I'd long dreamed of a trip to Italy to study classical techniques, and this desire landed me in the 5-day intensive course of the Ravenna Mosaic School founded by Luciana Notturni. The town of Ravenna, located near the Adriatic Coast, is home to no less than eight UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Their place on the list is based in large part on the mosaics that adorn every surface of these sites. Seeing these amazing works of art and having the opportunity to study with Luciana has been a dream come true!
The goal of the course was to train artists to reproduce ancient mosaics using techniques invented centuries ago. My reproduction features a portion of a large mosaic located in the Basilica of St. Apollinare Nuovo. The original work dates to the 6th century A.D., and the subject of the work is the image of a now-extinct lily which once grew along the banks of the Tiber River. It was hard work --- but a thrill --- to re-create this image using beautifully-colored Italian smalti. (To see the work, click on the opus page then select "Sacred and Classical Works".)
The style of my work and the tools and techniques I use have definitely been influenced by my time in Ravenna. Viva Studio Arte del Mosaico!
