The tip of the iceberg

My latest artist's book: Where Sea & Sky Meet.

This post's title references the number of things I had hoped to share this past month versus the few that I will actually have time to record before March draws to a close. I am so impressed by all of the artists who manage to document & post not only their finished work, but also their process, somehow keeping a thread running from day to day (or at least week to week). It amuses me when I think back to my original plan for this 'reinvented' blog: to put together twelve (!) entries each month. I have been exploring a dozen different themes/elements each month this year, and envisioned being able to write about/photograph everything for Arzigogolare. Hmmm...

Which brings me to my word for this month...reassess. It took most of March to find the right word, but it seems fitting now that I have a better grasp of how 2012 is progressing so far. Some projects have been let go; others have surfaced.

One recent piece is a new artist's book, Where Sea & Sky Meet, which I created as a submission for a two-year-long traveling exhibition (the acceptance announcement has not gone out, so I still don't know if it will be among those chosen). This is yet another—the third—variation of an exploration of Venice through photos (and a brief text). I have retained certain elements from one book to another—a bead-embroidered ribbon, a large selection of photos & a similar text/title—but the central themes that guide the individual books differ, which in turn influences the structure and many other design details.

I actually had the chance to return to Venice earlier in the month, and was very much looking forward to gathering new imagery to mine in future; it seemed like the perfect way to celebrate the completion of another artist's book featuring Venice. But then the submission deadline was extended—giving me much needed extra time—so I gave up the trip. Perhaps it was just as well, as plenty of past photos are still awaiting their chance to become part of various projects.

In some ways I almost felt like I'd been to Venice anyway; it's funny how working with images and text relating to a place can make you feel as though you've been immersed in it. I still remember experiencing this sensation each afternoon when I would pick up my daughter from preschool...only back then, while living in Pasadena, I was 'spending' my days in Florence as I worked on the earliest versions of The Piazzas of Florence. There was always a brief adjustment as I reentered the real world again. How lucky I am to actually be spending my days in Florence now, even if my mind might briefly be elsewhere...

{Click here for more photos + details of Where Sea & Sky Meet.}

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Meanwhile, we've been having another glorious month in Florence—not at all like the usual marzo pazzo, 'crazy March', with the sun and rain clouds playing hide-and-seek all month long. The city is so alive, becoming fuller, and louder (in a nice way), by the day. It won't be long before the primroses and pansies retire from excess sun exposure, but they're still brightening up the windowsill.

The impromptu garden that 'grows' along the sunny southern edge of Piazza Santo Spirito during the monthly flea market.

We brought home five creamy/white primrose plants from the market.

Pansies & lavender lined up on the windowsill before planting.