Italy? Why Now?

Why not?  If not now, then when?  I ask myself these questions as I begin writing this post.  When exactly did I realize that I must begin establishing some roots in a country that I have yet to visit?  Is it simply my DNA? For only $69 and a saliva swap, I could truly answer the depth of that question fairly quickly.  Is it my love for cannolis and overstuffed cream puffs that were initially brought up from Arthur Avenue on holidays, when I was a little girl?  One of the few joyous moments during holiday times growing up, that I can recall.  Or, was it Puccini's dramatic, "Tosca" that I saw in the Metropolitan Opera House as a young adult?  Although, I couldn't understand a stitch of the language,  I could feel the emotion of the music run through me.  Is it the clothes, the love for style and shoes that are worn? No sneakers allowed! Thank goodness!  Or, the accents that make everything sound that much more elegant and fluid?  My American name, Jeannine, but, my Italian grandmother, of whom I am named after, was Geannina.  I never met her.  Nor, my Italian grandfather.  He owned and ran a pizzeria restaurant. In fact, the only true memory I have of a stereotypical Italian woman was my great grandma Bella. In the depths of my early memories, I distinctively remember her giving me candy.  She would sit, dressed in black, with those drooping nylon socks and black shoes in her chair and I would sit comfortably next to her.  Maybe I was 3, but, I remember how safe and sweet she was. Always so sweet.  I truly believe she has been with me all these years.  Or, was it after taking my first art history class in college when I declared that I wanted to paint?  That thought wasn't so well received.  Perhaps, it is and was all of these little seeds and so many more that have been planted within me, that now are just ready to truly root themselves and blossom.  

As an artist, a mother, a 48 year old woman who is aware of the culture in which I reside, aware of the strife, the turmoil, from the White House to each and every other house, I am called to find a place where beauty, joy and love of all aesthetics are found along a path.  A path that has been travelled by many but, lined with historical and spiritual imprints.  A path and a place that still admires craftsmanship and tradition.  A path and a place that stops at a plate of food, a meal that has been harvested from the land and prepared, slowly, then shared with friends and family. Not as a chore, but simply as way to be.

​I am called to Italy.

​As an American, I love my country.  I am in great gratitude for those that protect her.  I would never truly leave her.  But, "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness" are our "inalienable rights" as declared in our Declaration of Independence " and so many things seem to be awry.  I am a servant to my country, yes.  But, I am a servant to God and to my children first.   

​I am called to Italy.

​As a painter, I have had images and thoughts of the fall of Rome and how it relates to our current culture.  I painted buildings I have never touched and remnants of a storyline, I was never a part of. 




Every painter should visit and see, not only the great works of Italian art and architecture from ancient, medieval and renaissance times, but, of contemporary artists of our times.  Art is everywhere and is infused within the culture, like water from the tap or, in the case of Italy, from the bottle.

​I am called to Italy.

​I am aware that Italy has its own issues.  The more I learn, the more I become aware of the country's own internal strife, from political scandals and overturns, to economic debt and immigration issues.  An even greater concern to some Italians, is the decrease in Italian population.  In 2017, a population study concluded 2% fewer births and 5% more Italian deaths.  While Italian population has increased from the year 2000 to now, it is trending downward and forecasting to continue to do so.  A 100,000 less Italian people and declining as the number of children an Italian couple has, if any, is 1 or 2.

​Now truly is the time for Italy.

​In the next few posts and I imagine, future posts, from time to time, I will share with you some insight into, not only, the regions of Italy, but, also insight into my creative processes as what I see and learn becomes infused into my art and being. 

Off to Italy I go.

​Let the journey begin!
​x Jeannine

---