Tag: swiss

Posted on by — 2 Comments

Day 7 to 9 In Elba

We spent the next 3 days on Elba enjoying relaxing, going to different beaches, catching up on reading and sketching. It took us a day or so to get used to the slow pace but once we got used to it we embraced it and enjoyed every second of it. We visited Napoleon’s official residence in Portoferraio. The Palazzina dei Mulini is a national monument, situated between Forte Stella and Forte Falcone, which are the two Medicean fortresses of Portoferraio. It was the official residence of Napoleon and his sister Paolina. The museum houses several relics and from the garden you can enjoy a beautiful panorama on the Tyrrhenian sea. The museum is currently hosting an art exhibition of Napoleon’s niece “Charlotte Bonaparte” (1802-39). I was very impressed by her work (sketches, engravings and oil paintings) and it was nice to see the work of a female artist from the 19th century. After the visit to the museum we walked around the old part of town and I spent a few hours taking pictures. We had a wonderful time in Elba and when I think back to it I can still hear the waves.

I hope you enjoy the rest of the pictures of Elba!

Ciao!

Posted on by — 1 Comment

Day 6 – on our way to Elba

We took a train ride along the coast from Rome to Piombino. It was wonderful to see the mediterranean again – it’s been a while! Once we entered Tuscany the landscape was just like I had always imagined. Beautiful vineyards, lots of bright colors and of course cypress lined roads. Absolutely stunning and so inspiring. I have been drawing cypress trees ever since we got back from our trip. Once we got to Piombino we took a ferry to the island of Elba. We sat on the top deck and enjoyed the wonderful view while eating a prosciutto sandwich (fresh baguette). Oh so good!

Once on the island we took a taxi windy road up into the hills along the coast to our hotel. I was so surprised about how lush and green the island is. We spent the rest of the day swimming in the mediterranean and just enjoying relaxing. We ended the night with a beautiful 4 course meal at the hotel and a bottle of red wine from a local vineyard that was seriously the best wine I have ever had.

Here are a few pictures. More pictures of Elba to follow.

Ciao!

Posted on by — Leave a comment

A great week

I wanted to thank everybody for attending the opening reception of the “99 pieces of art on wall” show at cre8ery. It was wonderful to see so much support for local artists. I sold one of my photographs during the reception and yesterday I sold one of my oil paintings. It’s been a great week! The show is still on until September 3 so make sure to check it out if you haven’t had a chance to yet.

Tune in tomorrow as I get back on track with my entries about my trip to Europe. Here is a look at the pieces I sold this week.

Ciao!

Posted on by — 2 Comments

Day 5 in Roma

Our last day in Roma! We had pretty much seen everything we wanted to and also had enough time to just stroll around the different neighbourhoods.

We had been hoping for a bit of a cooler day to go to the Roman Forum and the Imperial Fora, but not luck. So went anyway and spent hours in the unbearable heat taking in the site of the once bustling heart of ancient political, judicial and commercial power. We had to take frequent breaks and we tried to find shade under some trees. At one point I sat down in midst a group of teenagers from Germany, which turned out really well because their teacher was telling them all about the history of this fabulous place. I enjoyed just sitting in the shade and listening to a mini history lecture in my first language. We ended our last night with a really great dinner. After dinner we walked to the Colosseum one last time and enjoyed the night.

Here are a few pics. Enjoy and see you tomorrow on our way to Elba!

Ciao!

Posted on by — Leave a comment

Day 4 in Roma – Part 2

After being at Vatican City for a large part of the day we walked to the Castel Sant’ Angelo and then made our way across the river to the Piazza Novano. The piazza was filled with people and music. A freedom of information event was being held on the piazza. There was a lot of police presence but there wasn’t any violence.

We stopped for a drink and some fabulous lasagna and then we went to the Pantheon. I had been looking forward to the Pantheon (AD 118-125) for days and I was not disappointed. It took my breath away. Emperor Phocas had donated this pagan temple to Pope Boniface IV in 608 and by doing so he ensured the preservation of this ancient Rome marvel. The airy interior and the perfect proportions are breathtaking. The dome is the widest masonry dome in Europe and the middle of the dome is open to the sky. It supposed to be absolutely beautiful when it rains as the water splashed on the marble floor. I can’t wait to go back to Rome and see this on a rainy day.

We ended our day with a bit of shopping (we both bought beautiful leather sandals) some gelato followed by a really nice dinner and drinks.

Here are a few pictures. Enjoy!

