Knit and Purl

When I was in Bologna last week I saw an old lady and her small dog in the main square. The dog was wearing a hand knitted coat that struck me as just wrong, because it was so tight and because of the attention to detail . . . it had a ribbed, knit and purl edge closely encircling its bottom.

Dogs of Bologna

I am inspired by all the dogs of Bologna, their characters and coats, so I am working on a mini project to capture them from my memory.

Bifido I

I stumbled upon this poster 'paste-up' graffiti at the back of Mambo, Bologna today in Via Azzo Gardino. The snail picture above was from today, the images below are from its installation last November. It is by graffiti artist Bifido, I love the different scale used and the children, so rare to see children represented in art or graffiti. This is a piece by Bifido who has just created a mural at Forest Gate  station in London.

"My subjects are almost exclusively children and the images that compose concern things that happen in the world or socially significant attitudes not directly linked to childhood. This choice is not random: the child, like the animal, representing the other, that which can never be totally absorbed because it escapes the codifications. A child, as "obedient" keeps in itself something elusive, not yet decided, which lingers on the threshold as possible. The humanity of my jobs is sad, is problematic but retains the possibility that things are different. At the bottom of my message is a simple but difficult to accept: that happens is not granted and each has within it the creative power of a child at play." Bifido 

Traveling today

       

Traveling today, I wish it was with a basket full of geese like the lady in the picture. This is a toy shop window in the centre of Bologna. I will be happy to get home, but Bologna as ever has been a wonderful city, it's people full of joy, warmth and humanity.

Traveling and Adventure

I found this picture whilst walking in Edinburgh College of Art a few weeks ago, it made me want to draw the witches by Roald Dahl.

This week I am away from my normal workaholic routine and so I wanted to warn you that 'artroomplant' service may be intermittent. I am attending the Bologna International Children's Book Festival and I hope to find many wonders and joys to share.

Libretto Postale Animali in Viaggio II, Francesca Chessa

The postal animals of Libretto Postale Animali in Viaggio this is Italian illustrator Francesca Chessa's contribution, a wonderful positive chick. 

Libretto Postale Animali in Viaggio.

It is almost two weeks since I was in Italy attending the Bologna International Children's Illustration Fair and I am still trying to assimilate all the information, photographs and memories. 
Being in Bologna also gave me the opportunity to attend a wonderful exhibition organised by Vanvere Edizioni and Le Figure die libri's Anna Castagnoli and Stefania Camilli called "Libretto Postale, Animali in Viaggio" at Zoo. 

This was such a lovely friendly, intimate event with lots of wonderful children's books of course, toys from Milimbo and others, and 55 different illustrators postcards, installations, wire sculptures by Elena Fregni

and joys such as animal shaped cookies and messages by Rebecca Fosser.

This is the first of a series of posts related to this exhibition.

Goodbye Bologna

Bologna Street Sign Graffiti

We are leaving Bologna today, so I am sharing with you some of the street art that I have seen during the last six days. 
Over the next few weeks I will be researching and sharing some of the wonderful illustrators that I have seen here, it takes time, sorry, there is so much information and so many photographs to edit.

Bologna Colour

I don't understand these random splashes of colour in Bologna, but I like them and they seem to be a strange celebration of water as they are always following the course of water or around the drains.