Thursday, December 30, 2010

Sunny day brings back sunny memories!

Today sunshine has inspired me to dig out these old photographs of me and a friend of mine sketching on the beach on a sunny day of June 2009. Maybe looking at these images will help me to pick up pastels, chalk, pencils and paper to draw again!

Il sole di oggi mi ha inspirato a tirare fuori queste vecchie foto di me ed una mia amica mentre schizziamo in una spiaggia sotto il sole del giugno 2009. Forse avere sotto gli occhi queste immagini mi spingera' a disegnare di nuovo.










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photos by Elisabetta Bastai 2009-10©2010

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Tuesday, December 28, 2010

December 27

Browsing through the Art section of my local library:

Curiosando nella sezione d'arte della libreria locale:


It was interesting looking at old photographs of women painters executing life drawings in art classes all dressed up in 19th century dresses.

Interessante guardare vecchie foto di donne artiste che disegnano dal vero i vari studi in scuole d'arte che indossano vestiti dell'ottocento.

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A lot of browns, grays and blacks! This is the Northwest especially at this time of the year.

Un sacco di marroni, grigi e neri! Il Pacific Northwest e' cosi' soprattutto in questa stagione.


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Amazing intricate artwork where animals are the protagonists.

Opere d'arte incredibilmente intricate dove gli animali sono i protagonisti.

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Modernisim, geometrical shapes, angular, simplified forms, ultimately abstraction then organic plant forms, warm Southwest landscapes, sensual colors and shapes.

Modernismo, forme geometriche, angolari, semplificate, alla fine astrazione poi forme organiche vegetali, calorosi paesaggi del Southwest, colori e forme sensuali.

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I have never heard of this American painter. Somewhat his works reminds me of Botero's but they are far more sophisticated and less grottesque. Italian Renaissances with an American accent.

Non ho mai sentito nominare questo pittore americano. I suoi lavori mi ricordano un po' quelli di Botero ma sono piu' sofisticati e meno grotteschi. Il Rinascimento italiano con l'accento americano.

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One of my favorite artists of the 20th century. The power of his imagery is almost overwhelming. Beauty in uglilness and disfiguration. A representatrion of the human body that tears the thin outer layer of its skin.

One dei miei pittori favopriti del 20esimo secolo. Il potere delle sue immagini e' quasi inostenibile. Bellezza in bruttezza e disfiguramento. una rappresentazione del corpo umano che strappa lo strato sottile della sua pelle.

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Monday, December 27, 2010

Ryan

Ryan is a Canadian animated short films that tells the troubled story of the Canadian animator Ryan Larkin. It has made me think about the creative process, my struggle to be an artist and my uncertain future as an art maker.

Ryan e' un cortometraggio canadese d'animazione sulla vita problematica dell'animatore canadese Ryan Larkin. Mi ha fatto pensare al processo creativo, la continua lotta d'artista ed il mio futuro incerto come creatrice d'arte.


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On Film Making

I haven't been drawing or painting consistently for a couple of years now. I have been focusing my creative energy in taking digital photographs and video clips and editing them to create short slide shows and videos. I don't know where all of this will lead to and how far I will want to pursue video- making.

I have just completed my last video (Dragonfly Dream) of the series about snorkeling in lakes. Now I am working on a project that is quite different. It's more complex and challenging. The other day I went to the local library and browsed through the shelves with books about movies and found this volume: On Film-Making, An Introduction to the Craft of the Director by Alexander Mackendrick, edited by Paul Cronin.

The thought of becoming a director of a feature film is both exciting and scary. The complexity on how to handle a film crew, actors etc. is overwhelming. I don't see myself becoming a feature film director any time soon anyway. So why reading this book that is a collection of notes and handouts for students in film-making written by an American-Scottish director whom I have never heard of? Because I hope to learn some things that may help me to make my ideas on how to visualize my current project clearer.

Mackendrick wrote this class material when he was the Dean of the California Institute of the Arts with a clear, down-to-earth language. He makes references to works of literature and films and gives practical suggestions on how to tackle certain problems related to the development of a story and how to put it onto film. If I learn anything at all from this book it would by a subliminal process rather than from doing the practical exercises mentioned in his notes. Wish me good luck!

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text by elisabetta bastai©2010

On Film Making An Introduction to the Craft of the Director by Alexander Mackendrick, published by Faber and Faber, New York, 2005
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Thursday, December 2, 2010

Sleepwalking


My latest video is not about scubadiving or snorkeling. I have been experimenting with animating abstract still images and editing them with video clips.
The music is by Sam , my husband.

Il mio ultimo video non rigurda fare la sub o lo snorkeling. Ho sperimentato animado photografie astratte e mischiandole con video clips.
La musica e' di mio marito Sam.

You may watch it at:

Lo puoi guardare cliccando qui:


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artwork by Elisabetta Bastai ©2010

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