I visited Florence five years ago, and fell in love with the city. It is the capital of the region of Tuscany and his home to beautiful Renaissance art and architecture, as well as various parks and gardens. It is also famous for its artisans, particularly in the areas of leather working and paper.
Read on for my recommendations!
Burano is an island off the coast of Italy that belongs to the same lagoon as Venice. Like Venice, the town is accessible by boat, and can be traveled via its main canals. Burano is best known for two things: its intricate handmade lace work and brightly colored homes.
Our second stop in Europe was the beautiful city of Venice. The city was built on a lagoon, and consequently there are no cars…people either walk or travel by boat.
The city is best known for its canals and gondolas, but one of my favorite things about it is the Venetian Gothic architecture. The style originated in the 14th century, and combines Byzantine influences from Constantinople with Arabic influences from Moorish Spain. Two famous examples of this style are the Doge’s Palace and the Ca’ d’Oro.
As those of you following me on Instagram know, I recently took a trip to Spain and Italy with my family, so I’ve decided to make a print for the places we visited. Like any good vacation, the trip left me refreshed and ready to come home and do something creative!
I originally titled this article ‘The Ugly Process Behind a Beautiful Print,’ because I liked the contrast between ‘ugly’ and ‘beautiful.’ But I decided that calling my own work ‘beautiful’ was a little presumptuous, even if I am happy with how it turned out. And believe me, I never thought I’d write those words, because making this print was SO HARD.
When I was in Japan a few years ago, we took a day trip up to Nikko, a town in the mountains north of Tokyo. It was this trip that inspired my very first block prints: a series of water patterns inspired by the symbolism found in Japanese folk art.