Italy and Austria - An Inspirational Kick in the Butt

I have returned!  WOW what an amazing trip that was.  We did SO MUCH in such a short period of time.  I actually just wrote down all the major places we went and I just can't believe how many fantastic things we did and saw.  My feet, however, can definitely believe it.  We did an insane amount of walking and by the end of every day we were all sore and exhausted.  Somehow adrenaline kept us moving to see the next breath-taking site, day after day.  And all that walking allowed us all to eat LOTS of delicious Italian food.


Here is where we went:


Rome (2 1/2 days)
Pantheon
Piazza Navona
Chiostro del Bramante (Contemporary Art Museum)
The Vatican
The Sistine Chapel
St. Peter's Basilica
Ancient Rome tour of countless ruins
The Colosseum
The Tiber River at night, a happenin' scene
The Trevi Fountain
Galleria Borghese


-train to Florence


Florence (2 days)
Michelangelo Piazza, quite the trek to reach
The Artist District
Ufizzi Gallery
Best of Florence tour
Accademia
Duomo
Da Vinci Museum
Gallileo Museum
Bicycle rickshaw tour, so fun!


-train to Venice


Venice (only 3 hours!)
Water Bus tour of the River
A crazy brisk walk through the city


-overnight train to Vienna (the worst part of the trip.  It was HOT, stuffy, and small)


Vienna (1 day)
Historical City Bus Tour
Schönbrunn Palace
Museums Quarter
Mozart's House and Museum
Leopold Museum - Gustav Klimt and Egon Schiele!


-3 hour bus to Salzburg
Austrian Lake District
Foothills of the Alps
Lake Mondsee


Salzburg (1 day)
Historic Walking Tour
Mozart's Birthplace and Museum


Whew, my head is still spinning.  I took a few photos (somewhere around 2,000) and made a 'Best Of' folder with just 370 photos.  Here are a few of my favorites:

Sant'Agnese in Agone at the Piazza Navona, Rome, Italy.  I swear I didn't edit this photo AT ALL.  Photo by Heather Clements.

Rome, Italy.  Photo by Heather Clements.

The Pantheon at night, Rome, Italy.  Photo by Heather Clements.

St. Peter's Basilica, Rome Italy.  Photo by Heather Clements.

Inside the Pantheon, Rome, Italy.  Photo by Heather Clements.

Beautiful colors and Textures, Rome, Italy.  Photo by Heather Clements.

Ancient Ruins in the middle of Rome, Italy.  Photo by Heather Clements.

The Tiber River at night, Rome, Italy.  Photo by Heather Clements.

The Colosseum, Rome, Italy.  Photo by Heather Clements.

Inside the Colosseum, Rome, Italy.  Photo by Heather Clements.

Florence, Italy.  Photo by Heather Clements.

Halfway up to Piazza Michelangelo, Florence, Italy.  Photo by Heather Clements.

The whole family! Left to right: Dad (Marc), Mom (Melanie), Nina (my brother's girlfriend), Ian (my brother), me, and Mat (my life partner.)  At Michelangelo Piazza, Florence, Italy.

Wonderfully hilarious street clown in front of Ufizzi Gallery, Florence, Italy.  Photo by Heather Clements.

Florence, Italy.  Photo by Heather Clements.

Duomo, Florence, Italy.  Photo by Heather Clements.

View from Torre Guelfa Hotel tower, Florence, Italy.  Photo by Heather Clements.

View from Torre Guelfa Hotel tower, Florence, Italy.  Photo by Heather Clements.

The Arno River, Florence, Italy.  Photo by Heather Clements.

Windows, Florence, Italy.  Photo by Heather Clements.

Venice, Italy.  Photo by Heather Clements.

Venice, Italy.  Photo by Heather Clements.

Lake Mondsee in the Lake District, Austria.  Photo by Heather Clements.

Castle at Salzburg, Austria.  Photo by Heather Clements.

Egon Schiele exhibit at Leopold Museum, Vienna, Austria.

Museums Quarter, Vienna, Austria.

Okay, so maybe that was more than a few photos.  It was hard enough narrowing it down to just these. To see more, go to my Facebook album here.

I want to publicly thank my parents for taking us to Europe.  It was unforgettable and I am forever grateful for all that you have done for me.

There was hardly a moment to sit still, but whenever there was, I sketched.  Hence, hardly any sketches, and most sketches I could only work on for less than 5 or 10 minutes.  I took an accordion sketchbook so that all the drawings could be seen at once.

Sketches of Italy, by Heather Clements.  Click to a view larger version.

View from Torre Guelfa Hotel tower, Florence, Italy.  By Heather Clements.

As I allow it all to sink in, I know that the inspirational experience will feed into my art.

Thank you for joining me on this re-cap of my trip!

Beauty of Leaves and Bicycles. And Schools Kill Creativity.

Seriously, leaves are just freakin' gorgeous.  These are still leaves found in my own yard.  Click on the image to view a larger version.

 From left to right:

"Red Red Diamonds and V's" 5.25" x 7.75" $45.  Update: *SOLD*

"Olive Drop" 3.5" x 7.75" $35.  Update: *SOLD*

"Loops and Spikes" 3.5" x 7.75" $40.  Update: *SOLD*


 And here is a little bicycle cut.  This is actually the second bicycle cut, I already sold the first one.

"Bicycle on Blue" 3.5" x 6.25", hand-cut paper by Heather Clements Art, 2012.  Update: *SOLD*

This piece is $55.

As promised, here are your green tips and inspirations sources for the day:

Green Tip #2: Ride your bicycle!  (Or GET a bicycle and ride it!)  My bicycle is my main source of transportation.  Errands and jobs within a few miles are almost always arrived at by bike.  It may take a little bit longer, but why be in such a rush?  Why can't we enjoy our travel between point A and point B?  Not only is bicycling not harmful at all to the environment, but you get exercise (which is scientifically proven to make you happier,) AND you don't have to spend a penny on gas.  My bicycle is my commuting vehicle, and also a source of relaxation and pleasure on my time off.  Sometimes we will take a day to ride to parks, restaurants, and friends' houses.  Try it.

Inspiration Source #2: Ted Talk: Ken Robinson says schools kill creativity.

Sir Ken Robinson makes an entertaining and profoundly moving case for creating an education system that nurtures (rather than undermines) creativity.

If the embedded video does not work for you, go here: http://www.ted.com/talks/ken_robinson_says_schools_kill_creativity.html


I won't be blogging for the next two weeks because I will be in Europe!  I'm going with Mat, my parents, my brother and his girlfriend.  We will be going to Rome, Florence, a few hours in Venice for a train-switch, Vienna, and Salzburg.  I have been learning some Italian (Io sono une artista - I am an artist) and plan on learning at least a little German.  I will take lots of pictures and will hopefully have a few moments to sketch.  I will share with you after I return!


A presto! 
(See you soon)