News from the 'posh gift shop'

The festive season is finally in full swing and we are rushing around in the 'posh gift shop' selling lots of useful, fun, nice and not so nice gifts of every kind imaginable. This year we are a little understaffed so it's hard work but we still find time to joke and smile. The traditional competitions are all underway for the sweetest client, the rudest client, the most ridiculous request, who spends the most, and, who spends the least wanting of course all the trimmings like beautiful gift wrap and a free bag!

 
Some of my Keka cases are in one of the five windows, I am still hoping to sell them ALL! We have already sold our last singing snowman who has spent the whole of 2013 in a cold storeroom waiting for his moment, we are happy he has gone to a good home. The old lady who comes in every year to buy all her Christmas presents for NEXT YEAR!!! arrived today so the world is still as it should be :) I still have to wrap up an ironing board but as a substitute I have already wrapped up a hat and coat stand so we are still in practice. 
There are still 9 days left to go, for us each day that passes is always worse than the last because the clients become more and more frenetic and demanding. Some are convinced to have seen 'this or that' in our windows last week at 'that' price and we don't have the heart to tell them that we have never had an item like that in stock! In the run up to Christmas all is feasible and possible... even the impossible. 
Looking forward to Christmas Eve when things begin to calm down and everyone is at peace that finally what they still haven't bought they won't be able to buy because the shops all close in half an hour. Then just when you think you are safe you see him coming 30 minutes before closing time to buy 2 gifts and he is without fail always, ALWAYS, our last customer!

San Giovanni Lillies

Ooooo, remember me... this is my blog and today I am making a special effort to write to you all!

Today the 24th of June is San Giovanni and being the patron saint of Turin it means that we are enjoying a bank holiday and a right sunny day it is too. We have been cutting lawns and tending our allotment and basically enjoying a bit of therapeutic 'hard work'. 

Finally we sat down in the cool shade of our lovely fig tree to do a bit of real relaxing. I had noticed these lovely Lilies in the garden earlier and fancied spending some time with my sketchbook.

I am sharing these beautiful flowers and my sketches with you. Locally these flowers are known as San Giovanni Lillies, obviously because they flower on San Giovanni. So we have had a lovely calm and relaxing afternoon and have decided not to go to the massive Firework display this evening in Piazza Vittorio... shame.

A Month in The Life of - ME!

On Sam Osborne's blog you will find many a designer and pattern maker who are sharing a month of their life with words and pictures. It is a feature that she will be posting in the first week of every month and if you are a slightly nosey person (or just curious) you have a great excuse to get a small insight into the everyday life of other creatives.
A couple of days ago it was my turn and this is what I came up with.

 

“So here is my month in numbers… 7 days skiing, 5 Saturdays working in a gift shop, and, 16 days working long hours freelancing in a studio in Turin. That left me a whole 3 days to do exactly what I wanted (although of course skiing is counted as holiday time so I can’t really complain)! So this ‘hectic’ month has come to an end and do you know what? I enjoyed myself. Looking back I managed to make and post 4 Efuto envelopes to various worldwide destinations, visited the cinema twice, and made lunchtime trips to Ikea and a fabulous exhibition. I uncovered a great 70′s tablecloth at my mother-in-law’s (in mint condition), met up with a long lost friend who I hadn’t seen for 14 years, and won 100 euros on the lottery, BIG SMILES. On the work front I had an interview for a new ‘surface pattern’ related job and received my first ever contract to license some of my designs. My month was positive, pleasant and interesting. Not quite enough pattern time for my liking but I passed many a doodle evening with my sketchbook and am looking forward to the near future when I can develop all my new ideas into colourful patterns.”

My March highlights...

• 5. Happy to finish my handmade Mother’s Day card, as I live away from home it is a very special day for us both.
• 9. In the gift shop where I work on Saturdays we had been waiting for all the 50′s related gifts to arrive. It is always fun to see new products and have new things to sell.
• 12. My time spent freelancing in Turin is made extra special by this wonderful dog who is part of the team. Not very good at using Photoshop but is excellent at sleeping.
• 21. I was so inspired by this exhibition by Gianini and Luzzati, fabulous animations made using collage and cut and paste stuff, SUPER!
• 22. This is not exclusive to March but my favourite bread shop which I visit a couple of times a week, definitely worth a mention.
• 23. Is it sad to say that I was so happy to win 100 euros on the lottery, well it doesn’t happen every day does it?
• 25. I met up with a friend and her family who I hadn’t seen for 14 years, so nice to realise that you just pick up where you left off.
• 27. Nice find at my mother-in-law’s, a vintage tablecloth in super condition.
• 28. A week late but FINALLY spring arrived in my garden!

