Bella Italia

One of my favorite places to paint is Italy. I have been teaching workshops there for several years in both Tuscany and the Northern Lake Region. On my first trip there I was curious about why so many people were drawn to paint Tuscany. Of course it's a beautiful place, and great fun with wonderful art & history to explore, but looking at it from an artists perspective, there's something there that's naturally paintable.

 One of the things I noticed right away is the dominance of diagonals.There are so many diagonals in the landscape of the hills rolling, vineyards, mountains, and even rooftops that it makes for an inherently dynamic landscape. Also there's natural color harmony. Most of the buildings are very old with lots of character.  They are made from local materials from the earth, so the colors of the buildings and land are  naturally harmonious. There's a variety of textures from the stone buildings and lush foliage. Those great dark cypress trees and strong sunlight and shadows provide opportunities for dramatic value contrast on most days. And then there's the intangible, but palpable spirit of La Dolce Vita. A sense of peacefulness and contentment with life that pervades the area and it's people- Or maybe that's the Chianti???

Here are a couple of my recent paintings of Tuscany:

 If you've ever dreamed of going to Tuscany or painting in Italy, there are still several spots available in my May 28 workshop. It's open to artists of all mediums and all levels. Even total beginners have come on the trip before and enjoyed every moment of it ( and left with some nice paintings of memories of their trip). If interested, please get in touch with me at patfiorello@aol.com.  I would appreciate you sharing this with others you know who might be interested.  It might be the dream trip of a lifetime for an artist.