Childrens Art and Ferragosto

Ferragosto

It's upon us once again. Its' an ancient Roman Bank Holiday, sort of, which translates as Augusto's day off, or more aptly 'Italy's collective August coma' when nothing can be done, arranged or even dreamt of. So best to forget plumbers, electricians, builders, lawyers, notaries, town hall staff etc. You get the picture. A holiday! Park your brain in the fridge.

My plan is quite the opposite. With art friends, we take to the streets around the coast, to art fairs; done eight already and there are two more to come.

Here's one I enjoyed, it was at Penna San Giovani, a little town, one of the many hilltop towns south of the regional capital Macerata. We were just two of us, myself and my art friend Claudia, otherwise known as Delfina.

It was the best so far. A spectacular show by the group called Compagni dei Folli (fire and ghosts on stilts) after which the two of us held an art workshop for kids. They were amazing. No explanations needed. No parents hanging around them (they were all in the bars) And there was a queue of them (the children that is). We worked with monoprints, and what they especially liked was the moment the paper was lifted off the glass. Oohs and Aahs as the image revealed itself and they carried the paintings gently off to dry.

They were so many and were like bees around a pot of jam and we simply couldnt turn any of them away and carried on until 1a.m.when their parents were exhausted from waitng and they peeled the children away one by one.

Playing with children is a learning experience for adult artists. We mustn't talk down to them and in fact they are our little gurus, floating, as they do, immediately into the absorption of each living second and having no clever preconceived ideas in their heads. They even helped us to clean up and then marched away holding their still wet masterpieces flat and adoringly in their hands.

So you see, this is what came even clearer to us; that when you run art workshops for adults, the task is to guide them into this state of child like innocence, however long it takes. And once there, all the rest flows.

After all, didn't Einstein once try to tell us that  ...................     

       'Play is the only way we ever truly learn' 

p.s. My new website is...  https://www.michaeleldridgestudio.com/workshops/

contact; email micermice@gmail.com

In the Forest of Altino (contd)

 

                                 

The forest

Walking slowly, the silence of the woods welcomes me with the scent of musk where I sink my hands and inhale the smell. I am moss.
My steps get slower and slower, I distinguish the green of each leaf, the brown of the bark, the grey of the tufo rocks.
I long to taste the purple colour of a flower, its taste so delicate and sweet. I am flower.
In the woods everything is harmony, the birds singing, the rustling of the trees and an immortal mountain stream caresses my hands and puts my thoughts to sleep.
I am water.
The sound of my footsteps disturbs me.
I breathe deeply and recover presence.
I am forest

Maria Rosa

This is a poem written by one of the workshop participants, Maria Rosa, on our weekend workshop 'in the forest'

And here is the original in Italian

Ed ecco l'originale in italiano

La foresta
Camminando lentamente il silenzio del bosco mi accoglie con il profumo del muschio dove affondo le mani e ne aspiro l'odore. Sono muschio.
Il passo si fa' sempre più lento, distinguo il verde di ogni foglia, i marroni delle cortecce, i grigi delle rocce di tufo.
Ho desiderio di assaggiare il colore viola di un fiore, il suo sapore è delicato e dolce. Sono fiore.
Nel bosco tutto è armonia, il canto degli uccelli, il fruscio degli alberi e un ruscello che gorgoglia immortale mi accarezza le mani e addormenta i pensieri.
Sono acqua.
Il rumore dei miei passi mi disturba.
Respiro profondamente e in presenza.
Sono bosco

Altino is an ancient forest which lies below the extinct volcano Monte Vettore which rises to 2,600 metres above us.

Altino è un'antica foresta che giace sotto il vulcano spento Monte Vettore che si erge a 2.600 metri sopra di noi.

Some five kilometers along a densely wooded and sometimes presciptous winding path, we come across our secret glade and sit along the trunk of a mighty fallen Oak tree which still bares the marks of our charcoal scribblings a weekend earlier.

Circa cinque chilometri lungo un sentiero tortuoso densamente boscoso e talvolta scosceso, incontriamo la nostra radura segreta e ci sediamo accanto al tronco di una possente quercia caduta che mostra ancora i segni dei nostri scarabocchi a carboncino un fine settimana prima.

