Sketching while the winds howl and rains fall

While some hardy souls are out painting in the high winds, cold rain and flying sleet others are nesting down with their books, pencils, sketchpads and inks.

Winter is a great time to doodle and doodling shouldn't ever be taken for granted. It's a wonderful way to limber up and refresh those creative juices.

Here are a couple of studies from this week, which has been windy and wet here in Tuscany.

A series of imaginary portrait sketches in pencil and another is a study of an orchid which I've been house sitting while her owner is away.

Painting in the crowded streets of Florence

Painting requires a lot of concentration and a certain amount of zen to do well.

So pleinairing among crowds in a busy square goes against the grain for most artists but it's a great exercise and can sometimes be necessary.

I recently joined a couple of other artists doing just that in Florence. We started easy, in the relative quiet of the Boboli gardens at the Isolotto fountain, which features in Dan Browns book, Inferno. It's presence in the novel attracted people who might otherwise not have known of it. The weather was tempestuous with thunder and some light rain but it mostly held off. We discussed the light and established the best view for the subject and began painting.

'The Ocean' fountain by Tom J. Byrne

Visitors to the garden were polite and those few who spoke to us were genuinely interested.

Niklas Elgmo with his completed art.

It was an enjoyable day. We were successful in our goals and worked with relatively little distraction.







The next location was Piazza della Signoria, which is a very different environment where you are challenged not just by the fast moving light but by the enormous crowds. The light appears to move faster because you are basically inside a sundial whose shadows are constantly racing. Statues which are brilliantly lit one moment can be obscured within a few minutes and brightly lit spaces can quickly fill with shadow from a pivoting tower or giant statue.


Foolishly, without planning and calculating the movement of the sun, I began a painting of statues in the Loggia. Although beautifully lit when I began, the shadows slowly crept over the forms and all the light was gone before I had completed the drawing. I also allowed myself to become intoxicated by the drawing rather than think strategically about what it was I needed to do, so the drawing took longer and was more detailed than necessary. By the time I was ready to paint, the shady area in which I had placed myself was flooded with so much light that the canvas was blinding. So my subject was suddenly obscured by shadow and my canvas obscured by light. I had to abandon that painting.

Timothy Atkins capturing a street scene.

Three of us returned the following day and set up our easels. I set up at the mouth of what seemed to be a quiet and unnoticed laneway to the left of the Loggia. Here I prepared to paint the statue of Neptune and the surrounding Piazza. This time I was careful with my light planning and composition.

Working quickly I laid in the shadows, keeping the details to a minimum. There were hoards of people everywhere but my little space was relatively quiet or so I thought.

Niklas Elgmo tackling the shadows.

Every half hour or so a tour guide wishing to evade the other crowds would bring their group through the alleyway and it was necessary to either move the easel or hope that no one would trip over one of the legs.









There is definitely a difference between a painting done in relative peace and harmony and one done in the more crowded public space


Mastering the art of finding an island of quiet within the milling crowds  is the goal. There is always one somewhere.

Piazza Della Signora. Neptune in oils by Tom J. Byrne.

Q & A with Caridad Barragan

Hello Caridad

You will be one of the artist guides this October with Tuscany Plein Air. Perhaps you can help us to get to know you a little with some questions and answers. 

Q. So how long have you been an artist.
Caridad: I’ve been a professional artist since 1991 when I moved from southern California to Italy.

 

Q. You come from California. Why have you decided to live in a small rural community in the region of Umbria?
Caridad: I had been living in northern Italy for 15 years and was looking for a change of "scenery" so to speak.  I needed a quite place and through my friends in California I found a tiny medieval hamlet perched on a hill overlooking the Tiber Valley.

Q. I believe you stopped painting for a few years after graduating from Art college.
Caridad: Yes. Life is an adventure and often we don't know where that's going to take us. I was going through a difficult moment and fortunately or unfortunately I wasn't able to dedicate myself to my practice.




Q. Can you tell me how you got back into creating art and was it hard?
Caridad: After 10 years of not painting it dawned on me that it would've been a tragedy to lose my ability to paint altogether.  I stumbled upon the American artist Duane Keiser and his "Painting a Day" practice on the internet. I immediately thought: THIS is the type of project I need to get back into the saddle.  So I made a deal with myself to paint a small 5 x 7 in. oil painting of a still life everyday from Monday to Friday for one year. 

It was INCREDIBLY difficult, I would say even painful to paint. Initially it took me 4-5 hours to complete a small size painting and most of them looked like duds!  I remember very well the struggle to sketch forms, mix just the right color of paints and have my work resemble what I had in front of me.  I've kept a handful of those first paintings just to remind me of my point of departure. 
I think it took a good 8-9 months to finally feel at ease with painting and really be happy with the results.  Needless to say I sped up and was able to finish in about an hour.




Q. Are paintings the only sort of art that you make?
Caridad: I like to think of myself as an explorer. I'm a very curious person and I love to experiment with different materials such as paper, thread, wax, found images to create collages. I've also worked with a group of musicians to create their light design. I love ceramics as well. Does cooking count as an art?!

Q. Do you have a favorite painting medium?
Caridad: Of course, I prefer oil paints because of
their consistency. I like the creaminess of them. They remind me of soft cheese.



Q. How do you feel about drawing?
Caridad: Drawing is the base for painting. It's the initial stepping stone to understanding and seeing what you have in front of you whether that be a still life or landscape.

