From inspiration to public art, I came up with this concept on a vacation to Europe in 2019 after getting to know a unique woman in the service industry who loved to travel and finding a special sculpture that represented Rome's journey to a province some 135 years ago.
I first met Yulia on a South American trip with Celebrity cruise lines back in 2017, she was serving our table in the evenings and I would run into her often getting on and off the ship. She was so excited to be able to hope off and sightsee whenever she had time to leave the ship. In the evening she would tell us about her mini sightseeing trips and all the amazing things she experienced. It was inspiring to see such enthusiasm for travel from someone who traveled for a living.
The second time I saw Yulia on a Celebrity cruise was on a trip to Rome Italy. She had been promoted to hostess and was so good at talking to everyone she met, she was clearly a favorite among the passengers with her bubbly personality and looks. She was just as jazzed about travel as she had been the last time I saw her and she had many new stories of all the places she was able to visit. Yulia was very accommodating in letting me take a few pictures of her so I could sketch her, something I do when I travel to remember my experiences.
During my stay in Rome we came across a beautiful sculpture that was made in 2005, by Sandro Chia, for the anniversary ( 135 years) commemorating Rome as a province back in 1870. The sculpture is pictured below along with my daily sketch of our travels.
The sculpture resonated with me. I loved the ball structure the woman was leaning on and the texture of the bronze it was cast in. The figure had such a casual appearance to her as if she was a tourist taking a rest.
After returning home, I couldn't stop thinking about the idea of creating a woman traveler sculpture in large scale. Sandro Chia had inspired me with his rendition of Rome's anniversary and Yulia stuck in my mind as the young woman I could model the sculpture's energy into. Thus my journey to find my own interpretation of the lady traveler began.
Next blog post, I will cover the 3d models and gestures for the concept.
