Italian Landscape(s)

 Italian Landscape (Me), oil on gessobord, 8x10"
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Italian Landscape (Hugh), oil on gessobord, 9x14"

A couple of nights ago I ask my son Hugh, who was in an "almost a graduate, not yet done with high school" mood, aka no more assignments to deal with, to paint with me. That perked him up. Since I returned to painting a year ago, we have not had an opportunity to work side-by-side, again because his Visual Arts magnet school provided him with plenty of work. He usually had 2-3 assignments going on together, whether it be painting, drawing, photography or printmaking.  Kind of like  being an art major in college, but he is still in high school. 

He decided to call our painting time a "paint off" and he chose an image from which we worked.  It was a great experience, and fun, and in my opinion his painting was a hundred times better than mine. He picked this image because the sky was so dramatic, and his painting captures it beautifully. I am very proud of him and know it will be difficult when he leaves for college in the fall.

Brunelleschi's Dome, through the Geraniums

Brunelleschi's Dome, through the Geranium's

oil on gessobord, 9x12 inches

Everything around Florence can be viewed through geraniums because geraniums are everywhere! And one can almost see the Dome of the Florence Cathedral from anywhere. It appears at the end of many nook-and-cranny walking streets at every turn, floating above it's octagonal drum. It is an engineering feat (it is said Fillipo Brunelleschi watered down the lunchtime wine of his workers while construction of the dome took place, as a "safety first" procedure). The problem solver extraordinaire and first engineer of the Renaissance is buried within the Cathedral.

The city of Florence is such a vivid place. Full of artisans and artists and overall cool folks. If you are ever there, look up the little outdoor restaurant of Francesco Vini with the beautiful Roman face. He will sing on the sidewalk to lure you in. 

                             

   

Venice Windows

Venice Windows, oil on gessobord, 6x8

NFS

Venice, Italy is the city of all cities. The natives have long individualized their crowded slice of the island with beautifying their homefronts. Thus, the summers are full of flowers and beautiful light. Not to diminish the beautiful architecture that makes up Venice, I zoomed in to concentrate on the flowers for this photo, taken last summer. I realized while sketching this out however, the orderly repetition and calculations of the Italian architect couldn't escape me.

From the window, Chianti

From the window, Chianti, oil on gessobord, 5x7 inches
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My sister has been living in Germany for 7 years but has been a frequent visitor to Italy for over 30 years. She starting the love affair by spending summers studying in Perugia while in college. Now she knows the country, language, and culture better than most Americans. She and her husband even married outside of Verona.  She was the lifesaver/interpreter/familiar face one needed in a foreign country last summer, when I was fortunate enough to go on a school trip to Italy with my two high-school age kids, and she met us in several cities. 
 This photo is one she sent me of a hotel window in Strada, in Chianti.  The olive trees stood out in the photo with their silvery leaves, and the two tone field was striking. The window and planter shared the only shadow, and the field drenched in the hot Italian sun. Ahhh, una bella vista!