PAINTING IN TUSCANY: Tuscany

Showing posts with label Tuscany. Show all posts

Changing the colors for a different atmosphere!!

'A corner of Tuscany - red sky' - 28x38 cm Fabriano artistico 300gsm

If you saw my previous post about the watercolor workshop when I painted the first version of

'A Corner of Tuscany', this is the same house...

As I was waiting for the first painting to dry, I started a new one.

I usually like to change something when I paint a new version, this time I decided for a red sky.

Obviously I also had to change the other colors.

As you can see the tree is purple,

but for the plants in the pots I decided for a cool green shade,

because I felt that I needed some contrast to all the warm colors.

It's not easy to show all the shades of color in a photo,

but if you look at both photos you can see how the atmosphere changed!

I'd love to know what you think, which version do you prefer?!

Loose Landscape Painting

A corner of Tuscany - Fattoria Poggiopiano 2016

28x38cm

The last years I have concentrated on loosing up my paintings.

It has been a lot of work: experimenting, making mistakes...

A lot of fun,

but also frustrating when you don't achieve satisfying results...

Obviously I started with my favourite subject, florals.

I also aimed to capture the movement of cyclists, in an abstract way (more here).

To get a different approach to landscape painting I attended a one day workshop with

Italian Watercolor Artist Luciano Boscaini.

detail

It is always interesting to see other artists work and I got practical advice and examples that I also love to share to my students.

For example about soft and hard edges , and letting color bleed - like you see on the roof (detail above).

This is something I love to use, AND VERY IMPORTANT when you wish to LOOSEN UP your paintings!

But until you see it from real, you don't really get it!

(I'll prepare a tutorial on this, soon)

He's definitely not for beginners, and also the level of the other participating artists was high!

I had a great time, and actually painted 3 paintings,

- I just can't stop painting, so in order not to overwork, I usually start a new one while the first is drying! -

so I'll prepare more photos soon!

How to paint a landscape !

28x38 cm A House in Tuscany

As I promised I have a lot of photos for you :

Easy step by step instructions how to paint a watercolor landscape.

Come promesso:

Sotto trovi il procedimento passo passo per dipingere un paesaggio con gli acquerelli.

First draw the subject - then start with the lightest colors...

Comincia con il disegno - poi i colori più chiari...

Keep blocking in colors - remember to save some white and lights!

Aggiungi i colori con pochi dettagli - ricordati di conservare del bianco e dei punti luce!

Take a break! It's always good to stop for a while ...

Prenditi una pausa! E sempre bene soffermarsi un attimo...

- then add the darkest shadows and details!

See the (almost) finished painting on top and let me know if this helped you?!
To see a floral step by step go here or here!

- poi le ombre e gli ultimi dettagli più scuri!

Vedi il dipinto (quasi) finito in alto e fammi sapere se questo ti è stato utile?!
Per vedere come dipingo i fiori vedi qui o qui !

Let's paint more together at Ancora del Chianti EcoBB & Art Retreat in Tuscany !

Abstract landscapes 2 - Paesaggi astratti 2

Simplifying even more - just the horizon and colour washes...

Semplificando ancora - solo colore e orizzonte...

Sunset and backlight...

Tramonto e controluce...

And what about this - can you see a landscape here?!

E questo cosa sarà - ci vedi un paesaggio?!

link to more abstract landscapes- paesaggi astratti here

Abstract landscapes - Paesaggi astratti

Just some small abstract landscape studies from this winter.

My purpose was to simplify the shapes and play with the colours.

Alcuni piccoli paesaggi astratti dipinti quest'inverno.

Lo scopo era di semplificare le forme, giocando con i colori.

As you might see, I was inspired by... olive grooves at sunset.

Forse si può vedere che sono stata ispirata dagli uliveti al tramonto...

I think it's also clear in which order I painted these?!

Credo si possa capire anche la successione dei dipinti?!

Watercolour studies - more pears!

If you have seen my earlier posts (here and here) you can see how my paintings developed, getting simplier!

I also changed the accent colours, choosing from the real ones I would see.

I painted many more, but already sent them as postcards!

