Meet the Venetian artist behind the doors of Plum Plum Creations

Often the best things about Venice are the surprises that come when you are lucky enough to get a peek behind a closed door.  I'd say one of those was the day I was invited to meet Arianna Sautariello at her studio tucked back in a far corner of  Cannaregio, not far from the Church of Maddonna dell'Orto.

Arianna is the creative genius of Plum Plum Creations, her endeavor to share her original engravings, drawings, paintings, photographs, and sculptures.  I'd seen a watercolor of hers and was so intrigued by it I couldn't wait to meet this talented artist. Arianna and her husband Nicolo graciously spent time explaining the techniques Arianna uses and the complexities of her work while Arianna demonstrated her print making.

The first engraving she showed me was a commissioned creation for a local hotel. She starts with a hand drawn detailed sketch, which is then transferred to a piece of metal (copperplate) upon which she etches the drawing line by line. Arianna still uses the printing techniques of the 1500's called calcografia.

While we surround ourselves with modern technology every day, stepping into Arianna's studio is like taking a step back in time. She's preserving an old art form while she uses it to express what she sees and feels in current day Venice.

Arianna at work

A look at the printing process - each print done individually. 

A finished etching

Watercolors of Venice

Arianna's paintings and etching capture all the architectural elements of Venice in fine detail, and yet they also exhibit her unique style.

Next time you are in Venice, take a walk in one of the lesser known neighborhoods to meet one of Venice's special artisans. Instead of taking home a mass produced mask for a souvenir, consider purchasing one of Arianna's engravings or watercolors.  These also the make perfect gifts for someone you know who loves Venice.

You can tour Arianna's studio with her and see first hand how she creates her beautiful engravings. Please see  her website at Plum Plum Creations for more information or to purchase any of her marvelous creations for yourself.

Grazie, Arianna! 

Carnevale 2014 Begins tomorrow!

One of my favorite Carnevale events in Venice is the kick-off events held in Cannaregio Canal  on the first weekend of the Carnevale celebration.  It's focused on the residents, instead of the tourists. It's a party in the street, but on the canal instead. I love the local feel of it with all the simple homemade costumes and the huge boat parade down the canal. 

Tomorrow evening is a performance on the water. Last year this was a new event, put on by a French group of artists that was truly spectacular.  We'll have to wait to see how this compares to last year. 

Sunday afternoon is the main attraction - the Festa Veneziana.  It's a fantastic parade of boats up the canal with all the rowers in costume. The culmination is the raising of the pategana, a large rat, up out of the water. For a look at last year's event, check out my blog post: http://theveniceexperience.blogspot.it/2013/01/festa-veneziana-carnevale-kick-off-2013.html#sthash.QtC1gTQ7.dpbs

After the parade, there are food and drink booths lining both sides of the canal. This is where it becomes a big street party! Lots of fun, lots of cameraderie, lots of fritelle and lots of confetti!  

FYI- if you are trying to reach Murano or Burano islands either late tomorrow or Sunday, check on the vaporetto schedules as most of the Cannaregio canal will be closed during certain times for the celebration. 

                               

                                                            Buona Festa, tutti!

Nothing but blue skies, from now on.

After three days of nebbia, nebbia and more nebbia  (fog), going from grey skies to this clear blue sky was like getting a fantastic very unexpected gift.    

The clear sky and warmer temperatures were an invitation to get out for a long walk, with camera, of course. At mid-day, the light was just right for some incredible reflections in the canals. These first three are from the Castello district, the remaining from around Cannaregio, ending in the Ghetto.  Days like today make me wish I had even the tiniest bit of talent for painting with watercolors. 

(Special thanks to Irving Berlin for his song, Blue Skies. I've been humming it all day.)

We did it!!! Rowing like a Venetian- finalemente!!

I've been saying for over a year now that I wanted to learn how to row in Venetian style. Every time I see a small boat of rowers in the canal, something in me says I should try it. Every time I attend a Venetian festival where people are all in boats in the canals, I find myself wishing I were IN a boat instead of on the sideline watching the boats.  A few weeks ago, I finally did it.

