I'm moving quickly with this self portrait because time is running short here; in fact, tomorrow will be my final painting session because I need to return the mirror.  But it's coming along!  I also wanted to share a photo of still life, which is now framed and ready to hang.  Our thesis exhibition is tomorrow and I'm excited to see everyone's work hung up in the gallery at FAA!

  Today at FAA, I had my thesis defense, which was essentially a final critique of my work from this semester.  I received excellent feedback from the teachers and it was a nice experience to hear them respond to my work.  I learned a lot over this last semester and feel a stronger sense of my own abilities.
  I've also started a self portrait as a final project.  I'm sharing two photos here that show the early grisaille and a first stage of paint application.  I think that I've got a good likeness and it has an Italian Baroque quality to it (maybe it's the mustache haha).
  For anyone interested in more process/technique: my approach with this self portrait is heavily based one values and using a limited palette.  The FAA approach is a value-based system, which I also emphasize with my own students.  I'd say my personal working and teaching philosophy incorporates more of a prismatic palette which is from my early training at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (PAFA).  I'm still essentially using the palette that we used back at PAFA which incorporated chromatic colors and earth colors.  Each school has different processes, but the principles are all the same.
   One of the key lessons at FAA is also to view the work as a whole image.  This is practiced through the use of working sight-size.  My self portrait is being painted in sight-size which required me to bring the mirror closer and push my easel back a bit.  I'd say sight-size is also a good way of getting the initial proportions, which can sometimes be tricky to place on the canvas.
  As I approach graduation, I feel very grateful that I could spend time in this beautiful city with a great group of people.

  Yesterday was one of the best days of my life.  I took a day trip to Rome with my friend and fellow classmate, Jordan.  We caught an early train out of Florence (by the way, the train system in Italy is top notch) and we arrived in Rome around 9AM.
  We started off our day with an excellent guided tour at the Vatican museum, which was very impressive.  I knew we were going to see the Sistine Chapel, but I didn't know that there were so many other famous works here.  The original Laocoön group, the original Belvedere torso and the School of Athens by Raphael were all on this tour.  The Sistine Chapel itself was much larger than I thought it would be and I also didn't know that the ceiling was vaulted (I thought it was flat for some reason); the vaulted ceiling makes it even more impressive.  Photos aren't allowed in the chapel, but I did take one.
  Our next stop was the Pantheon.  The oculus in the center was also much larger than I anticipated.  And I wondered what they do if it rains?  It was a beautiful space and I could feel the history there.
  An added bonus was seeing the Trevi Fountain which, once again, was huge and spectacular.  Jordan told me about the traditional coin toss which we both did for good luck and a return to Rome someday.  There's something else about doing it to find love.
  If that wasn't enough, we then went to the Colosseum.  It didn't look so big from a distance, but as we approached it we were both in awe.  The inside was really interesting and I enjoyed walking to the various levels to see it all from different viewpoints.
  Our last stop was a place that I've always wanted to see.  It was the Contarelli Chapel and holds some very famous Caravaggio paintings.  The large scale paintings show some scenes from the story of St. Matthew.  The paintings are in darkness, but you can illuminate them by putting in €1 into a coin-operated box on the wall.  We didn't have any coins, but a fellow Caravaggio fan kept putting in coins so we got to see it for about 5 or so minutes.  I remember watching Simon Schama's Power of Art when I was a teenager in 2006 and it really motivated me to pursue painting.  There's a great episode about Caravaggio which I really love.
  We got back to Florence around 10PM and I was in a surreal art stupor.  The trip really made me feel good about the path that I'm on.  And in a way it also made me feel like I have a lot more work to do.  I guess I could say that it just really inspired me.  And a big thank you to my friend Jordan for sharing this experience with me.  Artists need each other.

  There are a few works of art that everyone knows: the Sistine Chapel ceiling, the Mona Lisa, Starry Night, Warhol's soup cans to name a few--But it's arguable that David is the most famous work in history.  And it's definitely the most famous sculpture.  There's a great history behind it which is also fascinating.  As always, photos don't even come close to capturing the scale of this monumental work and I'm very grateful that I could see it in person.
  Another note is how well displayed it is.  There are a lot of beautiful works out there that don't have the same presence because of the environment around the work.  The area around the David is like a beautiful frame that fits around it.  There are other great pieces here at this gallery too, but they are really over-shadowed by the David.
  I have class again this afternoon, but I wanted to share this because of how impressive it was.