At the end I ran out of the ready cut paper - and used some Canson 200 gsm paper for the last pears( as the one above). It dried much faster, and doesn't have the structure of the Fabraiano Artistico coldpressed watercolour paper, but it's also interesting.

Now - it was time to stop!

But I will definitely repeat this painting session as an excercise soon. I also recommend it as a watercolour lesson to everybody: choose a simple subject, paint small size and repeat several times!

It's very meditative and zen - and you learn a lot!

Watercolour studies - pears!

Some days ago I painted a series of pears from my garden (link here).

I started with more naturalistic paintings, but slowly started to simplify.

Below you can get an idea of the process!

More tomorrow!

Painting pears in my garden - so delicious!

Pears, watercolour 10x15 cm

We have had such a hot July, but finally last weekend the temperatures went down a bit, allowing me to move outdoors and enjoy my garden again. I wanted to paint a series of postcards for the postcardartgroup.

The vegetation and flowers have suffered from the heat, but I did find something to paint!

Pears, small watercolours in progress, 10x15 cm

I started to paint the small pears that are maturing right now.

The first paintings were more naturalistic, even if I was using a loose style.

I repeated the same subject several times...

It was very relaxing and meditative to repeat the same subject with small changes, to see which changes would actually improve the painting. or which solutions I'd like more.

Usually I like to paint large, but doing all these studies was possible because I kept the size small, like a postcard - and I highly recommend this excercise to everybody who loves painting!

The postcards are of now, but I'll show you more pictures soon!

Wisteria Love! Reworking an old painting!

I just love the wisteria and would love to sit on that bench!

This painting is made from a very small photo, I think it was a pubblicity in a garden magazine, a few years ago.

I wasn't happy with it, but left it in the pile. Then recently I found it again and got inspired!

I washed away part of it, and painted the shadows on the wisteria

(and some yellow for the light on the ground -even if the photo doesn't show it!).

I would have liked more white, but it's not possible now. If I can find the original photo again, I will try to do a new version though!

Do you ever rework old paintings?!

Visiting Giardino Corsini

This weekend I visited the beautiful garden of Palazzo Corsini al Prato in Florence. During the show Artigianato e Palazzo, many artisans and artist exposed there products and artworks in the garden and in the three 'limonaia' - the greenhouses for the lemon trees in the winter.

My main interest was the guided tour to the garden by a historian and also learning about the more botanical and practical aspects by Paolo, the gardener.

In the parterres there were beautiful scented peonies, artichokes, lavender and santolina

- no close ups, sorry!

But I also enjoyed the beautiful portraits by Magali de Maistre , Sicilian 'cannoli' and much more!

I wasn't planning to show the photos, so I just took a few for my own records, but you can search

'Palazzo Corsini al Prato' for more photos!

Watercolor landscape workshop!

I had a lovely weekend recently, painting in good company and experimenting new technics, participating at a workshop by the Swedish artist Björn Bernström. It was very inspiring and liberating with new approaches, and especially fun to look for special effects - like 'cauliflowers' - that traditionally are considered errors!

Here, as in the first picture, we were using burnt umber creating staining effects...

A more traditional painting, or actually two in one!!

Exploring wet-in-wet and new colors, more than aiming for finished paintings.

They look better separated!

Here the transparent and delicate colors show a little better...

Small landscape paintings

The other day I had a walk in the afternoon,

and Oh, all of a sudden there was such a beautiful light! The hills of Chianti were lit by the late sun and turned out red - the contrast with the olive groves was just wonderful! Unfortunately I couldn't capture the beauty of the moment, but I really wanted to paint it, so later I did it from my memory!

I also framed some of my small landscapes with a passepartout because it really makes a difference, The works look much nicer when more finished up, don't you agree!?

Atmospheres from Chianti - and Sketchbook Tuesday!

These are some pictures from Sunday, that I already shared on Instagram.

Just a few details.

Such a lovely atmosphere in such a beautiful place...

To the end, since it's my Sketchbook Tuesday, a sketch in watercolor and colored pen from a view in Tuscany. It was a rainy and foggy day, you couldn't see far away, and again I just wanted to capture the atmosphere...