Ciao

Posted on by — Leave a comment

Day 4 in Roma – Part 1

After a bit of an adventure with getting on the wrong bus we finally got to Vatican City, the worlds smallest nation! We started out with the St Peter’s Basilica featuring Michelangelo’s Pieta, which he created when he was only 25 and of course Michelangelo’s Dom. Here are a few other highlights: Raphael Rooms, Chapel of Nicholas V, Caravaggio’s Deposition, Leonardo da Vinci’s St Jerome and one of my favorite sculptures ever “Laocoon”. There are 10 museums overall within the Vatican City so we saw incredible art from Michelangelo and da Vinci to Picasso and Dali. We ended our visit to Vatican City with the Sistine Chapel. It was very awe-inspiring to see Michelangelo’s ceiling in real life and to be staring up at the world-famous “Adam and Eve” fresco. One of my favorite parts of the ceiling was the depiction of the “original sin”. I sat down for what seemed like forever and just stared at the ceiling. It was extremely impressive and moving.

I will leave you with this and continue with part 2 of day 4 in Roma tomorrow.

Ciao

Posted on by — 1 Comment

Day 3 in Roma

We started our day like the day before with a wonderful breakfast in the beautiful courtyard of our hotel. Then we were off to another day of exploration. We spent the day walking all over the city without an itinerary. We ate gelato, drank lots of water (it was extremely hot) and even did a little bit of shopping on the famous Via dei Condotti. The biggest names of haute couture are all present and I felt like a kid in a candy store. I had always wanted a Hermes scarf and it was an amazing feeling to be able to walk into the store and pick a scarf for myself. I haven’t worn it yet but I can’t wait to. Even the packaging was beautiful with a beautifully designed box with Hermes printed ribbon and a heavy paper bag with the same design as the box. I have kept all the packaging. Another wonderful day in Roma ended with a wonderful dinner, more gelato and some drinks in the hotel courtyard.

And here are a few pictures of that day.

Ciao



Posted on by — Leave a comment

Day 2 in Roma

After having a wonderful first night in Rome filled with great food and a beautiful walk along the river (fiume tevere) we got a good night sleep and were ready to do more exploring the next day. After walking to the Stazione Centrale to make all of our train reservations we spent the next 10 hours walking through the beautiful streets of Roma. We saw beautiful churches (Santa Maria degli Angeli, Santa Maria Maggiore, Santa Maria delle Vittoria), the Terme di Diocleziano & Aula Ottagona, an exhibition on modern religious art, Monte Capitolino and Villa Borghese. We finished the night with a wonderful dinner, a bottle of red wine and some dessert, before falling into bed exhausted but so inspired by the beauty of Roma.

Here are a few pictures. Enjoy!

Ciao

Posted on by — 2 Comments

Back from traveling

You have probably been wondering why I haven’t been blogging over the last month. I have been traveling around Europe. 2 weeks Italy and then 2 weeks Switzerland. We have had a wonderful time and it was incredibly inspiring and relaxing. I enjoyed seeing my family and spending time with them. Merci fer alles!

I love traveling with K. and I love showing him parts of Europe he hasn’t seen yet. By showing him where I grew up, I feel that he gets a better understanding of who I am. It also reminds me where I come from and it helps me feel rooted. Don’t know if that makes sense to you guys. I do find it hard to live somewhere so far away from my home. I am European through and through and I have to admit that most days I feel a bit like a fish out of water here. So those yearly trips back home are my oxygen. I come back refreshed and inspired, ready to create again!

Here are a few pictures of our first few hours in Rome, where we started our trip. I hope you enjoy them and make sure to check back for some more Europe pictures. I will post a few from every day of our trip.

Ciao



Posted on by — 2 Comments

my sketchbook

The sketchbook – it’s like oxygen to every artist. My dad used to say to me that I should never leave the house without my Swiss Army knife. Many years ago I added one more thing to my Swiss Army knife – a sketchbook. There is always one in my bag. I have many different sketch books, different sizes and paper stock. One could say that it is one of my obsessions. I just love the feeling of holding a new sketch book in my hand, so empty, full of possibilities and I love the nervous feeling of making the first sketch in it. Last week I got a sketch book in the mail that I have been waiting for. I have signed up to part of “THE SKETCHBOOK PROJECT”, which is a very exciting project that artists from all over the world can participate in.

If you haven’t heard about this project here is a bit of info on it. To be part of the project you have to purchase a sketchbook for $25 from here, choose a (loose) theme, and sketch away until January 15, 2011 when all of the books must be returned to the Library. In March, the tour will take the thousands of sketchbooks that they receive on an Art Gallery tour. It’s pretty much like a concert tour for sketchbooks. After the tour all sketchbooks will enter into the permanent collection of  The Brooklyn Art Library for the public to view. The theme I have chosen is “Below the surface”. I am very excited and maybe a bit scared to start working in my sketchbook. The thought of it going on tour with thousands of other artists’ sketchbooks is exhilarating. Check back to get updates on my progress.

Ciao

The Sketchbook Project: 2011