It was a very interesting process to do, choose a photo for everyday of the month and pick out 9 highlights. I had imagined my months to be all the same and just full of rushing about. However this makes me realise how interesting time can be... everyday has a moment of happiness or inspiration and it sure is worth focusing your time on the positive moments... it is an exercise I should do more often.
Thanks Sam!

You can catch up on the whole series of A Month in the Life of... HERE!

Moving inspiration!

Last week I used a lunch hour (and a bit) to visit an incredible exhibition GIANINI E LUZZATI - Cartoni Animati at the Mole Antonelliana which houses the National Cinema Museum in Turin. Read what I wrote about my favourite museum last year HERE.

An original detail of one of the Gazza Ladra (Magpie)

Giulio Gianini and Emanuele Luzzati are two artists at the forefront in the history of worldwide cinema animation. Their work received two Oscar nomiations and won a number of International film festival awards. A mix of talent which produced more than 30 films over 37 years of artistic collaboration. Giulio Gianini film director and animator, Emanuele Luzzati artist, painter, production designer and illustrator of children's books, were the perfect team. Together they created some of the most contemporary and innovative animations ever produced. Luzzati's colourful characters made of paper cuttings, his paintings, collages and mixed media backdrops, came to life with Gianini's ability to animate with elegance and simplicity. One of their greatest successes is the La gazza ladra (1964), the first of three films set to the music of Rossini. The common element in these films being the absence of dialogue and the perfect timing and harmony of the images to the music. Fifty years on their work still continues to remain unique in bringing together sound and vision to tell fascinating and emotional stories.

An illustration from the book La gazza ladra 1964

The exhibiton contains a wealth of original material and showcases for the first time, over two hundred characters, sketches, set-designs and story-boards. It also shows in detail the creative processes used by Gianini and Luzzati in their small studio in Rome to create these works of art. Whilst wandering around the exhibition I became more and more intrigued by the backdrops created by Luzzati for many of the animations. Colourful, textured and abstract... the perfect pattern maker! Here are just a couple of the patterns I picked up on.

 

Detail 1 from L'Italiana in Algeri 1968

Detail 2 from L'Italiana in Algeri 1968

I have been rather quiet on the blog front again. It is a struggle for me to fit things in at the moment and my blog seems to be way down on my list of important things to do. So just allow me a little more time to finish some projects and cross a few very important things off my never ending lists! I actually have a new Dream Design post lined up for the near future so please pop by again soon.

Merry Christmas - Buon Natale

 

If you could choose your perfect kind of Christmas tree what would it be like?

My choice would be this one made of special Gianduiotti chocolates... then after the festivities you can eat it!

Merry Christmas - Buon Natale to you all.

Turin - Luci d'Artista

If you visit Turin at the moment you will be overwhelmed by the beauty of Luci d'Artista. Already in its 15th year, Luci d'Artista transforms the city with stunning light installations designed by both Italian and International artists and it has become a regular event for both locals and tourists alike. 

Monte dei Cappuccini. 

Little Blue Spirits by Rebecca Horn. Ph. Fabrizio Zanelli

Piazza San Carlo. 

Kingdom of Flowers by Nicola De Maria. Ph. Fabrizio Zanelli

Every year new lights are added and the existing lights are moved round so that by changing the backdrop the lights gain a new meaning. The fabulous historical centre of Turin is what makes the event so special for me a mixture of history and modern art together to create a unique atmosphere. Majestic buildings and long rows of porticoes, early 20th century arcades and the oldest squares in Turin are all dressed up to their best to create this great "neon" festival.

Via Pietro Micca. 

Planetarium by Carmelo Giammello. Ph. Fabrizio Zanelli

Via Po. 

Birds by Francesco Casorati. Ph. Fabrizio Zanelli

Of the 19 installations only a couple have a hint of Christmas in them. The event is designed not to have a Christmas theme but to bring works of contemporary art together and make them more beautiful by their open air settings. Luci d'Artista is a must for the cold months when the true winter personality of Turin shines through.

Palazzo Madama, Piazza Castello. 

Ph. Fabrizio Zanelli

Piazza Palazzo di Città. 

Tappeto Volante by Daniele Buren. Ph. Fabrizio Zanelli

Galleria Subalpina. 

Energy that Unites by Marco Gastini. Ph. Fabrizio Zanelli

Luci d'Artista can be enjoyed from November 3rd, 2012 until the January 13th, 2013. You can see a map and the full list of works here.

