so far so good.
most of my mornings are spent working at either the sculpture studio (with a sculptor named Lori) or in one of the students studio at Porta Romana (with Sean and Theresa, this is the reclining pose... it's beautiful!!!! i'll try to get some photos of the paintings). my afternoons are the standing pose and evenings are free for now.... Yesterday a man who used to teach at the FAA came in and asked me to pose for him as well, and the students in the first year studio, Casine, are trying to hire me for a weekend pose when i'm not doing extra work with Lori, Sean, or Theresa.
work is plentiful and i couldn't be more grateful. I talked with the model coordinator at the FAA and she told me she wanted to schedule me to work for them as long as i'm in the country, which was also wonderful news. job security is quite nice and it's wonderful working on long term projects. it looks as if i'll be working between 25-35 hours every week, which is nice, exhausting, but nice.
i was talking to adam on friday, telling him all about work and such, when he reminded me, "all work and no play makes nessa a dull boy".... which is true. and that's why i'm going to Venice this weekend. I'm leaving after class on friday, it's only a 3 hour train ride, and i'll come back sunday evening. just enough time to check out La Bennale di Venezia, take the water bus through the city, sample the food and hopefully pop into a museum or two. if any of you have been to Venice and have any advice on places to go, I'd love the input.
in the spirit of avoiding being a dull boy I've also been getting out and exploring the town. Friday i found a health food store that was as wonderfully overpriced as the ones in the states are. i did find some miso soup mix, tofu, and splendid herbal teas. yesterday i stopped in at a music store and played the guitars for a little while... i noticed a new poster for Taylor guitars on the wall and found 6 boxes nearby who's contents could only be the glory of a Taylor... sadly they weren't unpacked yet so i couldn't play them... i'll have to go back. i miss my guitar.
I've also discovered the beauty of Cappuccino. before my morning sessions at Porta Romana i go to the little cafe down the street, stand at the bar and sip my delightful drink while i watch the people go through their morning routines. Interestingly enough there are unspoken rules about cappuccino , like you don't drink them after 11 am unless you want to oust yourself as a tourist.... go figure. I've yet to discuss with a local how these rules developed, but i'd love to get an insiders view on the coffee society in italy.
I've also (although these are from a while ago) had the opportunity to visit the Accademia to see Michelangelo's David. it was amazing. I've no idea how he made the stone look so smooth, so life like. he carved the hands so you can see the veins, the torso looks so lifelike... it's really phenomenal. there is currently an exhibit of Robert Mapplethorpe's less controversial work being displayed in part of the Accademia. it was a wonderful exhibit, his skill with the photographic craft is amazing, and some of the images were so moving. I had mixed feelings about the exhibit as it continued out into the gallery and was displayed next to Michelangelo's "prisoners" the unfinished statues that line the hallway leading to David. David himself was flanked by 4 mapplethorpe photos. i understand the comparison of beauty in the human figure, but it wasn't my favorite display. the two together felt too harsh a contrast. I admired both sets of work, but i think they're both stronger standing alone. overall it was a great afternoon at the Accademia.
I also went to a museum called La Specola. it was AMAZING! the first 12 rooms or so are filled with more taxidermy animals than you can imagine. they had an extinct Tasmanian Tiger and a hippo that used to be a pet of the royal family... it used to live in Boboli gardens. this particular hippo was stuffed around 300 years ago... so it's not the most stelar job, but it's still pretty impressive. they had everything from lions to zebras, birds of every size from every continent(penguins, hummingbirds, ostrich, pheasant....), gorillas and orangutans, and even dolphins. it was a phenomenal collection. but even more interesting... were the next 9 rooms which are stuffed to the brim with wax models of cadavers. they were crated to help medical students study the human body. sadly pictures were strictly forbiden so i don't have any to share, but if you click on the link above (click on the word La Specola) it'll take you to some. there were full bodies, close ups on hands, feet, head... everywhere... they were so intricate, it reminded my of my anatomy class... minus the smell of phenol, which was a bonus. in any case, it was great fun, if you're in Florence and want something a little different from the Uffizi, this is definitely a step off the beaten path. not for the squeamish, but i highly recommend it.
overall things are going well, it's gotten quite cold here though and country wide heaters aren't supposed to be turned on until November 1st in the name of energy conservation. so... we're bundling up. it's actually nice going to work cause they have space heaters blowing on me... sometimes i'm warmer there than in my bedroom. ha. in any case, venice is coming up, i'll be sure to post about it soon.
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