Field Work 2016

  This is the last week of oil painting so there will be time enough to allow the paint to dry, so we can pack them for the trip home.

  Don't know how many yet. There are various sizes in centimeters.

  Here I am painting in the field, high above the valley near a small borgo. Janelle and I discovered another 'white road', and we went off on a day's painting adventure.

  The sky was bright on this day, and the air still.

  It was peaceful and quiet. Just the sound of lots of birds.

Long view of the lake.

High above Lago Trasimeno.

  Janelle is upset with the photos above because she used the wrong setting on her camera, and the color is not right. It looks more like California. The light and color is not correct.

  These below give a better idea of the light and color here, now.

  Later that day, i spotted a lovely view of some old buildings, so set up on a comfortable back road.

  I had been liking the larger vertical format. Usually, I prefer smaller sizes when painting plain air.
  This size allows me to paint in broad, quick strokes of color, keeping the design simple. I can work  spontaneously and intuitively.
  This allows real, direct painting for me.
  And I enjoy these brushstrokes.

Reminiscent of Cezanne.

 The fourth painting of this particular day, below.

  

Broad and quick/Intuitively

My color sense.

  One more finished painting.

  More tomorrow.

  A happy ending to a productive day.

Work Continues: Umbria 2016

  Janelle writing today…

  Johnny and I have been out in the countryside most days the past week. We are taking advantage of the nice weather that has come this way.

  I enjoy watching the setting up, beginning sketch-in, and then I will wander away and come back to see what has developed.

I love this stage….loose!

  As the weeks have gone buy, Johnny is more than a little tired of me constantly shoving a camera into his 'space', but I feel it's an important part of my job here….documentation of the process.

Nearby Panicale.

The skyline of Panicale begins to form.

  I will always be close by, but do enjoy walking or sitting and reading while he paints. These are luxurious times for me, as I don't have this kind of downtime back home.

  For Johnny, the work comes first, and there is only a short time left before he needs to stop painting in oils, so these pieces will dry before we leave.

Work comes first.

Done.

  On this morning, he was able to stay in one place to paint two pieces. This is always good. 

  As much as we both enjoy cruising around the area, it's always nice to be close to home.

The usual set up, with a chair for me to read, and enjoy the view….

  Painting number two begins...

A favorite building nearby.

  With discarded cardboard boxes from Linda's market, Johnny constructs these 'holding' carriers for wet paintings. There are string dividers to keep the work from touching each other. The box itself is just small enough to squeeze the panels in, so they won't move around. Pretty cool.

  I am helping water a friend's garden nearby, so while I water and do some weeding, Johnny sets up to paint the beautiful views.

It's a very special place….

Wonderful colors….

  On another day, we set up on the road that we take for one of our morning walks. There are incredible views over the valley and lake, below...

We are high enough to be in the pines here.

  The locals are still burning the olive cuttings in the mornings, which adds a haze all around. Later in the afternoons, the air clears and the views are crisper…but the softness with the smoke is dreamy….

The classic view of Casiglione del Lago, a castle town
that juts out into the lake.

  Another spot, more work.

  This time near the neighboring village, Paciano.

Loose, loose, loose…
I am always amazed to watch the changes...

Soft colors.

  He just keeps adding layers and layers, but stays very loose.

Adding depth.

  While this painting took shape, I walked around Paciano to take lots of pictures of the beautiful wisteria for my blog, which I work on every few days.

  I was gone for quite awhile, came back, and found that this painting was gone. Completely wiped out.

  This happens, and it always upsets me, but when it isn't working for Johnny, it gets wiped.

  The panel was used again, for a painting that he is very happy with. The paint that is left on the panel, after it has been wiped out, just adds more interest to whatever gets painted on top.

  As Johnny often says:

 "There are no mistakes".

Painting Near Lisciano Niccone 2016

  More painting in Umbria.

  Here, I am in a nearby valley on a side road. The trees were still bare, though now, a week or so later, things are changing.

  

. 

  Searching for farmhouses. I've been interested in design aspects of the buildings.

These paintings are small, so simplicity is the key here.

Starting a second painting in this spot.

  I bought some small rolled up pieces of canvas at Zecchie, in Florence. I am taping these pieces to cardboard, then painting.

Working quick, sketching in.

Adding color.

Perfect time of day.

A peaceful valley, without much traffic.

  This ended up a pretty picture, but I'm still searching for my main goal.

  But I like it.

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.