FIELD NOTES & passion projects

Field Notes from Italy: Rome – Vetulonia – Naples

I’m writing this just days before leaving for Italy, returning to Vetulonia, this time with my family.

I spent six weeks here last January in a ceramic residency—working, observing, walking the same roads, learning about this very unique place. Coming back now will be different. I’m not planning to extract something new or to prove anything to myself. I’m here to notice what remains, and what shifts when shared.

Traveling with family changes the lens. Days are built around meals and walking, and talking instead of schedules. Conversations slow down.

My work has a lot to do with family, ritual, and how objects are used. Being back here puts that in perspective. This time, I’m focused on sharing the place with my family—letting them meet my Italian art family, spending time together, and paying attention to what comes out of that.

Rome and Naples are next—dense, complicated cities where history is part of daily life. I’m paying attention to scale, balance, and how objects function when they’re actually used together. I’m also hoping to connect with a few Roman galleries while I’m there—putting that out into the universe.

This year, as a part of my practice, I’m using Field Notes to share observations like these—research, travel, community work, and the thinking that feeds both my studio practice and my consulting work. Some entries will be visual, some practical, some unresolved.

If you’re new here, welcome.

If you’ve been around for a while, thank you for staying curious with me.

More soon—from the studio, and from the desk.

Warmly, Melissa