Glass Overload?

What an amazing place, this Murano. The amount of glass is so overwhelming, it is impossible to decide what to bring home with me.

Day 1 - Try to stay awake until the local bed time. What better way than to look through the windows of glass shop after glass shop after glass shop.

Day 2 - a trip to Venice on the Vaporetto. Such an amazing city, especially during Carnevale - a Rennaissance Faire on steroids! First impression? Claustrophobia! But I'll be going back next Sunday. So many mask shops - again, too overwhelming to decide on which ones to bring home. Highlight of the day - watching Vittorio Constantini make a fish.

Day 3 - visit all those glass shops on Murano. Make a decision, make a commitment... OK! Must return to pay for the Toffolo pieces I had set aside. Must return to visit all the other shops I had no time to see.

Tomorrow I start class with Lucio. I'm nervous - I don't do sculptural work. By the time the week is over, that will have changed (hopefully). I am energized!

Now I will go lie down in my little twin bed, thinking of the days ahead of me and what might be in store. And if I'm lucky, I won't wake up at 3 a.m. again with my brain racing around in circles.

Sigh...............

Rain and Snow and Melting Glass

I just checked the weather in Venice. bllleeaaaacchhhh........ rain, freezing rain, snow, more rain... great weather in which to melt glass, I suppose. Gotta remember to pack my scarf, hat, and mitties. Here's what's in my back yard - the bottlebrush will probably be well-bloomed by the time I return.
















I think I'm running on adrenaline today! Back to packing...

To Blog or Not To Blog...

I'm about to embark on a journey, both literally and figuratively, and I've decided to share my thoughts... with you and with myself down the road.

This is my first blog - and will be my first trip out of North America. I leave for Murano (Venice), Italy in a day and a half, and I have no idea what to expect - except that I'm starting to get very excited! I'll be studying for 6 days with Lucio Bubacco, then 3 days with Vittorio Constantini.

I haven't been on my torch for several weeks and I'm nervous about being in a class with so many experts. I had such good intentions about preparing for this experience - a book on anatomy for artists, a CD to learn some of the Italian language - and I'm as green as I was when I first learned that I was going on this trip. But I'm going to absorb every moment like a sponge, and when I get home I hope to be able to create something new and exciting - and tell you all about it in Italian. ;-)

Gotta go organize now... lots to do before I leave... still not finished with my taxes... aarrgghh! Maybe I'll just watch the Olympics for awhile.

Here's the mess I'll be leaving behind. Ciao-der!