Shave and a Haircut

This is my new low-budget stop motion animation. All I used were photo stills from my digital camera and video editing software. Theme: every day life as art (can't get any more low budget than that!). I really like the abrupt jerky motion but because it is a narrative time line the image sequence seems to flow together pretty nicely.

Art Povera: my new art project

The strange things I do in my spare time....
I have a confession to make.
I like to reinvent and remake and realize new art from my old art. I was always taught in art school to move forward once you complete a project but I love to go through my old ideas and ponder about what I was thinking and what i was going through at that time.
Well, I never listen to what I'm told anyhow.

These are stills from a video I made last year using this super fantastic computer program called max/jitter. Basically I programmed a "patch" (official name) that allowed me to motion track what was fed into a video camera. The camera was plugged into the computer and recorded a close up of my hands putting bandaids on all my fingers. As my hands moved a random text/poetry was generated which moved according to where and when my hands entered the video field. It's such a great program and I miss having access to all the great equipment and computers that I had at graduate school. (sigh). I guess that's what I paid the big bucks for.
But now that I'm living here in Italy I'm thinking of going more low-budget. Just call it Art Povera. Or call it If I Had An Unlimited Budget Think Of All The Things I Could Do But I Don't So I Can't So I'll Make Low Budget Instead.

One of THOSE Days

It's been one of those days. The kind that starts out great and just spirals downward from there. DH and I got in a huge fight today. We went for a walk in the park and by the time we came home we weren't even speaking to each other. Some nasty words were said (well, if you count ***hole and idiot as nasty) and feelings were hurt (mine, not his). He left to go to his friend's house asking if I wanted to tag along in which I abruptly sniffed "NO." So now I am fiendishly seeking advice from online internet quizzes about if we are right for each other (he should know he needs to apologize before he leaves otherwise I will start to obsess and do stupid things like take online internet quizzes! I might even break out the SATC dvd's and pour myself a glass...or two...of wine).
First quiz I took is the The Love Test and and my result was - True Love.


Take The Love Test today!

Cue the Tchaikovsky music--you're in love. If your friends and family members aren't already sick of hearing you talk about your significant other, they will be soon. You are the envy of every single person, so don't flaunt it too much. Enjoy the happily ever after!

hmmmph! :(
So I decided to try the "Is He the One for You?" test thinking that might be more accurate. Oh wait, we are both Libras: is that a bad sign?

He's sweet!
Take Is he the one for you? today!

But is he sweet enough? You will have your ups and downs but if you both feel the same way and work at your relationship, you never know!


Well, I am not happy with that result either. So now I want to have a go at the Which Historical Lunatic are You?



Which Historical Lunatic Are You?

You are Charles VI of France, also known as Charles the Mad or Charles the Well-Beloved!


Well, I guess I am a little crazy , stubborn, and prone to episodes of severe sensitivity being that I am an artist and all...but I just don't want to be the first to apologize. Did I mention childish as well?
Oh, no! Does that mean I have to apologize first? Can't we just pretend it never happened?

Help! I've just lost 3 hours of my life!

I have just spent three hours (yes, THREE HOURS) online looking at hollywood and celebrity gossip blogs. WTF???? what happened? How did three hours of my life just get snatched out from right under my nose? I was just craving a little teeny tiny slice of my American fashion and celebrity gawking and missing my Sunday NY Post which shows like 6 pages of celebrity sightings and who's dating who and I thought oh, I just want to see if Angelina has had her baby yet (no she hasn't but apparently her baby is more famous than Jesus at this point and he will be born in Africa) and I was sucked in! I feel like I have been molested and there's a really nasty taste in my mouth. Oh, I feel like Scarlet Johansson when she had her bb felt up on the red carpet by some creepy interviewer. Eeeewwwww! And what have I gained from this? Well, I now know that Tom Cruise will be eating his newborn baby's placenta and that Gwenyth Paltrow has really really bad taste in baby names. And Linsay Lohan and Kate Moss are new BFF while Mariah Carey just needs to fire her publicist. Please Please Please don't let me ever waste my life like this again. Please!

