I first visited Italy in 1976. It was my first overseas trip and it was an amazing and golden journey tracing the history of architectural development and also experiencing the work of many famous artists. I could observe the rich cross-section of ideas that passed between the artists of the schools of Tuscany, Siena, Umbria and Mantua. The rich colours and simple elegant images of the Italian masters presented an unforgettable impression that remains with me today. Together they spoke of the richness of Italy’s cultural legacy.

 

Another pleasure that added focus to the journey was that of collecting mementos of the travel experience – museum tickets, a pigeon feather from St Mark’s Square, postcards and other treasures, each invoking its own personal and vivid memory.

 

Later visits to Italy enhanced my appreciation of the development of Italian art history and also added to my collection of mementos, which I always intended to include in some future artwork to share my Italian experience.

 

That time arrived in 2008 when I decided to create a series of Italian Memory Boxes for the 2πr Artists Group’s 10th anniversary exhibition.