On the hunt for Florentine loot, part 1

An artist is only as good as his or her tools.

Get thee to Florence, fellow artists. The world is your oyster at Zecchi. Sometimes it’s ok to plan a trip to Florence when the time comes to stock up on art supplies. I’ll just build a whole family vacation up around that small detail and we are set.

Florence, the hub of Renaissance Italy. To me it is the art capital of Europe, but that opinion may be purely subjective – to each his or her own. But I feel I cannot even begin to allow myself to be considered an artist until I make my pilgrimage to the Uffizi where I pay homage to my favorite painting of all time, Sandro Botticelli’s Birth of Venus.

http://yourcontactinflorence.com/botticelli-birth-venus-uffizi-gallery/
I couldn’t get close enough to get a great shot, so I borrowed the Uffizi Gallery’s own

Every time I have been to Florence, this is the first thing on my list. Each time I see her she seems to be further removed from view behind thicker layers of acrylic shields- obviously meant to be protection from lunatics. It’s smaller than I remember. Look at the flowers falling from the sky. Her eyes, the ripples of the water, her face. All intoxicatingly beautiful. Not many can capture skin tones like this in tempera, a painting technique Botticelli was known for. And this is one of the first paintings ever done on canvas. Up until the Renaissance, wood panels had been used as the surface of choice.

Art technique definition #1:

Tempera painting uses dry pigments mixed with a binder such as egg or other kind of viscous medium to make the paint into a workable consistency; then it's applied in thin transparent layers slowly building up a kind of luminosity that appears to make the surface glow. Unlike oil painting, tempera dries quickly and it's much more portable. Another advantage is you don't need toxic solvents to clean up afterwards.

Once I have made my way through the throngs of fellow tourists to pay my respects, I was on a mission of my own. Zecchi’s, one of the oldest art supply stores in the world, is in the heart of Florence on a little side street off of the Piazza del Duomo. It's an artist's dream come true. And I'm on the hunt for some authentic pigments of my own, thanks to Sandro.

Street view of Duomo from Via dello Studio, in front of Zecchi's

This is their "about" section on Zecchi's website -

"The building that houses the Zecchi store, as shown by the fresco on its façade, is part of the historic seat of the ancient Studio Fiorentino, the first University of Florence (dated 1348) that gave the street its current name. The paint store - located in this street for centuries - has always been an important reference point for Florentine artisans and painters. Firm Zecchi - which took over the business in the fifties - on the base of the fourteenth-century Cennino Cennini’s treatise Il Libro Dell’Arte, has succeeded in finding, reviving or reproducing all the colours and materials used by pre-Renaissance and Renaissance painters. The major Florentine works of art - but also some of the most important international art masterpieces - have been restored with the help of Zecchi’s products.
In the heart of Florence, just a few steps from the Duomo, professional and amateur artists from all over the world can find at Zecchi’s supplies for their art and a place where a continuous exchange of ideas enables the store’s staff to keep pace with the times and satisfy in the best possible way all customers’ requirements."
http://www.zecchi.it/#

My youngest daughter made the trip to Zecchi’s with me while the rest of my family ascended the Duomo. Sure, I would have liked to do that. But I was determined to see how one would stock up with art materials if forced to live in exile in Florence. It was my fourth attempt since arriving the day before, and we were leaving for Cinque Terre early the next day. It was now or never. Mental fatigue can be just as exhausting as climbing up hundreds of steps for a view of the city. I had to conserve energy of all kinds.

I found this out -

Opening hours are loosely interpreted; it all depends on who you ask. The thing about opening times off-season, it’s never really known when or if the hours on the shop doors indicating orari di apertura e chiusura times will be honored. On Mondays, you are generally out of luck. Sundays are a bother as well. But I'm not one of those entitled American travelers who insist it's super lame to have odd shop hours - after all, aren't we used to 24 hour conveniences? That wasn't it; I had a short time in the city and the window of opportunity was closing.

Not many places exist where artists can congregate in a retail house of worship while discussing the merits of Holbein Gouache over Schmincke Horadam and remain friends when the day is done.

A craft or office supply chain with its designated "art aisle" offers little in the way of encouraging a true zen art supply shopping experience. What's missing in these clunky eyesores is the overwhelming relief of entering a properly stocked store that seems to be perfectly set up for you alone. Brushes, papers, and tools all beckon at arm’s reach to pick up and examine with your senses. And the smell - paper and graphite with a hint of ink and turpentine. This is where I belong.

Artists are an odd lot. We need to be in a place that knows what oxgall liquid is as well as where the hot-press illustration board is kept. How abut this particular kind of eraser? Bone folders? Bookbinding cloth? We are particular and loyal to our brands. Just like food aficionados attend cooking classes and book wine tours in Provence, when I’m in a European city, I will search out the places that sell the tools of my trade.

We all have haunts that feed our obsessions.

And I love to try new things. You know those perfect shoes you have – they go with everything, create instant chic, and you feel like a bonafide fashionista strutting around in them. Look at the sole. See what it says? Made in Italy. (And they go so well with that Chlöe bag - what, you say? Yes, Italian made -quality at its finest.)

