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e to visit some beautiful palaces and we walked around their gardens. We went shopping, on the main shopping areas, H&M was popular store then, we went to visit so I can compare it from the ones in the states, the prices of course much higher and the styles much different, less colors and more solids. I remember asking Harald to take me to any bazaars if any, and sure enough there was one called the Turkish Bazaar, and how much did we have, I spent about 100 dollars and bought about 6 pairs of shoes for me and my mother, all leather shoes made in Europe dirt cheap, I must have paid no more than $15 a pair after negotiations. We walked around the Bazaar. Harald drove me pass his old childhood home in Vienna, all I remember is that the community was a wealthy one, full of beautiful homes, well manicured, a community where most politicians lived. His house was on a triangle, he shared some family stories with me. Harald then took me the highest hill in Vienna, so high above the city, that the fog was real. Imagine being thousands of feet above the city, seeing the Vienna from the clouds, up there was a park where many visited. The experience was very surreal and beautiful. The weather in Vienna, was pretty cloudy, no sun the couple of days there. The local food in Vienna was good, I remember eating sausages and potatoes. Thank God for Harald who made my trip fun and worthwhile. By the way… the people from Vienna are so nice, happy and truly welcoming. Overall, a country I would love to visit again.
So… the 1st flight I’ve ever taken in my life was back in 1982, December to be exact. I was almost 9 years old. My mother bought me a ticket New York City from Santo Domingo where I was born. I flew alone with a flight attendant that checked up on me constantly.
I was scared, nervous, yet super excited to see my mother after a few months apart. My mother always called me and told me about the cold snow and that soon we were going to be together again. And when that day came, I remember landing and seeing the most magical snow falling and my excitement to touch and feel the snow was amazing, but more amazing was seeing my beautiful mother again.
So, I landed safely, thank God! and in the airport the flight attendant handed me to my mother, she hugged me, kissed me and I felt her love, I was super excited to be with my mother again, a feeling I can’t explain, a feeling that brings me tears of joy. Being separated from my mother for a few years on and off was very lonely. Yes, I was well taken care of, my mother sent me tons of toys, clothing, foods, money, but it was her, my focal point. And that moment in NYC was glorious for me. Finally again, next to my mother. My mother bundled me in a jacket and I was happy.
My biological father was in the car waiting for us, I had no idea who he was, for I didn’t spend with him, enough to remember anyways, my family tells me stories of how much he loved me and was there the first three years of my life, before my mother divorcing him. Anyways… I am diverting, that story is much too deep, emotional and not relevant at this time.
I remember being shy when I got in the car as he said hello to me, holding me and trying to hug me, and I remember keeping away, my mother was grabbing me by my arm, telling me say hello, this is. your father. Well, I was clueless and his cold dry energy lacking enthusiasm, didd not help at all. My father was a quiet guy from what I remember, years later after spending time with him.
Back to my NYC snow experience. When my father dropped us off at my mother’s salon Washington Height, I was greeted with so much love from my very cool grandparents, my aunts, my mother’s friends and all, but all I wanted to do was play in the snow. My mother took me outside, we played in the snow and I was so amazed by the cold white fluffy particles, that it was like nothing I have ever seen before in my life. I was soooo mesmerized by the snow, that I had to taste it and it was amazing, I ate snow, it melts in my mouth and that was my first excitement in NYC ever.
Yep, that was my very 1st talk show set, it was in a small office at home, I wanted my guest to feel at home, I decorated it in antique and vintage pieces. Thus, a great little set
“Style is about having fun, being bold, making statements and establishing your own unique look that identifies with how you’re internally feeling at that moment. Style is about being comfortable and feeling good, it’s being uniquely you.” Giselle Trujillo
THE GREATEST 16TH CENTURY VENETIAN ARTIST
TIZIANO VECELLIO aka TITIAN
1488/1490 – AUGUST 27, 1576
Tiziano Vecellio aka Titian (1488/1490 – August 27, 1576) was one of the most important and greatest 16th Century painter from Itlay. Vecellio had worked under two great Venetian artist, Giovanni Bellini and Giorgione, both whom died within six years apart. His actual birth year is yet to be confirmed. Vecellio was born in the town of Pieve di Cadore in the Republic of Venice. He was married to Cecili, the daughet of a barber from his village Cadore. Cecilia was his housekeeper and mistress about five years. They had two boys together Pomponio and Orazio, in 1525 Celia fell seriously sick, wishing to mary her to legitimize their children, he married her, they had two more kids, two daughters, only the girl Lavinia survived in 1530, however Cecilia died giving birth to her. Vecellio decided to move to a new home with his two boys , convincing his sister Orsa to take charge of the household, which was a mansion in fashionable suburb in Biri Grande, at the edge of Venice with beautiful gardens on the sea facing Murano. Vecellio was known to be one of the most versatile painter of Italy with a profound use of colors and strokes that contributed from mythologies, painting altarpieces, renaissance art, portraits to landscapes with figures. backgrounds. Vecillio established a place as a leader of painting when he was commissioned for his first public masterpiece for the Assumption of the Virgin for the high altar of Santa Maria Gloriosa di Frari church in Venice, which took him three years to complete from 1516 – 1518. Vicellio achieved notability and international fame though his many portraits of Pope Paul III, Emperor Charles V (whom did not wanted to be painted by no other artist) and many others. While alive many fake copies of his work was being produced and sold. His paintings portrayed depth and psychological dimensions. During his last years Vecillio mostly worked for Phillip II as portrait painter. Vecelio died from a fatal plague in Venice on August 27, 1576. He was the only Venice Plage victim to have been given a church burial, was interred in the church he wished, the Frari. Vecellio rests close to his very famous painting, the Madonna di Ca’Pesaro. Unfortunately, no memorial marked Vecellio’s grave till Austrian rulers of Venice commissioned Canova to provide the large monument until much later. Sad to say, his favorite son Orazio, who was also his assistant, immediately died after his fathers death, due to the same Venice Plague. Vecellio’s most influential altarpiece was burnt in a fire at the SS. Giovanni e Paolo church in the 19th Century. His work has been an influence to many artist around the world. Tiziano Vecellio “Titian” is know as the Italian Renaissance Master.
Check out some of Tiziano's masterpieces:
The Venus of Urbino 1538
Portrait of Pope Julius II
Diana and Actaeon 1559
Diana and Callisto (detail 1)
Venus with Organist and Cupid 1548
Venus and the lute player
Francesco Maria della Rovere, Duke of Urbino 1536 -38
Venus and Adonis
Federico Gonzaga, Duke of Mantura
The Andrians (Bacchanalia) c. 1525
Portrait of young girl with feather hat – a young women wearing a reddish burgundy (possibly leather) hat with a large feather to the left. She is removing formal wear off left shoulder and exposing her right shoulder in undergarment. She seems to wear a pearl necklace.
Portrait of a girl 2 – an elegantly dressed lady with braid in her hairs and elegant beige outfit.
Portrait of Empress Isabella of Portugal 2 – A women dressed either in silk or velvet brownish Burgundy elegant dress, with a long pearl necklace that drapes from the middle of chest from an oversized jewel.
Portrait of man in rec cap c. 1516 – A young man with an overused slouchy hat and oversized shoulder cape that seems to be of cheetah or henna fur. He also wears a sword which rests in front of his chest and seems to be wearing fitted off white leather gloves.