The large painting above was inspired by our experiences in the forest. It was our gift to our host at Cittaella, Silvio Antognozzi

My next workshop at Cittadella will be September 7 to 11

For info, please contact Michael at micermice@gmail.com

Il grande dipinto sopra è stato ispirato dalle nostre esperienze nella foresta. È stato il nostro regalo al nostro ospite a Cittaella, Silvio Antognozzi

Il mio prossimo workshop a Cittadella sarà dal 7 all'11 settembre

Per informazioni, si prega di contattare Michael a micermice@gmail.com

In The Forest

 At Altino

This was just one of our daily trips; out and about in the hills below Monte Vettore. We were sketching and absorbing the mighty power of  Nature in these parts, steeped as it is in levels of human history and geological transformation through millions of years of turbulance and volcanic eruptions. Another venue was Lu Vurghe which is a thermal spring nestled below the old Roman road La Salaria, the ancient salt route from the salt flats at San Benedetto to Rome. This place, too, was the rest- over for Legions to bathe and heal or rest themselves after returning or going to battle in the Empire, securing its borders or enlarging it in Europe and Asia.

It is late May, and the water rushing by us in the river Tronto was pure snow melt and freezing cold, almost impossibly so (I lasted in it just 20 seconds). But those of our number much braver than I, stayed in much longer to my astonishment. In the summer, the water is a perfect temperature and the thermal stream which feeds into it really quite hot. So we'll go back then.

Our forest adventure was, I would say, even more profound; if that's the right word,.Altino is an ancient forest and contains every species of tree, bush, herb you could ever dream to encounter in a woodland. It is a place where trees are left to continue their hosting of other life forms, wherever they fall or are blown over or struck by lightning.We inhaled the fragrance of the forest, breathing in the natural aromatherapy of phytoncides; tasting the freshness of the air as we took deep breaths; placed our hands on the trunk of a the huge oak tree . Dipped our fingers or toes in a stream. Lay on the ground, drinking in the flavour of the forest and releasing our senses of joy and calm. We sat and ate our picnic perched on the huge trunk of the fallen oak. At its base it was black, it had been struck by lightning and it was pure charcoal, and I used to it to draw with on this second day of sketching where we made memory marks in our sketchbooks to work on back at Cittadella our mountain retreat, and trasform these into paintings.

And we? we were a mixture of Italian and English speaking artists who despite the occasional odd language blip, managed to communicate through our art and our laughter and light heartedness.

Our next workshop is at the end of June (29^th to July 3). We welcome creatives of all and every variety, painters, sculptors, poets, writers, actors, dancers. To work together, to share the ups and downs of creativity in these stressful times and endeavour lighten the dark in every way we possibly can.

More info from Michael; micermice@gmail.com/whatsapp +39 3283535358

www.michaeleldridgestudio.com/workshops/

Nel bosco di Altino

Questo era solo uno dei nostri viaggi quotidiani; in giro tra le colline sotto il Monte Vettore. Stavamo disegnando e assorbendo il potente potere della natura da queste parti, immerso com'è nei livelli della storia umana e della trasformazione geologica attraverso milioni di anni di turbolenze ed eruzioni vulcaniche. Un altro luogo è stato Lu Vurghe, una sorgente termale incastonata sotto l'antica strada romana La Salaria, l'antica via del sale dalle saline di San Benedetto a Roma. Anche questo luogo era il luogo di riposo per le legioni per lavarsi e curarsi o riposarsi dopo essere tornate o essere andate a combattere nell'Impero, assicurandone i confini o allargandolo in Europa e in Asia.

È la fine di maggio, e l'acqua che ci scorreva accanto nel fiume Tronto era pura neve sciolta e gelida, quasi impossibile (sono durato solo 20 secondi) ma quelli del nostro numero molto più coraggiosi di me, sono rimasti molto più a lungo per il mio stupore. In estate l'acqua ha una temperatura perfetta e la corrente termale che la alimenta è davvero piuttosto calda. Allora torneremo indietro

La nostra avventura nella foresta è stata, direi, ancora più profonda; se questa è la parola giusta, Altino è una foresta millenaria e racchiude ogni specie di albero, arbusto, erba che si possa sognare di incontrare in un bosco. È un luogo in cui gli alberi vengono lasciati per continuare a ospitare altre forme di vita, ovunque cadano o vengano spazzati via o colpiti da un fulmine. Abbiamo inalato la fragranza del bosco, respirando l'aromaterapia naturale dei phytoncides; assaporando la freschezza dell'aria mentre facevamo respiri profondi; abbiamo messo le mani sul tronco di un'enorme quercia. Immergi le dita delle mani o dei piedi in un ruscello. Sdraiati a terra, bevendo il sapore della foresta e liberando il nostro senso di gioia e calma. Ci siamo seduti e abbiamo mangiato il nostro picnic appollaiati sull'enorme tronco di una possente quercia, e alla sua base era nero, era carbone puro, e l'ho usato per disegnare in questo secondo giorno di schizzi dove abbiamo lasciato segni di memoria nei nostri quaderni lavorare a Cittadella, il nostro rifugio di montagna, e trasformarli in quadri.

