May 27

Here are the last of my watercolors. And with that, I have finished both of my big projects that were planned for the six-week concentration period. I'll still be working in my sketchbook of course, but the two main projects are done. It's relieving, but bittersweet as always. This week: all day critiques on Monday and Tuesday, installing the show on Wednesday, final show on Thursday, "graduation" and final group dinner on Friday, clean-up and packing on Saturday, and Sunday...flying home. Here we go.

May 24

Here are my final darkroom prints and some more watercolors.

Colosseo (finally...)

I feel like a poor excuse for an exchange student. I've been living in Rome for four and a half months and only just visited the Colosseum today. Whoops! It was a lot smaller on the inside than it looks from the outside, but still awesome. Our tickets also included entrance to the Forum and the Palatine Hill, so we walked through those too.

 

Pupi Siciliani

Yesterday, I put the finishing touches on my third puppet, and spent today photographing them. They stand about a foot tall. Here they all are!

Polyphemus

 

Siren

 

 

Odysseus

My process was something like this:

-Do fast, simple character designs on paper

-Sculpt all the pieces out of air-dry clay, making sure to include holes for the joints later

-Paint and varnish each piece

-Create all the props and clothing out of various found materials

-Hair

-Put the pieces together using screw eye joints, and attach the dowels and strings

It was a lot of guessing and hoping that they would work, and I'm so happy that they are actually functional. As a bonus, here is a video I also put together:

(This took five hours to upload with the Cenci internet, so you're welcome world.)