I miss my peeps as I peep out and everywhere  there is art.  And is it art?

It will take time to answer this question for all of us I believe.

Here is the poster that as a fellow artist I was called to respond to with heartfelt and somewhat respecful appropriation.  It was at the entrance to a small wine bar on a street that I doubt we will find easily again.  We were there to watch the sun fade pastel colors into night  while nibbling on cichetti (open faced sandwiches with chopped Italiano delecacies  of meat, cheese or fish).

We are in an incredible place.  Dylan Mclaughlin turned 22 on the 15th of June, our 3rd day here.  All of us are experiencing the world rocking in somewhat slow motion.  The vaporetos take us everywhere.  To wait for them we are on the water on a floating platform. We are between islands for a minimum of 90 minutes per day. So we, the Venice Six, living in the 7,000' Sangres of Santa Fe, NM are suddenly waterbabies lulled into the reality that nothing is still. We've been asking each other "do you feel like the world is rocking?" "yeah, it was bad this morning" or "yesterday but not today" or "it's like being dizzy, but not" So we are all acclimating in similar fashion, with hot tired feet from walking everywhere to see, well to see so much. 

To come to the academy where we work each day we travel between Venice and Murano. It is the Abate Zanetti Glass School (http://www.abatezanetti.it/docenti.asp) a pristine almost churchlike setting where people work as casually as imaginable to shape mind blowing glass like bubble gum: tennis shoes, no goggles, no gloves, no leathers or even cloth jacket as a man of maybe 40-50 years experience with no hesitation moves between the oven and a small chair whole holding a wooden pallet to curve a lump of glass into a vase with a small bust and minimal waistline that widens into a sturdy yet still delicate base.  We watched him in awe today, day four,  move in nonchalant grace.

All of us are grateful to be here.  Ciao miei amici!!