E noi? eravamo un misto di artisti di lingua italiana e inglese che, nonostante lo strano problema linguistico, riuscivano a comunicare attraverso la nostra arte, le nostre risate e la nostra spensieratezza.

Il nostro prossimo seminario è alla fine di giugno (dal 29 al 3 luglio). Diamo il benvenuto a creativi di ogni varietà, pittori, scultori, poeti, scrittori, attori, ballerini. Lavorare insieme, condividere gli alti e bassi della creatività in questi tempi stressanti e alleggerire il buio nel miglior modo possibile

Piu info da Caudia claudiarenzistudi@gmail.com/ whatsapp 351 5042828

www.michaeleldridgestudio.com/workshops/

Delfie's Barn

 The Centre where we spend our time is historically known as a place of magic, of the old nature religion, of caves and secret grottos, and high up at 2000 metres, the cave of the mythical Sibilla.

It's within the Sibillini National Park, a large area which encompasses an entire string of mountains and one which is dedicated to a successful programme of re-wilding, having already reintroduced wolves and bears who in turn, by their active presence are restoring its original balance of nature.

Our Art Group consists of both a local group, a mixture of Italians and British, and a more International group who visit here two or three times annually to work together and simply to be together to share their art experiences, in painting, poetry and adventure around this magnificent playground of nature, with it's mountains, lakes and sacred places.

Earlier this week, some of us from the local group got together, ostensibly to paint and show each other our art work but mysteriously it became a day of simply relaxing and enjoying each others company and discovering that Defie's barn could be changed into a magnificent studio. And we started doing so, getting as far as throwing masses of junk away and watching as its intrinsic beauty unfold

Read what she says about what we got up to and how it enriched our day...........

She writes;

What is creativity? We often fear this word. We feel it's bigger than us, a little mysterious and we believe that you have to be painters to be creative! This is actually what happened today, planning the day making art together and instead we created a cozy environment in a garage, ate together, discovered marginal places in the surrounding nature and new ideas came and so, without "thinking"! Creativity is not just about painting or photographing or creating objects. Creativity is knowing how to flow with what attracts you. Create_activity. Stop thinking and act, something beautiful will surely come your way! 

Delfie, aka. Claudia Renzi

The Vibrations of Nature

                               painting Michael Eldridge

What is it like to be an artist?

Is being an artist really just a state of mind?

Just to read about such matters is seldom of any practical use, principally because words are no more than additions to the data bank of our minds. Like learning how to drive a car from an instruction booklet. Or how to ski.

And yes, poetry has a beauty of course, but it is not just thereading but also the writing of it which takes us deeper into the realm of creativity and to its wonders

I learnt to ski in the Rockies (or so I imagined). It was a program with a Zen teacher and I felt like a professional afterwards. One of the exercises was to be blinfolded and go down an easy slope putting weight on to first left foot , then right, and continue....Another to go down throwing a ski pole up in the air and catch it. I was great at that. 

A few months later, I was in Italy and some friends asked me if I would like to go skiing in Switzerland. Could I ski? You bet I said. The resort was high up in the Dolomites and the temperature that weekend was minus 14C. Ice. And deisel frozen in tank already

OK on the black slope? Of course!

 I soon found that my Zen sessions had not included ice, speed, and almost perependicular descents over mounds and hillocks. Consequence? Flying through the air through the sound barrier, my skis crossed. Result, broken ribs and a gashed head, etc. A distant memory. But I do remember walking with skis in my hands two kilometres down the black slope to a mini ski bar, where I sat down to unfreeze with a hot cofee, and to feel the defrosting blood trickle down my face

I lost interest in skiing after that.

But, I guess that experience is one of the reasons I run workshops the way I do

To provide experimental and sensorial experiences in the forests, rivers and mountains, along with like minded people in a spirit of caring and sharing and to produce art; painting, poetry and to start our days slowly with Chi Kung; to absorb ourselves in nature. It is a process which takes time and patience and it is why I run follow ups and webinars with participants once they have attended a workshop, to go deeper, to reinforce. To bond as a group

My next workshop, the Vibrations of Nature is in the spectacular natural environment of the Sibillini mountains of Le Marche Italy, from 26th to 30th of September, 2022. Our venue is Cittadella, a beautiful retreat which lies below the majestic Monte Vettore

There are a only a few places left on this workshop. For further information, please write to Michael at micermice@gmail.com or telephone (whatsapp) +39 3283535358

compagni d'arte (art buddies)

