Tag / Daisy Williams

by shannonchance

Undercover in Rome

Many thanks to Daisy for inspiring me to draw so much on my trip to Rome… we have always been very productive at sketching when we travel together. In this post, I’ve included photos of one of our many dinner outings.

On my last  night in Rome, Daisy and I headed over to Trastevere–stopping for a glimpse of the basilica (dedicated to Santa Maria, where mass was in session) before heading on to our favorite dinner spot.  As is generally the case when Daisy and I are traveling with architecture students, we  brought our sketchbooks along to discuss.

I’ve included photos of Daisy’s beautiful work, that caught the attention of our waitress.  She studied every page!

Daisy’s area of expertise is architectural representation, as is evident in her drawings!  Mine, on the other hand, is educational research… that’s what I presented to Daisy’s students in the lecture I delivered.

As a result of our exchange, I woke up inspired to draw on my last day in Rome.

It was hot, hot, hot, though.  I had to sketch quickly to keep ahead of the heat!  By the afternoon, the sky opened up and the rain poured down.  Thankfully our fore bearers built plenty of sheltered spots in Rome that have lovely views!  I made three sketches on my parting day–two are shown below.

Daisy and I stopped in at Sta. Maria in Trastevere…
and the doors were open to celebrate mass.
Two priests spread incense.
At dinner, Daisy showed me her watercolor work…
and her drawings fascinated our waitress.
What a gorgeous pen drawing of the monument to Victor Emmanuel.
We had such fun!
The next day, I visited the Pantheon…
…for a quick sketch.
And when I noticed rain was on the way, I headed to the courtyard designed by Bramante, adjacent to Santa Maria della Pace.
I made my last sketch in Rome, for this trip, under the shelter of Bramante’s cloister.
by shannonchance

Drawing Marcello

Theatro Marcello in Rome

Theatro Marcello in Rome

The OU students put the in-studio drawing lesson (that Daisy Williams delivered Monday) to work on site today.  We met at ISU’s academic center and headed over to the nearby Teatro Marcello to draw.  The students practiced the charcoal and pastel techniques they’ve been learning, while I used the mechanical pencil I had on hand.

The sketch I made in class.
Every one of OU’s study abroad students…
…decided to enroll in the drawing class.
Some of them are art or art history majors…
…others are majoring in architecture.
Today, they all practiced charcoal drawing techniques…
under the towers surrounding Teatro Marcello.
by shannonchance

Drawing with Daisy

Daisy drawing class 1

My former colleague at Hampton University, Daisy Williams, is teaching two different classes in Rome this summer in addition to being the director of University of Oregon’s study abroad program in the ancient city. One is architecture studio and the other is a drawing course, pictured here.

Tomorrow, I’ll join the drawing course for a morning outing… so I’d better hit the sack now!

Daisy’s drawing class in action.
The Library at Iowa State’s Rome center.
The entry stair at Iowa State’s Rome center, where Daisy’s studio and drawing courses are held.
by shannonchance

Activating an Embankment

Viewing the site from across the Tiber, with Daisy.

Viewing the site from across the Tiber, with Prof. Daisy Williams.

On my first night in Rome, University of Oregon Prof. Daisy Williams took me to see the site in Rome that her students are using for their architectural design project. It’s across the Tiber River from where we’re standing in the above photo.

The site comes to life in the summer–in a way I’d not gotten to see before.  (I usually visit Rome in May, before the walkway becomes active.)  I’ve included photos of our visit to the waterfront, so you can join us on our tour.

Prof. Williams has asked her students to re-design the embankment wall in this area, so that it can be used for screening films, and so that it connects street and water-front walkways more comfortably.

You can see from the image above that the walkway often floods. This is an issue the students need to take into account in their designs.

View of the site from street level.
An existing stair down to the river.
In July, the space is filled with bars and restaurants.
These women are getting their palms read.
The temporary restaurants…
…are quite comfortable during evening hours….
…with many person-sized nooks and crannies.
There’s an exhibition of architecture/urban design proposals…
…for a very similar project to the one Prof. Williams assigned.
This is one of the models on display.
It’s a lovely place to be at sunset….
…and an effective use of an awkward space.
by shannonchance

Bringing Prague Home

Inside Outside Spaces

You can view the whole set of boards I produced after our one-week trip by clicking here.

Here are some photos of the exhibit that my Hampton University architecture students assembled after our 2008 spring break trip to Prague.  In addition to the exhibit, we also delivered a lecture on campus and another for the local chapter of the American Institute of Architects (AIA).  Those talks were about the urban issues each of us studied on our one-week trip.

With the help of Lenka Schulzova, an alumna of our program who was born in the Czech Republic, I’d planned an itinerary that included lots of warm spaces inside where we could draw (Prague is chilly in March) as well as outside spaces.

It was truly amazing how this group came together during this trip.  Everyone on the trip embraced the challenge to practice sketching as much as possible.  Daisy Williams (a truly amazing teacher who is now working at the University of Oregon) provided instruction on drawing before and during the trip.

Each day of our trip, the students eagerly explored the city.  They frequently asked to stop to make sketches.  And they enthusiastically discussed and critiqued each other’s work.  We developed so much skill and knowledge during this trip!  And we brought what we learned home to share with others.

Prague is remarkable in that so many grand, public spaces are available indoors.  It also has lovely courtyards embedded inside the blocks of streets.  This is the case in many cities, but in Prague the courtyards are often accessible to the general public — which is a great treat for visitors and residents alike!

Discovering all this, I titled my series of boards “insideout|side spaces” and described different qualities of these Czech spaces on each board.

The exhibition of our work from Prague.
Mark Matel, sailing through.
We generated lots of sketches, photos, and knowledge on this one-week trip!
Brandon Clark and Shannon Chance in the Bemis atrium.
It’s a lovely space.
Mark documenting the exhibit. My Plecnik board is hanging to the middle right.