All the above photographs are by Fabrizio Zanelli © 2009 - 2012, and they can be seen along with many more on his super blog called TorinoDailyPhoto. Fabrizio lives in Turin and likes to take photographs of daily life in Turin. His blog is full of brilliant photographs which depict many interesting and 'quirky' aspects of this beautiful city.

Above the Butcher's shop

It is very hard to know where to begin to describe this shopfront and why I love it so much.
 
A "macelleria" (which means Butcher's) with so many strange and ugly things all together in one place! The typeface is horrendous with a choice of red which I think has quite an unhappy association with a butcher's shop. The sun canopies above the windows would be much more at home on a beach with their garish colour scheme. The curtains at the windows seem very "cheap", I can feel their thick cut out pattern without going anywhere near them. But the shrine is the icing on the cake, a vase on each side complete with plastic flowers, and, horror upon horror the electric lightbulb halo! Nevertheless I have grown to love this shopfront and when I ride past on my bike, whatever the time of day or season, the halo lights are always turned on and in perfect working order. I think someone must be taking pretty good care of them!

I have added this photograph to my album of Turin snapshots on Flickr, take a look here.

Turin - A Baroque haven

Turin is many things and one of them is a Baroque "haven" full of palaces, churches, squares, statues, facades and halls, all decorated in the Baroque style. Some of them illustrious and of great historical value. The Baroque style uses exaggerated motion and detail to produce drama and tension, as a movement it ran through sculpture, painting, architecture, literature and music, and reigned in europe for over 150 years.

Piazza Castello in the historical centre of Turin has many splendid examples of the Baroque style.
Palazzo Madama with its Baroque facade and a magnificent hall designed by Filippo Juvarra (1718-21). Palazzo Reale the official Royal residence of the reigning House of Savoy until 1865, inside you will find the Sala dei Forbici again by Juvarra. The chapel of the Holy Shroud a Baroque masterpiece by Guarino Guarini was originally built as part of the Palazzo Reale but now is accessible from the Cathedral entrance. Guarini also built the San Lorenzo church 1557, it is one of the most famous examples of european Baroque style.

Round windows, inspired by the dome of San Lorenzo Church

Palazzo Carignano which was the home of the first Italian parliment in 1861 when Torino was declared the first Capital of Italy has a swirling facade and majestic atrium designed by Guarini, both are beautiful examples of Baroque architecture.

Red brick patterns inspired by the facade of Palazzo Carignano

The aristocrasy also saw this elaborate and dramatic style as a way of impressing power and control. Baroque palaces were designed around an entrance of courts and with grand staircases and rich interiors. A wonderful example of Baroque opulence is La Venaria Reale, originally comissioned by Carlo Emanuele II as a "hunting palace" in 1660-75. Subsequently in 1716 extension work began and again Filippo Juvarra designed the Grand Sala. Today the Palace has been renovated and is a "must" for any visitor, with its Royal Gardens the whole complex is presented in a new "creative" light providing a cultural experience adding to its enormous historical value.

The Grand Gallery, La Veneria Reale

A pattern inspired by the flooring in the Grand Gallery

Using my patterns I have created a set of mugs to remind me of the lovely patterns found in and around Baroque Turin.

Link to Flickr "Turin Snapshots"
Starting on Monday, Module 3 of the Art and Business of Surface Pattern Design will be occupying all my time and I will go back to posting more of my pattern designs. When time allows I will pick up on the theme of Turin again, until them enjoy!

Turin - The Mole Antonelliana

Photo: © Bruna Biamino

The Mole Antonelliana is the most characteristic building in Turin and is the true symbol of the city, its spire reaches a height of 167 meters. It is situated in the historical centre of the city, between narrow streets, old apartments, shops, courtyards and porticoes. Designed by Alessandro Antonelli it was intended to be a synagogue. Building began in 1862 but was only finally completed in 1889 one year after the death of Antonelli. 

La Mole Antonelliana and the Italian Alps

Inside this bizarre building you can visit the National Cinema Museum. The building itself adds to a quite unique and spectacular presentation of worldwide cinema. Over 3000 square metres of exhibition space dedicated to every aspect of cinema, from a technical history through to original film artefacts, photographs and film posters all illustrating the international cinema scene. It is also a centre for events and acts as headquarters for the Torino Film Festival. On the ground floor a dark cinema atmosphere is presented at the Cabiria Café with screens at every table so you can view film clips whilst eating! The glass panoramic lift also departs from the ground floor. When it breaks through to the first floor you are suspended in the centre of the dome and can enjoy the view of the whole museum beneath you. At the top of the spire a 360 ° view of the city of Turin awaits you, and, the amphitheatre of the Italian Alps. 