                                               

                                                     Judy Offord

Questa è una piccola mostra a Porto San Giorgio, una città costiera sull'Adriatico. È con i miei amici pittori Claudia Renzi, Judy Offord e Duncan Campbell che espongono qua e là in questa parte delle Marche negli ultimi due anni. È il luogo in cui viviamo e, sebbene mostriamo il nostro lavoro in un'arena più ampia, a livello nazionale e internazionale, questo è un omaggio al luogo in cui viviamo; poiché è qui che siamo attrattiassimilaassimilazionezione  dalla bellezza delle montagne, dei fiumi e dei burroni; inostro continuo assorbimento nei ritmi e nei misteri della natura.

Claudia Renzi

Gli artisti hanno bisogno di amici tanto quanto hanno bisogno della solitudine e dei suoni del silenzio e abbiamo imparato a rispettare questi bisogni e qualità positivi tra di noi..

Duncan Campbell

Ed è questa dinamica che promuovo nei miei workshop sulle montagne della Sibilla qui nelle Marche, in Italia: E continua come una sorta di connettività duratura ben oltre un weekend di workshop con webinar in cui ci mostriamo il nostro lavoro su un regolarmente e condividere anche le cose che non sono così buone nella nostra vita. Le persone creative sono persone emotive ed è meglio che non fingano di avere il controllo, ma invece aderiscano prontamente al meraviglioso detto di Nietzsche che "Bisogna avere il caos in se stessi per dare alla luce una stella danzante"

Michael Eldridge

Siamo come lupi di montagna che preferiscono aggirarsi ai margini della foresta della normalità, piuttosto che essere trascinati nei suoi confini di soffocante comodità e conformità

Questo non vuol dire che non siamo felici, comunque. È solo un altro tipo di felicità, che cambia come i capricci del vento

Il mio prossimo workshop a Cittadella, 'Le Vibrazioni della Natura' è dal 26 al 30 settembre

Esplora l'affinità tra i cinque sensi e il desiderio di creare oltre noi stessi.

Sembra serio, ma in realtà è un divertente giro di condivisione, risate e alleggerimento (almeno per un po') l'oscurità che sappiamo essere spesso fin troppo vicina

Dopotutto, a questo servono gli amici: condividere e prendersi cura.Michael

Ulteriori informazioni sui miei workshop in inglese e italiano, scrivi a Michael Eldridge a micemice@gmail.com. tel, whats app +39 3283535358

In italiano, contattare; Claudia, email claudiarenzistudio@gmail.com, whatsapp 351.5042828

ART BUDDIES

 

                                (and what it is to be an artist)

                Judy Offord

This is a little exhibition in Porto San Giorgio, a coastal town on the Adriatic It is with my painter friends Claudia Renzi, Judy Offord and Duncan Campbell who have been exhibiting here and there around this part of Le Marche for the past couple of years. It is where we live, and although we show our work in a larger arena, nationally and internationally, this is a homage to where we live; as it is here that we are drawn to the beauty of the mountains and rivers and ravines; our continuing absorption into the rhythms and mysteries of nature.

             Claudia Renzi

Artists need buddies as much as they need solitude and the sounds of silence and we have learned to respect these positive needs and qualities amongst ourselves.

             Duncan Campbell

And it is this dynamic that I foster in my workshops up in the mountains of La Sibilla here in Le Marche, Italy: And it continues as a sort of lasting connectivity way beyond a workshop weekend with  webinars where we show each other our work on a regular basis and share also the things that are not so good in our lives. Creative people are emotional people and it is best that they don't pretend to be in control, but instead adhere readily to Nietzsche 's wonderful saying that 'One must have chaos in oneself to give birth to a dancing star'

                          Michael Eldridge

We are like mountain wolves who prefer to prowl around the edges of the forest of normality, rather then be drawn into its confines of stifling comfort and conformity

That is not to say we are not happy, by the way. It's just another kind of happiness, which changes like the vagaries of the wind

My next workshop at Cittadella, 'T'he Vibrations of Nature' is from September 26^th to 30^th

^{It explores the affinity between the five senses and the desire to create beyond ourselves.}

^{That sounds serious, but in reality it's a fun ride of sharing and laughing and lightening (for a while at least) the darkness that we know is often all too near}

^{This is what buddies are for, after all: to share and care.}

^Michael

Further information about my workshops in English and Italian, write to Michael Eldridge at micermice@gmail.com

tel, whats app +39 3283535358

In Italian,  contattare; Claudia, email claudiarenzistudio@gmail.com, whatsapp 351.5042828