, expectation on myself and excitement set in.
I spent the first studio days meeting the artisans (master craftsmen and women) and artists currently using the space. Looking at the huge spectrum of different marble sculptures around the space, from Christ, lots of naked women, hippos to abstract and organic forms.. my thoughts and ideas were opening. I was also getting increasingly scared that I would break something. I felt like a child who’s eaten too much sugar and been left in an antiques shop.
I drew and drew and read (new great anthropological book I bought called “lines” by Tim Ingold) I found it really helpful to begin to make models in clay.
It was a quick way to get forms and ideas out. I made seven or so models before Keara and the artisans came (possibily drawn in by the Tina Turner playing loudly from my little corner) and gave helpful comments about the practicality of how the forms might work in marble. They have so much experience they can be so quickly and accurately perceptive.
During this time I am overwhelmed by the kindness and effort artists and artisans are going to, to make me feel welcome and help in anyway they can. I have to turn down some invitations so that I can just sleep on Sunday, do my washing and stare at the ceiling a bit.
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