A couple of days ago, after some rather dicey days of on and off rain, Johnny decided to do a late afternoon painting of the local village.
The area is very familiar to us. We walk this road regularly, and know the view well. On a recent trip to Florence, Johnny purchased a bunch of small panels to paint, but he also bought several stretched canvases in a few smaller sizes.
All set up to paint oil on canvas.
I couldn't help taking this Mirror Shot!
Sketching in the scene with paint.
The various tools of the trade.
Johnny likes to work fast and loose...
Capturing the scene.
What a spot to be able to be working.
This painting is still in progress. I am curious to see how it evolves and resolves.
Though today was super windy and it's raining this evening, we did have some great weather last week.
Johnny has been painting almost every day...either outside or in the studio.
Last week we headed across the valley to a small village with a spectacular view. San Savino is a favorite spot for Johnny to paint.The views over the lake are incredible...He usually sets up near the main parking area.
Lots of "stuff", as always.
It was quite warm, so he tried to find a bit of shade.
I took a walk around the very small village while Johnny painted a couple of small pieces.
It was a clear sunny day. Perfect for painting.
The first painting...
It's always great to be in a spot where he can set up once, and get more than one painting done. The views here have lots to work from.
It has started to rain, with nonstop thunder claps, so a good time to work on a blogpost.
Boy, when a summer storm moves in here, the temperature drops about 10 degrees. It's a nice change, though we're stuck inside for awhile!
Johnny has been working almost every day this past week, even when we made a trip to Florence on Wednesday. It's good to see him start getting warmed up, and now he has most of what he needs as far as art supplies go. The trip to Florence was mostly about getting more supplies for the studio, and for plein-air painting.
On a walk earlier in the week, he took a couple of breaks to do some sketching...
Just outside the walls of Cortona...
He will often add watercolor to these sweet little sketches later, or use them as ideas for larger studio works.
Later in the week, we hopped the morning train to Florence. There are a couple of great art supply stores in the city, and we've gotten to know the folks who work there. We had made an order by email to pick up, and sure enough it was all ready to go when we arrived to the shop.
Johnny had brought some of his gear to paint, so he set up to paint while I took some photos...and then a walk.
This is the restored "Loggia del Pesce". You can learn the history of this beautiful structure here. We love this area, and since it was still fairly early, not too many people were around.
There is always a lot of equipment to haul around when Johnny paints outdoors...
Setting up the palette.
And....start.
I took a nice stroll around the neighborhood, and was surprised to see how much he had painted when I returned.
Johnny paints in the moment, very spontaneous and with instinct. He often says that the painting paints itself, and he is just the conduit.
It's kind of a magic spot...
Almost finished.
We'll get the finished paintings posted at some point near the end of the trip. Many of these pieces will be for a show here in Umbria next spring/summer. Stay tuned!
A day or two later, we headed out to an area that Johnny has painted many times over the years. There is always something here to inspire him. Every direction you look is beautiful.
Starting out with quick strokes...almost like sketching with the brush.
This box he is using is hand made, with some cool details Johnny added on... like that green handle.
He is doing lots of smaller plein- air paintings, all to fit the size of this particular pochade box.
A short video of the beginning of this painting...
