Kissing the Gold Goodnight. Orsoni, Day 2

Sadly I dropped the piece of gold back into the bag, and left it on my work station.

When Mirta handed me a 1kilo bag of rough-cut number 10 (the best!) gold smalti today, well....... I felt damn fine! HUGE chunks of gold on glass. Then she waved goodbye, and shouting 'Ciao' from the door, left for the day. Yummy!

Not that I didn't already have gold on my desk. I've got 5 boxes of different coloured gold which I'm working with. Two white golds, one blue, one turquoise and a violet gold.
And now I have Gold gold.
So late this evening, when I was contemplating calling it a day on the work front, I pressed my face into the bag of gold, and considered bringing it to bed with me so we could sleep together. Sigh.
Instead, I dropped the left over piece I'd cut from back into the bag, and like the adult I'm not, left the bag on the table for the night.
I may just slip back in the wee hours to look at it a little.
Flashes of Golum? Umm.. yessssss, my preciousssssss. Indeed.

Above are pics of my work station day 1, just before starting.
And then this evening after day 2.

Everyone by now is deep in the projects they're working on. There isn't even much talk in the class. There is some kind of music, but it's way too soft and nauseatingly shmaltzy for me. So I've had my i-pod for some of the time.

The range of glass and colours at our disposal is just incredible. The supervision too. I mostly get on with things myself, but I did have some excellent direction from Antonella late in the day. Very technical on interpretation and expression of my design. I won't go into it here, but having guidance on such a level is phenomenal for me. Just brilliant.

I left for lunch on my own. Orsoni is perfectly situated. Just a couple of blocks from a very busy area, so no shortage of restaurants etc. I took my book and returned to the same place I ate at on Sunday. I must be the reincarnation of Sally from the Harry met Sally movie. This is how the order went.
"Can I have the pasta prima vera please. But not with penne. With Spagetti. And not so much oil as on Sunday please. And no cream, rather use tomatoes. And no mushrooms please. And please tell the chef it was delicious on Sunday and can it be the same only with more vegetable. No thank you, no wine. Or bread. Grazie mille."
It was delicious.

The atmosphere in the studio in the afternoon is intense. Some of us are realising that the goal of finishing 2 whole pieces is pretty steep. It's slow going and at the end of the official day I'm no where close to quarter way with my piece. Of course I know that it's all fine, and it will move more fluidly on other days. Nancy, the Chinese/American woman who's seated in front of me, and fires tiny pieces of glass off her cutting post all day, is a little stressed about it.

I stopped at 6pm, returned to my room to check my mail and have a cup of tea. Umm, yes, I also had a hidden piece of bread which I munched happily (thank you Bobba for such skills you imparted!).
I set myself the challenge of working this evening until I was close to what I thought would be the quarter mark, but by 10pm my eyes were just too tired to carry on. I am working with extremely small pieces of glass. I always do. It's my style. It's very time consuming as well as stressful on the eyes, so I do need to take regular breaks. Also, need to stand and look at the work from different perspectives.

I took my computer into the studio tonight. Just four of us there. I played DJ, and have to admit, the music was superb. Dulce Pontes (Fado), Idan Reichel and Annie Lennox. I love working with music on. Now all I need is a little space so I can dance some. All this sitting on bums and working you know.

By the way. For those who can't work it out. My design is based on the Horse-Head Nebula of Orion. That's the pic that's on the wall above my work station.
Can't wait to see how it's going to turn out.
And for now, I'm gonna turn in.
Extremely happy and tired.

Day 1
Orsoni Master Class. January 2010

For a creative Romantic, arriving in Italy is like basking in a warm friendly ocean. For a lover of visions and history, arriving in Venice is like reconnecting with a part of yourself that you’d almost forgotten.
For a Mosaic artist, arriving at Orsoni is like reconnecting with the Mother-ship. Like dying and feeling no pain or fear, and being instantly transported to the most heavenly Heaven imaginable.
Really, it is.