The Italian Alps are also are a characteristic symbol associated with Turin and in the winter months they become snow-capped. Only an hours drive from the Milky Way skiing area, with over 200 km of slopes just waiting to be discovered, Turin is truly at home in a winter scenario. In 2006 the XX Winter Olympics where successfully hosted in Turin thanks to its proximity to the Alps and its winter sport traditions. 

Tea towel design showing the mountains in winter!

Links:
 
The National Cinema Museum

Read my article about Turin on page 27 of the first issue of MOYO magazine the first online magazine dedicated solely to surface pattern design.

Join me later in the week when I will be posting more beautiful images of Turin :) 

Turin - The Art of Chocolate

Turin is famous for lots of things but not many people realise that one of them is CHOCOLATE. Some specialities inculde: the Gianduiotti chocolate with its unmistakable shape the most typical of all the chocolate delicacies invented by Piedmont chocolatiers; the Gianduja cream spread, which has been around for over 150 years and is now eaten all over the world commercialized by a famous Piedmont family; and the Bicerin, an excellent traditional hot drink made from coffee, milk and chocolate served in a characteristic glass with a metal handle.
The first known document about chocolate in Turin dates from 1678, a license authorizing the sale of chocolate. In 1802 the expert chocolate artisans managed to solve the age old problem of making liquid chocolate solid and consequently transform it into chocolate pralines and bars. The chocolate industry was truly underway. 

Torino - Choco Barocco

Nowadays, Turin is rich in small traditional workshops which continue to produce a wide range of chocolate products using original recipes and only first class ingredients. Many early twentieth century shops are still open in their original premises, they continue to create wonderful window displays and pass on their chocolate skills from generation to generation. 
In autumn the Cioccolatò Festival is held, an ideal opportunity to celebrate all things chocolate. With a "choco pass" in your pocket you can spend a day tasting mouth-watering offerings, available in the city's illustrious cake and pastry shops and bars. You will be given a map and a list of shops and bars in the centre of Turin so you don't miss out on any!

Gianduiotti - Baroque style

 

Finally I have created a few designs inspired by my love for Chocolate and made gift bags which would be perfect to fill with chocolate delights. I have united the old traditons of chocolate with the abundance of the Baroque style which is to be found in Turin. Both inspire richness and captivate the senses!

Visit Guido Gobino, Cioccolato Artigianale. For guided tours of a “real” chocolate factory. Address: Laboratory. Via Cagliari 15/b, 10153 Torino

http://www.guidogobino.it/en/

You can also see some of my "snapshots" of Turin here, including some photographs of the chocolate factory. I will be back on Monday with another interesting post about Turin obviously accompanied by some of my designs. Until then enjoy!

Modern shiny gianduiotti!

MOYO - The secret is out!

Good morning everyone, I have some really super news to share with you all.

MOYO has been launched today, it is a new free resource magazine and will be published quarterly by Rachael Taylor and Beth Nicolls. The first publication of its kind to be dedicated soley to surface pattern design. The promise is for an action packed issue, full of interviews, design briefs, colour challenges, art reviews, student showcases, design tips, inspiration, trends and much more. You can read and download the inaugural issue of MOYO here. 

 

The second bit of good news comes on page 27 of MOYO, here you will be able to read my article "A postcard from Turin". It is such a such a wonderful opportunity for me to be able to present the city where I live in the first issue of MOYO. Turin, with all its beauty and splendors, is a place full of history, Art, and culture. With a large dose of character it is a place which fills me with inspiration and never ceases to amaze me with its many different aspects. So for today please read the article and let me know your thoughts. Of course, make sure you read all the rest of the magazine too!

Starting from tomorrow the theme "Turin" will continue on my blog. There are so many interesting things to learn about this great city and I will be indicating, exciting and inspiring places to visit, or things to do, which will naturally be accompanied by some of my designs.

Les Lunettes

Just look at this super opticians shop that I found in one of the grand avenues in the centre of Turin, in a listed building, and, under the most amazing porticoes! The shop sign is mirrored and very old. The typeface is fabulous. 

It's hard to believe that the owner had the courage to commission this paint job. Strangely enough it works perfectly and certainly catches the eye so to speak. This image can be seen on Flickr as part of a little collection of snapshots that I take when I am out and about in the lovely Turin!