Fulfilling a Dream : My Painting Trip to Tuscany |
|
It has been a dream of mine to go to Tuscany for a long time. I wanted to capture the Golden light, with it’s beautiful landscapes and its sculpture like, thin pencil like cypress trees, reaching into the time sky of blue. With its rolling hills with its aged Olive Groves and famous vineyards, surrounded by the amazing Architecture that were there when the ancient civilizations ruled.
When booking, we decided that we would go to Monticatini and use that as our base camp, so that we could travel around. I had shopped for the perfect Plein Air art materials, A new light weight StabIO nomadic easel, Escoda travel brushes, a concertina watercolor book and a gorgeous Leather Bag to carry it all in.
Our first trip out was to the stunning city of Florence, after a walking tour of the city sights, I had scouted out a shady step and painted the famous dome of the Basilica, with its pink- and terracotta-coloured tiles.
Our first trip out was to the stunning city of Florence, after a walking tour of the city sights, I had scouted out a shady step and painted the famous dome of the Basilica, with its pink- and terracotta-coloured tiles.
|
|
Once the first page was used, it freed up the rest and I was on a roll, the next location was a Park in Monticatini, looking for a seat in the shade with a view of one of the little buildings dotted around it and that was painting two done. Our Trip to Lucca and Pisa was one of my favorite days, first we went to Lucca where I painted from the top of the city’s walls. Then off to Pisa, I didn’t want to paint the Leaning Tower of Pisa, but sat in the square to paint another stunning picture, so I skipped the walking tour and found my spot and as it turned out, I became the tourist attraction, being photographed by passing Tourists, while I painted the Duomo Pisa Cathedral, ,which is described as one of the greatest architectural masterpieces of Tuscany.
The next day, we travelled into the Tuscan countryside to a farmhouse to have lunch and tour the Olive Groves and Vineyards, while there I didn’t get a chance to paint, due to the amount of time we had, but still managed to grab a couple of sketches. This day was about reference, recording, memories, and fun.
The next day, we travelled into the Tuscan countryside to a farmhouse to have lunch and tour the Olive Groves and Vineyards, while there I didn’t get a chance to paint, due to the amount of time we had, but still managed to grab a couple of sketches. This day was about reference, recording, memories, and fun.
|
|
The final day was a visit to Sienna, famous for its horse racing in their Oval Plaza. There were so many beautiful places to choose from, but sometimes a seat in the shade makes the choice for you. The Duomo in Sienna, which lies in the piazza, above the Piazza del Campo, a great Gothic building was my choice for my final picture in Tuscany.
|
|
A Wonderful experience with time to paint and fulfilling another of my dreams. Now on to another wonderful adventure, hopefully real soon and looking forward to what is ahead.