Thursday, January 31, 2008

Fiori a Greve ( Wilflowers near Greve) SOLD

15x30" oil on canvas.
Wildflowers in October in the fields near Greve, Tuscany. They look like Ginestre ( Scotch Broom) but I know they are not, because it was Autumn when I saw them and also they did not have the heady scent of Ginestre. I took a stroll on the small path that can be seem on the right of the painting, with Camilla and Maria Laura, two Tuscan friends kind enough to take me on day trips. Camilla insists that I, as an artists, shoud show more interest in Florence Museums and galleries. I am happier in the countryside, markets and gardens. It's a never ending disappointment for her that cannot bear to spend days gazing at the hundreds huge paintings in the Uffizi or the sculptures by Michelangelo, Canova, and dozens of other great artists. Well...I must say I have done that off and on, but not as much as she would like. She is a Florentine and rightly proud of her heritage. I am a Canadian now ( born near Lucca, raised near Palermo )and do not feel enthused nor encouraged when I see great art. I prefer to look at what Nature has for me to see and try to convey to others my amazement and wonder.

Sunday, January 27, 2008

Up the hill


Oil on canvas size 30x30"
Trees...again. Love them, especially in Tuscany. Pathways and trees, I could paint them over and over again. Light and colors change according to the time of the day, the season, the color of the sky. I can never paint a landscape without trees. Pointy trees, squat trees, bare trees, trees in flower. Twisted trunks, gnarled roots, tender saplings. I am a painter of trees.
This painting can be seen at Buckland Southers Galleries, in West vancouver.

Coming back

Oil on canvas, size 20x24"
Coming back to Tuscany is always an emotional journey. Coming back to my roots, my youth. Colors, scents, flavors never forgotten. The roofs, landscape, trees and pathways are still there as are the huge doughnuts ( called Frati, in the countryside near Pisa )that I had last year after almost half a century.
I also came back to this image after almost two years and painted it again albeit differently, larger and with a different stroke, a smaller brush, more details.
I do that often. I paint the same image to see how the memory has changed and if I can add other elements, other feelings.
This painting can be seen at Buckland Southerst Gallery
in West Vancouver.