After this trip I needed to get back to my mosaic, I wanted to work and let all the wonderful impressions of this special day and indeed the whole week, sink in. Very much to my surprise, I even survived Martin‘s thoughtful, but forthright corrections. I DID finish my mosaic and I was happy with what I had created. Certainly there is always room for improvement, but I knew I could take a precious memory home with me.
Sicily is fascinating as a meeting place between the old historic and archaeological world and the warm and heartfelt Sicilian way of life. I very much enjoyed the hospitality of the people and the atmosphere in Cefalú. So – thank you Martin and Peter for your teaching and insights into Byzantine mosaic. It was a great pleasure for me to share my holidays with this wonderful group and I certainly would love to come again.
This is an article written by Annette Brenner who came on the Sicily Mosaic and Icon Painting Workshop September 30 – October 8 2008
When I heard about Martin Cheek's Mosaic and an Icon painting workshop with Peter Murphy in Cefalú, on the island of Sicily, I was immediately reminded of Sicily‘s most famous Byzantine mosaic sites: Monreale, Capella Palatina and the Roman site of the Villa Romana at Piazza Amerina. I had seen some of these mosaics in a guide book and had always wanted to see them in reality.
I very much enjoyed Martin Cheek‘s Classical Mosaic Tour in Northern Italy in 2005. Remembering how he and all the local guides had shared so much insight about the history and technique of mosaic, I realized this would be something special. I had met Peter Murphy before on Martin‘s Glass Fusions Masterclass in Broadstairs, his expertise in Byzantine Art is remarkable and his point of view, coming from the perspective of Icon Painting, could be a valuable addition.
Initially I had to postpone my workshop plans, but I received an unexpected windfall, so could take the opportunity to go along. AIitalia offered a reasonable flight to Palermo via Rome, so everything was set.On arrival in Palermo Airport, I met Katerina from the Czech Republic, Sato & Kamalesh from Australia and Anne from the United States. We took the minibus sent by Martin to Cefalu and while driving, we introduced ourselves; we were all excited about the course and the opportunity to combine history with making actual mosaics using glass smalti here in Sicily. I still have the first view of Cefalú in my mind, on the coastline, the famous huge Duomo in the middle, below the Rocca, in the evening sunlight.
Welcomed by Martin and Peter in Cefalú we first moved into our rooms. I shared a big apartment with Katerina and Peter, including a nice big kitchen, a living room and a small but beautifully tiled veranda on the roof. The view was quite charming, on one side the sea, on the other the Rocca, a cliff I definitely wanted to climb. Here above the roof tops it all felt like being in a different world.
The group met for dinner and we got to know Michelle, Cindy & Otis from the United States and Jan and Jenny from the U.K. I had met Jan already on the Classical Mosaic Tour in 2005, which proves to me Martin‘s fans (and I am certainly one of them) just keep coming back. Eight participants had signed up for the mosaic course, but unfortunately no icon painters this time around. On the other hand, this gave us the opportunity to quiz Peter on his vast knowledge of Byzantine Art.Our workshop started the next morning, thanks to the Mayor of Cefalu; we could use a quite huge conference room next to the local museum, The Museo Mandralisca. We all worked together to quickly set up our studio, unpack the smalti which had been especially made and sent from Venice. Soon everyone sorted with their materials and a comfy well lit work space. I shared a table with Katarina, with a view of the small inner courtyard that also allowed the sun to come in. Martin decorated the room with a few of his recent mosaics of peacocks and Peter had brought a real hand painted Icon version of the famous mosaic Christ from the nearby Duomo, for us to look at.
When starting to work with glass smalti I am always fascinated by the immense beauty of the material, looking at the different colours and the reflections is quite something. I also like smalti roti, which is the off cut from the smalti pizzas, playing around with all kinds of irregular shapes gets my imagination started. Martin brought some of his beautiful hand made fusions, this was an additional highlight for me, and it’s unbelievable how his creative mind just never stands still.
The most fascinating moment in a mosaic course for me, is to look at everyone‘s designs at the beginning of the course. There were eight very different ideas; everyone had a different approach and their own way of working.
As usual Martin took the time with the group to discuss each design individually and where necessary, helped with additional ideas.
I had brought an old photo of Cefalú from my first trip to Sicily years ago and wanted to try to capture the view of the sea and town in glass smalti. I wanted to simplify the view of Cefalu, but still capture the atmosphere of this lovely town.
The first day is always a bit difficult for me to get going, and in addition to everything else, an interested teacher from the local art school came to visit our workshop. She kept chatting about my photo and then insisted on taking me to the old harbour of Cefalú. This way, she felt I could absorb the atmosphere, take in the REAL view before starting work, so this initial stroll helped me a lot.
The famous Duomo of Cefalú was the first mosaic-site to be visited, what a stunning Norman Cathedral at the foot of the Rocca. It was built by Roger II in 1131 and the apse and the walls to each side of the altar have beautiful Byzantine mosaics. The sheer SIZE of the Duomo struck me the most, I felt so little.
The next day, we left early for the Duomo in Monreale; we wanted to look at its magnificent cycle of Byzantine mosaics. This Duomo has exceptional Norman / Byzantine Art and the mosaics are unbelievably beautiful. Scenes of the old and new testament, dated to the12th and 13th century can be viewed in the nave and the side aisles and it was very impressive, almost overwhelming in fact!
