"Some things are here for our souls, not our interests, and every land has its pockets of wild. Let us leave then there for the birds, for the night watch, for the person who needs and longs for a creeping into invisibility"
Welcome to Episode #86:
This year Allison published her third book, 'Allison Zurfluh and the Venice Lagoon'. Here are pages of art and essays on her experiences living on the Venice lagoon.
The book is an intimate look at the place that captured her heart and soul, the place that would initiate a 1000 questions and responses.
There is a part that Allison conserves for family and her Swiss life, and there is a part she lives quite on the fringe of everything… In Italy, on the Venetian lagoon… Searching, exploring, painting, writing, documenting, playing and sharing, yet really going to the edge of what is possible, in her boat, in her art and in herself. Nothing is taken for granted. Not her environment, not her choices, not the people, not the place. Zurfluh recognises the plight of the Venetian lagoon, the wild beauty, the breathtaking moments, the natural world and at times, the painful truth of the tourist dollar.
We discuss so much.... Art and motherhood, the writing life, living on the island of Burano and protecting the fishing communities on the lagoon, going into the wilderness to be alone to find what matters, creativity and grit, and indeed many personal stories of our own reckoning with the parts of our lives that make us who we are as women and artists at this point in time. We don't hold back and that is why I published this whole conversation in one beautiful thread. Hopefully you are on one of those long walks you need over the festive season and you can enjoy this share ....
Here is a wild and beautiful conversation from one wild and beautiful woman to another. Allison is not only happy to rock the boat, but paints from it too, sharing her gifts, lighting the way, protecting the sacred and reminding us, that we all make a difference in this wild and beautiful world we live in. Enjoy
To buy Allison’s Books and Fine Art Allison Zurfluh
On Instagram: Allison Zurfluh
Listen to my last conversation with Allison in 2022… Allison Zurfluh: Art and Conservation in the Venice Lagoon
Minutes and Moments in this Conversation:
14.00 - Motherhood and the Artist
31.40 - Women and Creativity
41.45 - How Allison nurtures her Art and Creativity as a portal to becoming
44.00 - The Venice Lagoon as a mirror
51.00 - Nature for pain relief
58.00 - How Allison discovered Burano and moved to the Lagoon
1.07 - The Writers Journey
1.08 - La Mia Arte & the Fisherman
1.39 - Transcending the Mundane with Words - "One true Sentence"
Find all Show Notes and details mentioned at:
michellejohnston.life
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Music Composed by Richard Johnston © 2023