Orsoni is a historic glass mosaic foundry in Venice, Italy, a city renowned for its glass. The foundry has been producing glass and gold mosaic since 1888 and is now offering a 3 day mosaic workshop, teaching the same traditional Byzantine techniques that were used for the Basilica di San Marco.
The workshops are an initiative from Lucio Orsoni, the internationally acclaimed mosaic artist and great grandson of founder, Angelo Orsoni to "spread the divine art of mosaics" ; each workshop is being limited to a maximum of 6 students, in order to provide an authentic experience into the heart of Venetian artistry and culture. Students are given access to more than 2,000 hues of Orsoni mosaic glass.
Completing the adventure, participants will stay at a unique bed and breakfast, Domus Orsoni, located just a few steps away from the mosaic studio. An Italian architect or artist has designed each of the luxurious 5 bedrooms with Orsoni mosaic glass tile and resplendent 24k gold.
Workshops are offered throughout the year, with five and ten day master classes also available. More information, including a schedule of courses and a photo library, can be found at www.orsoni.com
An eye popping and mind blowing exhibition of antiquities, 'Roman Art from the Louvre', opens on Thursday, February 21, 2008 at the Seattle Art Museum and runs through May 11, 2008.
The exhibition is a sample of the collection held at the French Louvre, said to be the largest collection of Roman art in the world outside of Italy. 'Roman Art from the Louvre' features nearly 200 objects and takes up the entire fourth floor in the south wing of the Seattle Art Museum.
The Christmas holiday is celebrated all around the world and lights form a major part of most Christmas decorations. Here are two masterclass examples from opposite ends of the globe, of synchronised light and music displays.
First up is a display at Perth, Western Australia that was posted on YouTube by TonyaI.
And next is "Symphony In Lights" at Denver, Colorado, presented by Carson Williams and Parker 3D, which they also posted on YouTube.
Both are great examples of a new, computer controlled, art form.
Keeping with the sculpture theme, Ice Carving Secrets is a blog about making ice sculptures, in which the owner, Dawson List, shares his extensive knowledge and ice carving designs.
There is also a forum, videos. photos and information, from other experienced carvers, together with several photo galleries showcasing world class ice sculptures. Dawson has provided a great resource and insight into a special world.
Every year, tens of thousands of people converge on the Black Rock Desert of Nevada, USA, to create Black Rock City and celebrate one of the world's great modern festivals, the Burning Man Festival. They pride themselves on taking nothing but photographs and leaving nothing but memories. The festival is dedicated to self-expression, self-reliance, and art as the center of community.
This year, the festival takes place August 27 to September 3, 2007 and in keeping with the global awareness of environmental issues, the art theme for Burning Man 2007 is "The Green Man".
Some very creative minds are associated with the Burning Man community and besides creating some great art, also create great environmental projects. A subject I will expand upon in future posts.
During January, 2008, visual artists will have the opportunity to present their artworks at the first Fajr Festival of Visual Arts in Tehran, as part of ceremonies to mark the anniversary of the Islamic Revolution in Iran.
International Fajr Festivals have previously been devoted to film, theater, and music.
Liverpool, UK, is gearing up for major events to celebrate the 800th anniversary of its first royal charter. There will be one hell of a party around August, including the Hub, billed as the UK's largest, free, urban youth festival, which takes place at Otterspool Promenade on 14 and 15 July, 2007. Then next year, Liverpool becomes the European Capital of Culture 2008; this year's European Capital of Culture is Sibiu, Romania.
Hub is into its fifth year, and promises two days of live music, skating, skateboarders, parkour, BMX bikers, adrenaline wind tunnel, street art, urban fashion and more.
An ancient cave, with 55 wall paintings that depict the life of the Buddha, has been discovered in Nepal, at its northernmost tip jutting into Tibet.
A team of scholars and climbers, Funded by adventure gear maker North Face and a US-based production house, stumbled upon the cave which had been preserved by the extreme cold and remained untouched for thousands of years, Nearby caves have piles of manuscripts in an ancient Tibetan script, which could provide information on Tibetan forms of Buddhism and possibly the history of Tibet, Mustang and even Nepal and India.