Imagine what Italians can do with art supplies. Really, was Florence not the birthplace of the Renaissance? Clearly the Florentines are on to something.

As I walk the narrow cobbled side streets in this city of wonder, I am struck once again by that stab in my chest that begs the question, "Why the hell can’t I live here?" I mutter to myself often about the injustices of living in Los Angeles where the unrelenting traffic keeps me from wanting to go anywhere. I'm especially prone to that kind of whining here. This city oozes art from every block of stone. Everything is within walking distance. Florence should be the definitive answer to how much beauty we should be allowed to experience in one lifetime. My head suddenly fills with old melancholy tunes of the Smiths from the late 1980s reminding me when I visited here the first time.

I may not be able to move here quite yet. But I can go to Zecchi’s and feed my soul.

I had it planned out. They sell pure artist pigments. I have never made my own paints. Looking at the back wall of the shop, every possible color is on display – colors you never even knew existed in all their powdered glory are arranged in rows of neatly stacked glass jars just waiting to be mixed up into a batch of workable perfection on my palette.

Look at these gorgeous jars!

Yes, I’ll have some of those. Because they are the real thing. You can’t get mementos like this from the gift shop in the Amerigo Vespucci aeroporto. Besides, I appreciate these treasures I can't find anywhere else (justification for loading up) and I’ll be inspired to create every time I look at these jars in my studio at home. Incantevole!

Here's an imaginary conversation I'm having in my head now:

"Yes, I went to Florence and picked up a few things – where, you ask?
Well Zecchi’s, naturally.”

“Do they have a shop close by?”

“Oh, I’m afraid not; You see, I bought them in Italy.”

Snort.

Those are samples of brush hair. Brushes – I’m a Winsor & Newton series 7 snob. Pure kolinsky sable is by far the finest natural brush fiber in the world for watercolor. They retain an ideal absorbency of both water and pigment so you are guaranteed a consistent application of paint every time you use them. (They even have a series 7 miniature series – great for details because the handle is shorter.) But they have squirrel hair too (good for underlying washes to cover large areas), and a host of other choices.

Zecchi has their own sable brushes I must try. Because they’re made in Italy, obviously. And brushes wear out. Always wash the bristles out after each use with a mild soap and let them dry before putting them away.Did you know you have to keep your natural hair brushes stored in an airtight container? Moths love to eat them.

I included all the red new brushes - on the far right is one of my tiny Winsor & Newton standbys. I'll let you know the difference when I get started.

my brushes at home ready to go in my painted Florentine tray

Thank God I didn’t see sterile packs of 5 brushes in groups, all synthetic. You know, like those ones that come with art kit books from Barnes and Noble? The red, yellow, and blue ones with the squared off tip - like you can paint the fine line of a hummingbird feather with a a clumsy bulky edge. Surely not.

I’ll show you my idea of a traveling brush kit.

I mean, look at this!

It opens up

To this! The holes in the box are for propping your brushes up as you use them. Look at all the travel brushes! No plastic here

Want to see what a pigment grinder/mixer looks like? it's called a muller. I got one of these too because it’s crystal and looks so cool. I have wanted one of these forever. And it's made by hand in Florence. Of course I’ll use it. Next weekend.

Guess what is one of the coolest things I have ever seen? They had them and I got one.

During its heyday from 1400 to about 1500, silverpoint drawing was extremely popular. It really is silver- people used to draw with metal. This technique all but disappeared with the advent of the pencil, but I’m excited to hear the metalpoint process is making a comeback.

This Leonardo Da Vinci is done in silverpoint.

All those beautifully delicate drawings from the 15th Century were more than likely executed with a piece of silver much like this.

silverpoint as it is sold - a stick of silver sharpened at one end

I got some paper too, but in smaller pieces to travel well. Apparently you have to coat the paper with a ground, a coating that dries such as gesso- preferably tinted to a neutral grey. Then the metal of the silver leaves a line. It’s similar to engraving, but in silverpoint drawing, the silver is making small groove in the paper- the mark left is actual silver.

Had to try this. Drawing is my first love – why not do as the masters did? They have something new to teach me. One of those too, please.

just pop it into a standard lead holder, and you're good to go

Standing at the shop's counter, I felt pangs of envy as young fresh-faced Americans came in for art class supplies. They were here to study art – imagine that! And young enough to learn from the finest art center in the world. What an adventure they will treasure the rest of their lives, even though they appear to be overworked and exhausted. Maybe I'm seeing a form of Stendhal Syndrome - the interesting affliction where you're overcome with such intense beauty in your surroundings that you shut off.

When you find yourself in Florence, and you want an art store that is seriously all about art tool, look no further than Zecchi. These guys are professionals. And if you can, try to converse with the owners in italiano. I guarantee if you make the effort they will treat you well. No coloring books or scrap booking supplies here. It helps to know what you are looking for. But for a no- nonsense art supply store? You are in for a treat. Nothing fancy, just the goods. And what goods they are.

I left my art soul in Florence.

More on my treasuries of Italy to come.

"Angel with Lute" Rosso Fiorentino (1495-1540/Florentine) Oil on Wood Panel Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence
I took this photograph for posterity

Yes, the angels were smiling upon me once again in Florence. It's that fairy tale life, you know. ;)