Painting The Panicale Skyline 2016

  Painting below Panicale, it's just me, Janelle, and a chicken…my latest critic.

  Set up at a nice view point off the road.

  My usual approach is to quickly cover the entire surface of the panel or canvas.

  The point for me is to try to capture a certain drama, a high point of activity, tension, or action.

  

  As I have said before, the secret is to imbue some form of passion. Not just any passion, but a direct reaction to the subject. Direct from the moment, and direct from my many years experience painting in oils.

  It is just a simple picture, but is also this particular moment. A kind of celebration of this moment. The artist has to decide many things: what to leave in, what to leave out…But I prefer to be quiet, work diligently, and let the painting 'paint itself'.

  If I can do this, maybe a good painting will emerge.

  Again, this is just "my" painting process.

Work, further along.

   An important part of all this process of painting  'en plein air' in beautiful Italy, is to store INSPIRATION for the time back home in my studio.
  Artists have been doing this for centuries, following a common thread to experience the land of Leonardo, Michelangelo, Raphael, and from this area of Italy, Perugino…Raphael's Master.
  The Grand Tour continues, and I feel honored to playing my part in this long standing tradition.

  At home in the studio, I will endeavor to translate these small paintings into something larger scale using a modern language, to contrast the tone of this ancient land.
  This my chosen work.
  I am a very lucky artist.

These small paintings are like notes, or notations to myself.