talents, which were numbers and art. He said this split was at least temporarily resolved
in college when he realized which of the two skills could better pay the bills. So, relying
on his numeric skills, he entered the world of finance and banking. Art would have to
wait.
“I loved numbers and calculations, so finance was a logical fit,” he explained, “but as
the growth of mega-mergers picked up speed, the appeal of commercial banking
changed for me. I left it more than 25 years ago, going into business for myself providing
financial management to ‘fiscally challenged’ not-for-profits. Education was one of my
passions and my business turned increasingly toward colleges.”
As Emerson began working for himself, he and his wife extended their time in
Tuscany and Florence. Whereas the banking laws in Tuscany raised interesting
possibilities for small U.S. colleges to share in foreign campuses, the bulk of his.
business was “long distance” back to the United States.
“The internet was not yet up and running so my professional life involved lots of
long-distance calls and faxes,” he recalled. “My wife Barbara often said she wished I
wouldn’t work so much while we were on vacation. I would explain to her that we
were able to take such long vacations because I was working. For me, the long periods
in Italy enabled me to rediscover artistic interests. In Florence I jumped into it: I painted
and sketched, took art classes, was tutored. I wrote and published a book ... how naïve
was this budding author! After the printing, the leather binding and the Florentine art
paper commissions, my book costs rose such that the single copy
remaining in my bookshelf is one of my more valuable possessions.”
Exploring the fabulous Florentine museums, Emerson was increasingly
fascinated by the spectacular collections of cofanetti carved from wood,
silver and gold. Some dated from the 12th and 13th century. Some came
via the Venetian trade routes to the Far East. It was from this fascination
that evolved his ‘cofanetti de fantasia.’
It took a few years but Emerson was able to access the centuries-old
network of Florentine crafters, guilders, carvers, metalsmiths and papermakers
located in Florence’s Oltrarno district.
“While their skills represent what are too often ‘lost arts’ in America,
it is especially sad that with the current Florentine generation’s shift to
technological and manufacturing these crafts are also at risk there,” he
said.
32 GASPARILLA ISLAND January/February 2018