How could they create such beautiful mosaics way up there at that time?! I also found the capitals of the columns with their fantastic inlaid geometric mosaic patterns striking. These mosaics were remarkable and even more stunning than the ones I remembered from San Marco in Venice, which were themselves extraordinarily rich and beautiful.
I am not much of a historian, but I enjoyed being there with Peter and Martin. They were both so excited to share their observations and knowledge. Our conversations really increased my blossoming interest in Byzantine Art.
Our two non-participants Otis (Cindy’s partner) and Kamalesh (Sato‘s partner) were great company and anyone worried that you get bored travelling with a mosaic group, please note, we will keep you busy.
I welcomed the practical work in the studio the next day. I needed time to absorb these exceptional impressions, so concentrating on my own work helped me to settle my mind.
I enjoyed Martin‘s lecture, there is always something different to take home. He suggested the idea of a mental tool box, which personally I can easily relate to. You collect all these rules and tips in a toolbox in your head and then, while working on your project, you remember your tools and use what is suitable. The wonderful thing about a group is, the process of the other participants adds to your own experience.
Friday evening we were in for a typical Sicilian night, out in the countryside of Cefalú. Knowing my own Bavarian culture I was kind of curious to see how Sicilian‘s would let their hair down and celebrate. They love good food; it’s a spicier version of Italian cuisine. They serve great pasta, fish, and meat with excellent vino. We enjoyed a wonderful feast with great local music accompanied by singing, clapping and dancing.
Next on the sight seeing list was the Villa Romana del Casale at Piazza Amerina, another extraordinary tour. I was keen on seeing the famous bikini ladies, but the other mosaics we got to see were also quite fascinating. The mosaics were made around the 4th century and are the top highlights of the archaeological finds of Sicily: The bikini ladies, scenes of hunting, including the corridor of the great hunt and mythological scenes, huge in size, all absolutely stunning. The renovation still takes up a lot of space and unfortunately not everything was open on the site. It would have been very interesting to get to know more about the renovation itself, but that‘s a more personal interest.
Our own mosaic projects came on quite well and we were all happy with our progress. I had finished the foreground with the water and the sand, but the shadow of the boat took me quite a while before it looked right. I loved how the colours of the smalti helped to capture the view of houses at Cefalú harbour, which, though in need of renovation, were still so beautiful. More difficult still, was to keep the effects of the sunlight in mind.
Of course, during the days in the studio, I enjoyed looking at all the other projects too. It is a privilege to watch each other progress. How everyone dealt with their little struggles, the bigger problems and their own expectations differently. I think our group was really good in supporting each other. We chatted about our projects, expressing our own opinions, asking for Martin’s and Peter‘s advice when necessary. I noticed, I had somehow got into my mosaic making stride, which kept me going and I decided that I wanted to finish my mosaic whilst still in Sicily.
We also took time for a swim in the sea and to catch some sun on the beach. We were so fortunate to have only one stormy day, but even that was fascinating to watch, being so close to the sea.
One of the studio days Peter spoilt us with an excellent lunch of Rigattone Arrabiata. I assure you he is a fabulous cook and we all loved his prosciutto and melon starter, followed by the pasta. After lunch we carried on working on our mosaics, but I wanted to hike up the Rocca. I was glad that Michelle and Katharina decided to join me. It was well worth the effort, the view was spectacular and we even saw the Aeolian Islands in the distance.
For our pre-dinner aperitivo we always met on the roof of one palazzo, where three of our apartments were located. We could enjoy a beautiful view onto the Piazza del Duomo, towards the sea and up the Rocca. Dinner was in a different restaurant each night, with traditional Sicilian food and wine of course – most of all I enjoyed the fantastic seafood. Slowly but surely, the after dinner word game (a variation on scrabble using the same letters) invented by Martin took over. Not so easy for me and Katerina, being non native English speakers, but it was fun; we all enjoyed it, though it was hard to beat Martin.
Another trip to Palermo followed the next day, it took a while to get through the traffic, but it was amazing, however blocked the roads were, that the traffic still worked.
The Pallazzo dei Normanni, also seat of the Sicilian Parliament, with the Capella Palatina, rendered me speechless. These mosaics had been recently cleaned and restored, I could not believe how rich and intense the impression was. Of special interest to me, was the Renaissance interpretation of Mary which had been changed from the earlier Byzantine style. I am grateful that Peter pointed this out. Studying these works with Peter and Martin added another dimension for me in learning about mosaics and their history. I was thrilled that we got permission to see the room of Roger II, which had the Mosaic with the two leopards Martin has interpreted so well. I felt so privilidged to see this all.
We were also lucky to visit an special temporary exhibition of Picasso in the Palazzo. It was a rare opportunity and we saw some of Picasso‘s works I had never seen before.
This workshop and this article was written in cooperation with SICILIANREALTY,
who handle holiday apartments and travel agency in Cefalu, Sicily.
You can visit the Sicilean Realty site by clicking on THESE links:
www.cefalu.it and www.sicilianrealty.com
Flint House, 21 Harbour Street, Broadstairs, Kent CT10 1ET, UK.
Phone: +44 (0)1843 861958
Mobile: +44 (0)7949 884620
martin@martincheekmosaics.com
www.flinthouseart.com
