After four years as a student at Florence Academy of Art followed by another two as the director of the art history program, on the occasion of my return to the US I thought it would be appropriate to post some of the work I did there outside of the studio, traveling around and learning to paint on the road. I had no idea that painting outside was going to be such a big part of my life, and it is a practice I would strongly reccomend to any student coming from the new traditional painting schools and ateliers. Great natural light studios, like those I had become accustom too in Italy, can be hard to find (or build!) as it turns out some of the time I have been without an good studio has still been very productive.
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Belluno
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I would also like to thank all the painters I met over my years in Italy who were working outside regularly. I don't think it was any coincidence that many of them had a more well rounded and healthy relationship with painting, not to mention a certain brand of humilty that comes from interacting with natures power and scale.
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| arno tree |
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| Gioz |
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| Castiglioncello boats 8x10 inches (available) |
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| Piazza Beccaria Thumbnails |
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| Settignano Chapel |
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| Viareggio 5pm |
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| Via Della Casine |
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| Corsini Gardens |
All of these were done at very different times during my stay at FAA. The final picture of the Corsini Gardens I painted while doing a weekend workshop with Marc Dalessio, it definately signals the beginning of my interest in painting outside. I believe if you dig deep into Marc's blog there is a picture of me painting this scene.