My friend Sally, a British expat with similar desires to give rowing a try, and I got the guts up to schedule a rowing lesson with Jane, also an expat, from Australia, who after 20 some years of rowing in Venice started teaching others and formed an organization, Row Venice.  Bright and early on September 17, I got myself dressed warmly and on the vaporetto headed over to our meeting location in Cannaregio. Halfway there my phone rang- it was Jane telling me the weather conditions were not good for a beginning rower that morning- winds were too strong. Disappointed, I headed back home.  By the end of the day all three of us had put our schedules together and arrived on a suitable reschedule date, September 25.

September 25 dawned with gorgeous skies and fairly nice temperatures. Hmmm.. the gods had been good to me by forcing a delay it seemed. Again I donned something appropriate for rowing and set off for Cannaregio. Excited. Nervous. A little bit scared even, but ready.

Jane came down the canal rowing a traditional Venetian boat, the batela coda di gambero (or, Shrimps-tail). She tied off the boat, jumped onto the fondamenta and began giving us some basic instruction on rowing technique. Next thing I know, we were in the boat, Jane, Sally and I, rowing down the canal.  Sally and I took turns in the front of the boat rowing prua  with Jane on the back, rowing the poppa.  Before we knew it were out in the open lagoon, where Sally and I had our own experiences on the back of the boat.

Sally was a natural. Me, on the other hand, had a bit of a learning curve. Nonetheless, I loved every minute of it. Being in a small boat rowing down the back canals of Venice filled me with emotions I don't have words for yet today, more than a week after the experience. There is something uniquely magical about Venetian canals. And to be out in the lagoon.... oh my god, I cannot wait to be out there again.

Sally and I compared notes the following morning. We both agreed we felt aches in our shoulders and arms we didn't quite expect. But that didn't put off our resolve to do more rowing. Next up- membership in a rowing club and continuing lessons.

I've often wondered if perhaps I was a Venetian in another life. After being on the water with an oar in my hand, I wondered it even more. Could it be possible?




Note: Grazie to Jane of Row Venice (http://rowvenice.org/), and to my intrepid partner, Sally.

A visit to Orsoni, a manufacturer of glass and gold mosaics in Cannaregio

Sometimes, wonderful things happen to you when you least expect them. I've learned during my last two years here in Venice to be more open to these moments, and to truly enjoy every second of them when they do happen.

Quite unexpectedly just a couple of weeks ago, I received an email from a woman named Joann telling me she had put a link to my blog about the Artichoke Festival on the Orsoni Smalti facebook page, and she invited me to come tour the Orsoni furnace. Not knowing what the Orsoni furnace was, I checked them out on Facebook and Google. I discovered Orsoni is where glass and gold mosaics are made, at a 19th century furnace using methods handed down over the centuries. Don't you just love the internet? It turns out, this chance occurrance opened a new door for me that day.

Gorgeous mosaics are common in Venice. Just take a walk down to the Basilica of San Marco. I hadn't ever considered what it took to MAKE the mosaics before, and now I had someone offering me a chance to go look and learn. I couldn't wait, and contacted Joann to go ahead and set up a meeting.


The following week I got on the 41 vaporetto from Piazzale Roma, disembarked at Guglie in Cannaregio, and with their address written on a piece of paper clutched in my hand, I set off to find the Orsoni furnace. After making a turn at Sotoportego dei Vedei, and then onto Calle de Vedei, I soon located the place.

The door is marked with a gold mosaic name plaque- Orsoni. This must be it. My heart is skipping a beat as I prepare to ring the bell, but wait... .this isn't it. My paper says 1045A, and this is 1045. The sign above the bell says Domus Orsoni. Not what I am looking for. I continue down the street, thinking 1045A must be here somewhere.

