Marianna M. Duford
...an artist with wanderlust
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Marianna M. Duford
...an artist with wanderlust.

"Soliloquy"
8x16 studio oil
$625 framed


website gallery of paintings

A bittersweet journey

5/27/2014

8 Comments

 
Picture
May 4th I journeyed to France and then Italy with a group of women, some of which I've been friends with for over 30 years...all connected  by the circus we had businesses at the Colorado Renaissance Festival.  Women with free spirits and strong personalities and a common love for each other.  We  gathered in Paris for 4 funfilled shopping and sight seeing days.  I was able to paint only one morning, the first one, as it poured rain every other day we were there.   It was a  painting  of the Luxembourg Gardens and I set up under a tree as it was misting and spitting rain.  I was set upon by a group of about 30 Japanese tourists and am in about 100 photos...eeeegads!

We had a journey that went down the road less travelled as our dear friend , Sharon Tysseling, suffered a brain hemmerahge only 6 days  into our adventure, the day after we journeyed to Isle sur la Sorgue in Provence.  Thankfully one of our crew, Leslie Harris, spoke fluent French and was able to go with the ambulance along with Sue Pappas and Marla Ferrara to be with her as they sped her to the hospital in Avignon.  There they made the decision to air flight her to the hospital in Marseille where they performed emergency brain surgery to relieve the pressure of an enormous brain clot.  We had to call her husband, Mark and tell him what had happened.  He flew to Marseille the next day where endless days passed at we all tried to navigate a medical system in a foreign country where the doctors and staff spoke very little if no english.  I try to put myself in his shoes and wonder how I would have been able to do what he had to do if he hadn't had the help of loving friends to help him through this horrific experience.   Mark arranged to have her flown home by medi jet where they said there was just too much damage and he had to remove life support.   It has been an unbelievably sad trip and I lost my heart for painting although I did do a small one of the pool house in the gardens of the villa we rented the day of her stroke while waiting for phone calls.


We continued our trip as we all knew that Sharon would have wanted us to go on and flew on to Venice for 3 wonderful nights and days.  What an amazing place.  We took the boat to the Island of Murano that is famous for its exquisite blown glass where I managed to throw up my easel an paint from a bridge for a glorious 1.5 hours....some much needed art therapy.  We then traveled on to the island of Burano, famous for it's lace.  It is without a doubt the most colorful and wondrous city I visited and it' now on my bucket list to go a paint there for a week!

Our trip together ended in Venice, but Sharon and I had arranged to stay for another 9 days of travelling.   We had rented a car to drive through the Le Marches of Italy and were planning of painting and moseying through the vast countryside of this amazing part of Italy.  We were going to hook up with lifelong friends of Sharon's from Canada in Ravenna for this last part of the trip..It was something I had to face doing on my own and I was scared to death of having to drive from Venice to Ravenna by myself...Italians are famous for driving like bats out of hell and my lat experience of driving here wasn't what I would call good!  I rented a GPS and she became my friend as I only got lost about 10 times, ha!


Sharon's friends, Rosanna and Jeff Langer, ended up being amazing traveling companions.  They shared my obsession with maps and history and their unfettered joy of the trip was refreshing!  We could also share our deep sorrow at losing our friend and each night at dinner we filled a glass of wine for our unseen friend.


We spent the last 4 days of our trip in beautiful Orvieto where I finally found my heart again and was able to start painting again.  Day before yesterday I woke up and was me!...I felt like I had found an old friend and went outside at 7am and painted the view of the backside of the Duomo from our terrace.  Later we found our way to some hot springs near San Casciano di Bagno...after getting lost about 30 times where I did a little watercolor sketch.  2 in one day!!!
I was joined yesterday by a young woman,Kelly Medford who lives in Rome, to paint in Orvieto.  It was probably my best day as I woke up and finally emerged from the dark cloud off pain that has filed my heart the last few weeks.  She also went with us to return the rental car to Hertz to help translate as we had acquired a rather large crease AKA a puncture in the front of the car!  AHHH!   They didn't even say anything,  I guess it was considered normal wear and tear here!  YAY!


I 'met" Kelly on a FB group page called Plein Air Painters...what a wonderful tool the internet has become..


Below you will find images of the paintings I managed to do on this trip...I brought enough supplies to do 30, as you will see that didn't happen.  But I learned so many other things...The graciousness of strangers, not to take for granted even one day the people you love, patience and that I can be a really irritating PIA sometimes.  Ahhh humbling to find our at 62 that there are still lessons to learn.


Thank you, if you made it to the end of this...Ciao!

8 Comments
Peta
5/27/2014 03:52:28 am

A most memorable trip for you - and you have chosen to allow us enjoy the pleasures and the sadness of it all. Thank you. As always your paintings are so beautiful - I look forward to seeing more as the images come to life on your canvas.

Reply
marianna
5/27/2014 05:28:42 am

thank you Peta

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Jeanne Gibbons
5/27/2014 04:24:16 am

Wow, Marianna...I hardly know what to say. It is fascinating to read about the joy and sadness of your trip. Steven and I send our love. So glad that you were able to find the strength to get through to the end after having lost so much in the beginning. I guess we never really know. (((Hugs))) you are an amazing woman and a great friend.

Reply
marianna
5/27/2014 05:29:59 am

thank you Jeannie and Steve...your love and support means so much to me. xxoo

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Bob Starekow
5/27/2014 06:15:38 am

Barely a day has gone by where your name has not been spoken here in the Baja. The realities we face together as friends are often so difficult but are what make us friends forever. See you in Colorado next month.....safe travels for all.

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Linda Thompson
5/27/2014 06:49:46 am

You've been very brave, and I'm sure you are ready to have Billy gather you up and hold you close. This isn't how we are supposed to lose our friends...I always thought we'd all die at age 120, either in bed or scuba diving in Palau. I'm leaving for a month in Europe (and 27 days cruising there and back) September 1, but will be back in Colorado in 3 weeks. Let's get together with wine and celebrate life!

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petronella thomann link
5/27/2014 11:14:57 pm

Md will. Not be the same without her

Reply
Rosanna & Jeff
7/13/2014 01:05:30 am

Hey Marianna,
Love your blog. I have finally sorted and burned a CD of our Italy photos for you. All ready to go! Please share your mailing address with me by email. xx Rosanna

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    Marianna

    Artist, Wife, Mother, Oma, Traveler and Mountain Dweller in Search of the Meaning of Life...My Version of it Anyway!

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