We spent a night in Rome last week, and Johnny was able to do two paintings while we were there. One on the day we arrived, and one early in the morning before we left the next day.
It was tough both days because it was really windy. The light was great, but keeping everything together in high winds was a chore! I apologize for any windy noise on the following videos.
I will let the photos and videos do the talking here...
A great spot to set up and paint.
That's St. Peter's Basilica in the background.
I love the looseness in this one.
Not quite done, but almost.
We set out early the next morning to beat the wind and crowds...
Another day, another bridge in Rome to paint.
Setting out color on the palette.
Sketching in the basic forms before the actual painting begins...
We had several days of nice weather last week, so Johnny took advantage and was out almost everyday painting. Sometimes in the morning, other days in the afternoon. When it isn't too windy, he gets out as much as possible.
He had a couple of sessions down near the lakeside. Lake Trasimeno is nearby, and as the trees and shrubs leaf out over spring, it really gets pretty along the shore.
There aren't many people around during the week, so it's easy to set up and paint near the lake, which is often quite crowded.
I'm so happy that Johnny has returned to this sweet nearby chapel to paint again! This is a much beloved subject of his, and I love it, as well. I was thrilled to see him pull out a larger canvas on this day last week.
Enjoy!
The sunny days have made all the difference.
Taking some artistic license here by adding the lake in the distance. In actuality, you can't see the lake at all from this spot.
Since we are heading to Florence tomorrow to see an exhibition and buy more art supplies, I realized I had better post this piece about our trip to Florence a few weeks ago.
Time flies...I'll say that.
Johnny has a couple of art supply shops in Florence he likes. On this day trip, we headed straight to Ragacci, an old school place with great customer service. We love these folks!
Johnny was looking for paint, canvas and small panels to work on.
So much to choose from, but he always has a list to follow.
Making sure the color is just right.
Nice selection of rolled canvas.
Smaller stretched canvas as well as wooden panels.
I love this display!
Plenty of brushes to choose from, of course!
After shopping, we made a plan to pick it all up later so we could do some walking around Florence.
We popped into the Museo Novecento to see a show which features one of the last self portraits by the Italian painter, Amedeo Modigliani.
It also has a couple of nice Morandi pieces.
A lovely Morandi still life.
Another Morandi from a different era.
The self portrait by Modigliani is set in it's own alcove...you can't get very close to it, but it is lovely.
It was a fine show, but I must say, we were disappointed that there weren't more paintings by the two "biggies". There are several other Italian artists featured, though.
After a bite to eat, Johnny set up to paint again near the Ponte Vecchio. This time from the next bridge down the way.
It was a good day to paint, and almost no one stopped to chat.
