The Maker's Space

This is a little known garden , Giardino dell' Iris, next to the greatest viewing point in all of Florence, the Piazzale Michelangelo. From my reading in the biography of Michelangelo "The Agony and the Ecstasy" by Irving Stone, Michelangelo often spent time near here on the former city wall, overlooking Florence and the magnificent Duomo by Brunelleschi, one of the great architectural wonders of the world. Here he must have contemplated its construction, and then drawn from that many years later as he was asked to construct the dome and church of the Vatican, St. Peter's Cathedral.  In this garden, the iris and some roses are in bloom, set underneath a grove of olive trees. It is only open one month a year, when the iris are blooming.  What a treat to be here the month that it is open and blooming! Giardino dell'Iris Giardino dell'Iris The  Giardino dell'Iris  is a  botanical garden  specializing in the cultivation of  iris  flowe...

Coming across these school children giving a flag throwing competition, made me want to investigate the art of flag throwing. oject Pyramid: the rolling (& pointy) hills of Tuscany When life gives you Sorrentino lemons, make limoncello – the recipe!  → Flag Throwing in Florence: a medieval spectacular Posted on   December 4, 2013   by   Artviva Tours, Italy   Musicians, dancers and flag throwers enter the stage in Florence, Italy Italians love a good celebration, even (or especially) if that means commemorating a victory dating back to Medieval times! Special occasions in  Florence  and  Tuscany  generally are often marked with street parades featuring flag throwers. The art of flag throwing dates back to Medieval and Renaissance times when military parades would be accompanied by their band of merry musicians and their flag bearers. To add a touch of drama to the parades, the flag bearers would put on...

Greetings from Woodstock, IL! View this email in your browser I would like to personally invite you to my solo artist showcase at the Woodstock Opera House! My art show “Meet and Greet“ will be from  11am-4pm  at the historic Woodstock Opera House. I will be hosting the event and talking about my some of my personal favorite artworks. Petite appetizers and soft drinks will be served. The show will be up until  May 2nd , so make sure you stop by and see it if you can’t make it to the opening weekend! Come Spend the Day or Weekend in Woodstock. Get ready to explore!  Read my blog  to find out what places you can visit in Woodstock! With Love, Khrystyna ww.kozyukgallery.com

Last week, I had my "artist date" with Van Gogh, getting to know him a little better.  An "artist date" is a weekly date with yourself, doing something that brings you joy.  {For more see my Page-How to FEED your Soul in this blog}  I realize what this sounds like, but seeing a person's bedroom, helps you get to know him in a different way. The Chicago Art Institute's exhibit of the three paintings of Van Gogh's bedroom does a wonderful job of displaying and explaining Van Gogh's life in light of these paintings.  This is the first time that all three are displayed in the same room.  One resides in Amsterdam at the relatively new Van Gogh museum, one in Paris and one here in Chicago.  It explains how much he liked the first painting, which is why he did a second for a copy, and the third as a gift to his mother and sister to show how he was living apart from them in the south of France.  It also has a wonderful video that loops and shows the diff...

March 3  -  We  painted Easter Eggs using a Ukrainian technique taught by Khrystyna Kozuk, Ukrainian artist, called Pysanka.  A pysanka (Ukrainian: писанка, plural: pysanky) is a Ukrainian Easter egg, decorated with traditional Ukrainian folk designs using a wax-resist (batik) method. The word pysanka comes from the verb pysaty, "to write," as the designs are not painted on, but written with beeswax.  Khrystyna shared that families traditionally paint eggs together, and the complicated designs of artists are becoming a lost art.  Families also traditionally have a hand-made cloth, that was once embroidered but is now embroidered with beading that is laid under the basket of eggs on the tables.  Families like to see the cloths of other families and becomes a curiosity. We had a large group join us for a time of slowing down and doing something creative and life giving! @Glen Ellyn Evangelical Covenant Church ...

Our Feb. 4 The Maker's Space Paper Quilling has been cancelled due to family illness with our teacher.  We will reschedule as soon as possible.  Please continue to check our schedule of events. In the meantime, there are many things happening around our community.  Please check the posts below.