Q. Is there something special about painting en Plein Air in Italy?
Caridad: Absolutely! Italy has a particular light. I think that has to do with the fact that it's a thin strip of land surrounded by the Mediterranean on both sides which reflects onto it and around. 
When you step into the landscape it's like you're stepping into a dream or a page right out of an art history book. No wonder artists and writers included it in their Grand Tour.










Q. What's your favorite time of day to paint?
Caridad: In the summer, I prefer painting either early morning or late afternoon. I love that warm lateral lighting and the long shadows.








Q. Do you have a favorite season and if so, any particular reason ?
Caridad: Summer is my favorite. I hate the cold and always have ever since I was a child.  I admire painters that can paint outdoors in the winter. I prefer to sip a hot tea next to a fire!

Q. Is there a particular part of Italy, which you prefer to paint.
Caridad: This is a hard one! I really love Umbria but I think all of central and southern Italy is beautiful. Don't get me wrong, northern Italy is nice too but the sky can often be greyish even in the summer. 

Q. Does Italy have a dynamic painting community.
Caridad: I live in a very provincial environment. I think the only community out there is composed of squirrels! Large cities offer more chances to paint together with other artists . In fact I often paint with other artists from Rome and Florence.




Q. If you could choose to live anywhere else, where would it be.
Caridad: For now, I think I would choose exactly where I am now. It seems to have everything I need at the moment: beautiful landscapes, about an hour north of Rome, peacefulness and excellent food.

Thanks for taking the time for these questions Caridad.
Looking forward to painting with you. 

Plein Airs Crop of Colors this October in Tuscany

Autumn in Tuscany with Tuscany Plein Air brings you the bountiful crops and colors of October.

The hills of Florence are extremely pretty at all times but especially as the colors begin to change to a golden autumnal hue.


Though still warm, the summers heat has dissipated and a springlike ambiance cloaks everything in a gentle colorful gold as the plush greens of summer turn a gentle amber yellow.

A beautiful time and place to paint plein air.

It's the time for the harvesting of fruits, grapes and olives.  Locals and farmers work together to take in the harvest and you will have plenty of opportunity to capture rural scenes that are rarely experienced by people who are not Italian.

Make your reservation for this wonderful painting opportunity where our artist guides will happily show you how to capture this gentle beauty and ambiance in oils or watercolor. 

Mists in the morning and evening are normal at this time of year and they add to the romance of the environment. A great opportunity for watercolorists and oil painters alike.

Ancient abandoned farms in this area provide many rustic painting scenes and have won recognition and exhibitions for previous attendees of Tuscany Plein Air.

Pat Mahony

Tony Robinson

Maria Levinge

among others.

Octobers colors are magnificent. Changing from green to yellow and red especially among the ancient oak trees. The key to capturing this transition is an understanding of color values. We will show you how to translate colors into values and how they work with nature.

Reserve your place as soon as possible to take advantage of this great event. Spaces are limited and the deadline for bookings is the 29th of August.

But values are just one element of the artistic process. Composition is important. Although we can all recognise a good composition it's not always easy to translate that to a canvas or watercolor paper. We show you the simple methods that realist painters use. Step by step. It's very easy when you know how.

Yes, there's more of course. We'll go through everything that we show all our artists and explain brushes, mediums, paints and how to prepare a canvas.

Thanks to our arrangement with the owners of this ancient 13th century villa, we can dedicate even more time to our students and the painting process. 

The local architecture is a mix of Norman style churches, local homes and 13th century monasteries.  There are plenty of locations that are approved for hiking. 

The residence is close to Florence and you will see the early morning mist as it rises over the not so distant city. We will be far from the hoards of tourists but always close to the beauty of it's architecture and the city's gifts of history and charm. 

Artists who paint in Italy - Mary Pettis

Mary Pettis is a plein air painter who visits Italy for it's magnificent Plein Air painting opportunities. 

Firstly, we would like to congratulate Mary for her recent award and fabulous painting which won 3rd place in the "En Plein Air Texas" Painting Competition. She painted this scene en Plein Air with no photographic reference, over a 4 hour period.

Her strategy for capturing this moving artistic feast was to know the goats eating habits in advance, where and when they were fed. She shows her process in her color sketch (see below). Laying in the important elements, separating light and dark forms on her canvas and positioning important objects. As a goat would move into a convenient position, she painted it in using very simple light and dark shapes. The completed oil painting is magnificent and it's amazing what can be achieved with a good plein air strategy.

Mary sitting with the 3 winning paintings. Hers is titled:
Breakfast at Treva's - oil by Mary Pettis.

The initial stage. Sketching in the main forms and shadows on the canvas, including the person in the distance.

The completed oil painting. Quiet spectacular. 

She also recently visited, Cinque Terre, Italy with a group of artists and I wanted to share some of her photos which describe the adventure. They give an idea of the great beauty, light and painting potential of Italy. Mary allowed me to share the following images and her descriptions below.

The artists waiting for the bus to Monterosso.

One hour sketch demo from the hotels garden terrace.

Moments of solitude...

This lovely Italian woman (seen above) popped open her window and started calling down to us in Italian; she was showing off her flowers and the beautiful steps up to her house (seen below). I asked if I could paint it for my demo and she was joyous! She went on calling down to me, pointing and telling me where I should stand to get the best view.

   

 When I was done with my 1 hour sketch, seen here, this lovely woman re-emerged asking to see the finished painting. I showed it to her and she gave me a huge smile and two thumbs up.

        

For more information on Mary and her art you can visit her blog at http://marypettis.blogspot.it/