Ahhh.. here it is...and my heart drops just alittle bit, only because that fabulous gold mosaic sign was so inviting. 1045A is a very different door than the one just up the street. This one is one you would easily walk right by. Hmm...., typical of Venice, actually. I knew that often behind very unassuming doors there is something incredible to see. And, I was not disappointed. I rang the doorbell of 1045A, and was invited in by a man wearing blue jeans and a white T-shirt, clearly his work outfit. He pointed the way to another doorway on the other side of building when I told him I had an appointment to meet Mirta.

I could see the factory was on the right side of the entry way, and I was itching to see what went on there, but he directed me to the left, down the garden path, so off I went. I had to pass through a lovely little garden as I found my way to the doorway he was pointing to.

The garden is a little oasis of tranquility, and surprises. On the wall I spotted gold mosaics in frames, a column covered in glass tile pieces which turned it into a piece of art, and even the flower planter sported colorful pieces of glass. Every where I looked I could sense a bit of magic in the air. I could only imagine even more magic as I awaited Mirta.

I was introduced to Mirta, and off we went through the factory. Unfortunately, the day I was there, the furnaces were shut down for repairs. She explained that one week out of every 5 or 6, the furnace had to be closed, and it took a few days for the temperatures to get back up for production work. In my mind I was thinking already I have an excuse to return!

Crucibles used to hold the liquid glass in the furnace line the entry way. To me, they are like art in themselves.

The following week I returned to Orsoni, when the furnaces were working. They were in the process of making gold mosaics this week. This is even more unbelievable than making the glass tiles! First, huge glass bubbles are blown (see photo above), in the color glass to be used for the mosaic. On this day, it was purple. These bubbles are incredibly thin glass. The bubbles are broken into small squares, about 3 x 3 inches. Then, a square of gold leaf is affixed to each square of purple glass. I was in awe watching the woman who does the laying on of the gold leaf this task, as this is delicate, meticulous work. After, more glass is poured around each purple square. After cooling, these are broken into mosaic tiles. The majority of this work, including all the breaking into small square tiles is all done by hand. It's mind-boggling, and fascinating! Unfortunately, I was not able to take photos in the furnace area, or where the women were cutting tiles. I wish I could have videotaped the entire thing, as my words and photos just don't do this justice.

Next we toured the color library, a large room with rows and rows of cubby holes filled with glass tiles of every color and gradation of shades you can imagine. Thousands of them. The tiles are stored by color, shade, and batch number. I learned about how the large tiles are made, how they are cut down into squares, and then into smalti (smaller tile pieces), how people can buy both large uncut tiles and also smaller pre-cut ones, and also how matching of color pieces are done if an artist needs more tiles of a particular color. I had a very difficult time leaving the color library room.

Back in the office building, I had time in the gallery room, where there is a mini-exhibition of fabulous mosaic work, and this portrait of the founder, Angelo Orsoni.

The photo above is part of the sample board Angelo Orsoni took with him to the Great Exhibition in Paris in 1889.

Our last stop is upstairs in the classroom. Fortunately for me, during both visits to Orsoni, there was a class going on. The first time, students were learning how to make Filati, long thin strands of glass, which are then broken into tiny pieces for use in mosaic art pieces. The work these students were doing was unbelievable!!! This week the students were creating with smalti, the smaller tiles. Again, what I watched them do was breathtaking.

They were all gracious enough to share what they were working on, and allow me to take photos.

Special thanks to each and everyone of the Orsoni family- Joann, Mirta, Lianna, Antonella, all the staff , and students. This is such a magical place!

Orsoni holds a series of classes from beginner to master level, see their website for more details - http://www.orsoni.com/.

Also, recently opened is Domus Orsoni, a fabulous little bed and breakfast in Cannaregio, located right at the foundry. It's quiet, peaceful, idyllic surroundings. It's like finding a bit of heaven in Venice, if that were possible!! For more information see their website http://www.domusorsoni.it/.

As I write this, I am already planning to attend a class over the winter, and have some ideas for a first mosaic project in mind!