Not A Bad Place To Paint

 What can I say.

 I'm a lucky S.O.B.

  Although it took me forty years to get here. 

  I'm very happy now.

Another Point Of View

  Janelle writing here today….

  A couple of weeks ago, on a nice sunny day, Johnny and I hit the road with everything we needed for a few hours painting (him) and reading/photo taking (me).

  The temperatures have been more cool than warm this year, so any day that's sunny, warm and not windy is a day for painting…often a long day. I will bring something to read, and also something small to munch on, just in case.

  We decided to go over towards Lago di Chiusi, a favorite spot, to start the day.

  There is a good white road that winds down to the lake, and it has some fantastic views, as well as places to pull off the road. Always important.

A good spot to paint.

  For me, these outings are a nice chance to take long walks in the country, or read…but first thing I do is get some early photos of Johnny working.

  It can sometimes drive him nuts, but it's my job here. We get lots of nice feedback from our readers of the blogs, and I admit I really do enjoy doing this. I like to watch the process.

  We drove down closer to the lake's edge after he finished up the hill. 

  I wanted to explore an old ruin, so I took a walk while Johnny worked.

I always try and get some shots right as he begins.
It's cool to see how the paintings change.

 

A very nice day, indeed.
Johnny is painting at the bottom of the hill.

   On some days, we will stop at several places to paint. There are so many beautiful spots within a  short distance from home here. 

  He will do a painting here, a painting there..

Making it work.

Later on, further on….

  Since he is working either with oil paints on 8X8 inch panels, or gouache on paper, he has everything packed in the car to do either. Some days he'll just paint in oils, but often he'll do both.

Set up to do gouache on paper.

    Another day, another nice day, I should say, we went down into the nearby fields. These fields change so fast while we are here. 

  I love to see the green, yellow and brown stripes as they go through the season. 

  This also makes for interesting shapes, lines and colors for the artist.

A white road crossroad. Perfect spot to stop.

  I particularly like this painting. I liked watching how it changed, and I really like how it turned out. 

  I remember that once he was into it, I took off for quite a long walk along a waterway in the fields. 

  I can't help it…I like some paintings more than others. This one may be my favorite  this year.

Not done yet...

  A couple of short videos I took while in this spot:

  Anyway, the painting outings are a huge part of the enjoyment of being here for me.
  At home, I'm at work all day in the gallery, and rarely get the chance to watch Johnny paint. I'll see what he's done at the end of the day, but that's about it.
 
  As much as it probably bugs him to have me looking over his shoulder, I can't help but watch as these paintings come to life. I don't hover the entire time he paints, of course…that's why I walk, or bring a book to read…but what can I say?
  I'm a fan, too.