September 25, 2007
Today, we were featured on the Artist's Magazine blog. Grace Dobush writes:

Minnesota artists have a bean to grind

Thanks Artist Magazine!

September 22, 2007
We were contacted this past Spring by a Russian magazine "hecho a mano" and they asked if they could feature our Coffee Art. Of course we obliged "Da" and today it was published.

 

 

It is really interesting to view our art with cyrillic descriptions.

 

Click here to see the article in a larger version.

 

We hope that the Russians liked the art!

 

 

September 20, 2007
We have just finished our latest Coffee Art® paintings and we have installed our latest exhibition.

Our opening night is October 2, 2007 from 7-8pm at the Vanilla Bean Café in Two Harbors, MN.

If you are in the area, we would love to see you there.

Vanilla Bean Café
812 7th Ave
Two Harbors, MN 55616
218.834.3714

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

September 18, 2007
Our good Finnish friend, Erkki Määtänen of YLE, called us last night as he was in town with some Finnish musicians. He asked if he could drop them by to view our artwork as he headed to a meeting.

They were no ordinary Finnish musicians but the very popular J. Karjalainen, Ninni Poijärvi and Mika Kuokkasen as the Lännen-Jukka String Band. We were very excited to have them at our studio!

J. Karjalainen is one of the most successful Finnish pop artists of all time. In addition to his solo career, J. Karjalainen is now performing his new Finnish-American folksongs with the Lännen-Jukka String Band.

Ninni Poijärvi is a talented singer-songwriter from Helsinki. She has released two solo albums, Viideltä (2002) and Vapaapäivä (2005). Ninni also sings and plays the violin and accordion in the great country & roots music band Hoedown.

Mika Kuokkasen is a talented musician from Helsinki who has been writing his own songs now for over 15 years. His debut album, which was released in October of 2003, consists entirely of Mika 's own songs and lyrics.

It was great to visit with them for several hours and to have dinner with them before their performance.

It was an exceptional performance in front of a sold-out audience. We were very fortunate to be able to meet these fine people and get to know them.

Click on the play button to view one of our favorite songs of this evening's performance.

Saturday, September 8, 2007
Today, our long anticipated journey to Italy has begun. After an overnight flight, we arrive to a warm and energetic Rome. Angel has wanted to travel to Italy since the eighth grade and now we are here. We check into our hotel and freshen up before we head out on the town. It is a special night for our first night, it is called "Notte Bianca" or “White Night.” It is a night full of activates including music, arts and just being out until 5 am. Since we just arrived, we thought that we had better pace ourselves for the week. But in the meantime, we make our way to the Spanish Steps and get our first glimpse of Rome

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

.

Sunday, September 9, 2007
We take it easy for the morning and adjust to new time zone. Since everyone else was up until the wee morning hours, not much was open until mid afternoon. We hike around the city and stumble upon a couple of major Roman landmarks. The first monument we come across is the Trevi Fountain. There was a large crowd around tossing coins over their shoulders in anticipation of their return to Rome. We watched as people come and go, taking photos and drinking from the fountain.

 

 

We meander up several streets and we find ourselves at the Pantheon. Being built in 125 AD, it is in remarkable condition. The circle at the top of the dome is the trademark of this building. It was quite impressive.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For our evening dinner, we found a charming little restaurant off a side street.  The wooden ceiling reminded us of an inside of a boat, perhaps a Viking ship! The dinner was divine with lasagna and pasta as our main courses and, of course, a bottle of vino. For dessert, we had the best tiramisu in all of Rome.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Monday, September 10, 2007
Today, we take a step back into time, to a time where senators and gladiators walked the Roman streets. We find ourselves at the Roman Forum and Colosseum. It is amazing to see these ruins in the middle of the city and to know that life was not all that different from two thousand years ago. There were markets, courts, temples and of course, entertainment. It is hard to take a bad photograph with all the history around here.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tuesday, September 11, 2007
There wasn’t really a set agenda for our vacation, and today we wandered around the side streets. It is fun to see the little boutiques, scooters and the Italian business people walking to their next meeting. We try to soak it all in and prepare for our next day in Florence.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wednesday, September 12, 2007
It is a very special day for us as it is our fourth wedding anniversary. We decided to get out of Rome for the day and take the fast train to Florence. Being artists, this was high on our priority list to visit. We run to the train station to make our early morning departure. On the train, we see vineyards, pastures full of sheep and cows, and the hills of Tuscany. We began talking to a Roman, Roberto. He is a very nice fellow and we were able to discuss what we should see and experience on our return to Rome.