The entrance hall to the Domus Orsoni, which is a luxury B&B adjoining the glass foundry and factory of the Legendary Orsoni family, is like a gallery. A mosaic gallery containing some of the most wonderful pieces of mosaic, many of which are familiar to me from the many mosaic books and web sites that I’ve read. Unbelievable. Most of the pieces here are made by Maestro Lucio Orsoni, hereafter referred to as The Maestro. Also present is the infamous 3-D Night Shirt, by Julie Richie. It’s even much more amazing to see real than in photographs. Much like most mosaic work. Mosaic comes alive in the light.

The rooms at Domus Orsoni are also like works of art. Each individually designed, and decorated with..... mosaic of course. My room is divine, huge bed, turquoise and green mosaic on the walls, made with real gold smalti. And the bathroom....... white and gold, great shower. Huge bed, windows that open, quiet, luxurious, and all mine. For the next two weeks.
Yes! This is Heaven.

Five people are attending the course. Two from USA, 1 Swiss, 1 Belguim and me, the proud Saffer.

I walked the streets of Venice after I arrived yesterday. Bought roasted chestnuts, ate them as I walked, had a delicious plate of spagetti and vegetables in a little restaurant, bought some milk and then wandered back ‘home’. One block from home, I was amazed to find a restaurant called Gum Gum, a kosher eaterie. Insane I thought! What are the chances?

Well the chances are high when you find yourself living in the area of one of the oldest and most famous Jewish Ghettos in the world. Gheto Veccio. Oops. I forgot to do my history homework before I arrived.

Wandering through the area, I saw many galleries and shops selling Venetian Judaica, art, and books of course. While staring into the window of one of the bookshops I was seen by a young couple inside. Next thing, he comes outside, greets me with “Shalom”, and I return the greeting. Homeopathic principle I guess, like attracts like.

“You Jewish?” he asks. (please read with correct Brooklyn/Lubavich accent).
“Of course.” I reply. (I mean, just look at my features and colouring man!! Obvious Semite.)

Anyway, to cut a long story shorter, I came away with a gift of shabbat candles and the prayer (in Hebrew, which I can’t read, but don’t worry, my mother drummed that one into me), and an invitation for this Friday night shabbat celebration.
Got to love traveling.

Back to Orsoni.
This morning we started our classes at 9am. The class room is actually in the same building we’re staying in. Everyone’s designs were reviewed by Antonella, the main teacher, assisted by Iliana the translator and Mirta.

We spent about 1 hour touring the factory and watched the men blowing glass. Enormous elongated glass bubbles which are then cut into small pieces and used to cover the gold foils. The place has a medieval feeling about it all.

Next we viewed the stores and stores of coloured glass. Orsoni produces over 2,000 colours of smalti glass, and some 25 different colours of real gold smalti.

I’m revealing this now.
I’m so unbelievably moved and honoured to be in such a place, having this most privileged experience. I cried.
Standing there, among all those colours. In the heart of this Art Form which I am so passionate about, I cried.
Especially in front of the red glass. I can’t explain that entirely. I think it’s just because I find it so exquisitely beautiful. I cried.
I feel tearful again, even just thinking about it.

I must also admit here, that I felt incredibly anxious showing my design ideas, as well as starting the project I’m working on. But Antonella gave me the ‘thumbs up’ for my ideas, and when we got back to the studio/class room, the wood had been cut for us, and it was time to start working.
It was then that ‘The Maestro’ entered. What a presence he has. He’s in his 70’s, a serious, intense, strong man. He also approved my design, and advised me on how to begin and get the design lines onto the board.

He appeared later in the day again, encouraged me to carry on with a part that I was unsure of, and then in his finest Maestro voice, bent over me and said, “I think-a you must-a put-a a leetle more-a silver-a over here-a.”
Heavenly!

I’m in heaven.
I stayed and worked all evening after the teachers had gone home. Made a cup of tea and ate a stale piece of bread that I’d taken off the breakfast table this morning and stashed in my room. I definitely learned a couple of things from my old Bobba.
I’m happy with the couple centimeters I’ve worked on my mosaic so far.
I’m in Mosaic Mecca.
Melly Heaven.

That's me

Flying Woman

Fatima

The Bird of Fire.

From a drawing I made as a teenager.

Orion Nebula. Made for Luc Lassche.