Alla Mamma Piu Bella del Mondo!

Today is my mother's birthday. In honor of her love for cappuccino I am sending her via cyberspace a really nice looking one with chocolate on top and lots of kisses to go along with it!

I wish I were there to celebrate with you! Or I wish you were here as we could celebrate together and drink lots of vino champagne and more vino. So...here's to the best mother a girl could ever want. Love you and Happy Birthday!

Palm Sunday, the Big B, and a time for change

I just realized today is Palm Sunday. The reason I know this is because there was a large procession of approximately 200 people outside my window not even 15 minutes ago. It was interesting to witness because, first of all, there were three people holding loudspeakers so that all the neighborhood could hear them singing their hymns (or to me it sounded more like pop songs) and all our neighbors, myself included, were hanging out the window to see what all the commotion was about. People were holding these huge palm fronds and I've never quite seen anything like it.
I also realized today is the first day of voting for the Italian elections which makes this an even stranger morning for me as I thought Sunday was a day for church and everything was closed. I wonder how the Catholic church feels about this, or more importantly about Berlusconi who seems to be the sole person in Italy that is allowed to make any kind of decision (political, social, or economic) whatsoever. And let's not forget that this is the man who said "I am like Jesus" and compared himself to Napolean and Jesus Christ during his political campaigning. Well, this is really strange for me to hear a politician say he is suffering for the Italian people as Jesus suffered for Christians. Talk about a major ego problem. But I am told this election has been very "brutto" and it's not only Berlusconi who speaks of strange things. Among the insults that have been slung between Berlusconi and his main opponent Romano Prodi who is center-left: Berlusconi scoffs "I trust the intelligence of the Italian people too much to think that there are so many pricks around who would vote against their own best interests".Prodi slamming the Big B alluding to his claim of Italy's richest man and his political party Forza Italia "Forza Italia's Hueys, Leweys and Deweys defending Uncle Scrooge are pathetic." Ouch! This is some serious mudslinging here.
And to top it all off I asked my husband how he is going to vote. His response "What??? I'm not voting." When prompted for a little more info he replied "both sides are exactly the same. The best reaction of all would be if every Italian stayed home on election day and said 'sti cazzi' as they watched their frigging television and all the politians were wondering what the heck is going on. Why doesn't anyone want to vote?" I do not agree with his attitude but in observing he and his friends behavior I think there is a certain amount of apathy that could be growing to an unhealthy level.
I recently read an article in the bbc news online that said Italians are really frustrated with the lack of options in their political system and this is especially true of Italy's youth. But if the whole country knows Big B has complete control of the media and has made a large personal fortune from Italian taxpayers' money (and perhaps loads of illegal business transactions) and has the gall to internationally ridicule women and his opponents (mr. bush you should invest in Italian businesses because we have the most beautiful women in the world...oh, and let's not forget Berlusconi's unabashed womanizing persona and the many many inappropriate comments he has made) how could anyone NOT vote? The opponents may not be better and you may have to choose between the lesser of two evils but come on! Isn't it time for a little change?

This is Bibo and Bibi

These are our friends Bibo and Bibi.
Bibo works with my husband Toni.
Bibi does not.
Bibo likes photography.
Bibi likes to shop.
Bibo has a huge dog named Vincent.
Vincent is probably bigger than Bibi although we haven't actually measured them.
Bibi is the nicest girl I have met in Rome.
She has an older sister who is not so nice.
Bibo also has an older sister.
I am told my husband was once very much in love with her. hmmmmm....
Bibo likes to watch football.
Bibi does not.
Bibo spends lots of money on shoes.
Bibi has admitted to owning over 300 purses.
Bibo always looks very stylish.
Bibi too has a good sense of style.
They are Italian. I guess it comes naturally.
These are our friends Bibo and Bibi.