It only takes an hour and a half to reach Florence, and it is quite the lovely city. Florence is a compact city and we were able to navigate through much of it in a short amount of time. Our first stop of the day was the Duomo. It was enormous. We had a quick lunch of a sandwich on the front steps, but it was not the best of sandwiches….too dry. We then decide to go and take a look inside. As we enter, we look in amazement to the size and complexity of this structure. Over 30,000 people could fit in this cathedral. We make our way to the main area and look up at the fresco dome. The paintings were started in 1568 by Giorgio Vasari and Federico Zuccari and would last till 1579. The upper portion, near the lantern, representing The 24 Elders of Apoc. 4 was finished by Vasari before his death in 1574. Federico Zuccari and a number of collaborators, such as Domenico Cresti, finished the other portions: (from top to bottom) Choirs of Angels; Christ, Mary and Saints; Virtues, Gifts of the Holy Spirit and Beatitudes; and at the bottom of the cuppola: Capital Sins and Hell. These frescoes are considered Zuccari's greatest work. But the quality of the work is uneven because of the input of different artists and the different techniques. We pay the 6 euros a piece to climb the hundreds of steps to take a closer look at these paintings. It is quite the long haul, but we make it to the top of the dome. We also wanted to go up and outside to take a look at the city and surrounding area, but we were turned around and had to go back down.

After visiting the duomo, we make our way to Galleria dell'Accademia to see Michangelo's David. We have to wait in line for about a half hour, but the wait was well worth it. It is truly amazing to see this statue in person. At the age of 26, Michelangelo was given a leftover block of marble that came from the mountains of Carrara, one which had previously been worked on by various other artists. The piece was intended as a monumental work, a testimony to the city's republican pride, not one for close confinement, but was moved to the Accademia in 1873.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Since we saw the main attractions in Florence, we feel like we missed out on seeing the city from the top of the duomo. So, we pay our 12 euros again, and hike up the hundreds of steps, again. It was worth the money and exercise as we view the vista. It was a great site to see the tiled roofs and seeing the city from a different vantage point.

 

 

 

 

Now it was time to find someplace for dinner and after walking an hour, himming and hawing over what we should eat, we find a quiet restaurant.  We must be off on our timing, but no one is eating when we were there. It makes for a peaceful meal though!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After dinner, we make our way back to the train station and for our return trip to Rome. When we return to our hotel room, we were surprised a bottle of wine and a strawberry cheesecake dessert with “Happy Anniversary!” written on top of it. What a nice treat!

 

 

 

 

 

Thursday, September 13, 2007
Since we had a full day in Florence yesterday, we decide to sleep in and take it easy in the morning. Earlier in the week, we noticed very long lines to enter the Vatican, way too long to even consider wasting precious hours in Rome. But today, we took a chance and to our luck, no line and no waiting. We were able to go from outside, purchasing our tickets and making our way to the Sistine Chapel in less than 15 minutes. This was definitely the time to go.

The Sistine Chapel was full of people looking up to the ceiling. In 1508 Michelangelo was commissioned by Pope Julius II or ceiling of the chapel. It took him until 1512 to complete. To be able to reach the ceiling, Michelangelo needed a support; the first idea was by Bramante, who wanted to build for him a special scaffold, suspended in the air with ropes. But Michelangelo suspected that this would leave holes in the ceiling once the work was ended, so he built a scaffold of his own, a flat wooden platform on brackets built out from holes in the wall, high up near the top of the windows. He stood on this scaffolding while he painted.
The first layer of plaster began to grow mold because it was too wet. Michelangelo had to remove it and start again, so he tried a new mixture of plaster, called intonaco, which was resistant to mold.
Michelangelo used bright colors, easily visible from the floor. On the lowest part of the ceiling he painted the ancestors of Christ. Above this he alternated male and female prophets, with Jonah over the altar. On the highest section Michelangelo painted nine stories from the Book of Genesis.
Michelangelo was originally commissioned to paint only 12 figures, the Apostles. He turned down the commission because he saw himself as a sculptor, not a painter. The Pope offered to allow Michelangelo to paint biblical scenes of his own choice as a compromise. When the work was finished there were more than 300. His figures showed the creation, Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden and the Great Flood.
This was definitely worth the price of admission. It is hard to fathom how much time and energy went into a project like this.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Friday, September 14, 2007
We once again head out on the town and our first stop of the day was the marketplace. It was fun to see the vivid colors of the fresh flowers and the scent of newly picked fruits and vegetables. Then we walk to a café and it reads “Caffe degli angeli” and we need know we needed to stop in and have some espresso. “Angel’s Café” had a wonderful menu and described dozens of coffee drinks. It was definitely a coffee heaven!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In the evening, Rome takes on a whole new light. We walk back down to the Forum and Colosseum to take some night shots of these spectacular sites.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As we walk back, we stroll along and we were called to an enchanting outdoor café with ropes of vine acting as a ceiling. Lanterns lit the café area and it was such a surreal place. We enjoy some delicious tiramisu as we wind down our evening.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Saturday, September 15, 2007
Today is our last day in Italy and we head out on the town for our last visit. It was now enjoyable as we are able to navigate the streets without being turned around and led astray. We venture to “Caffe degli angeli” again and have one last espresso. Since our flight did not leave until late at night, we enjoy the warm Italian sun by the pool one last time.  It was the best way to relax before our trans-Atlantic flight.