Primavera in Umbria

Just off the easel this oil on canvas size 16x20".
The countryside in Umbria is similar to the Tuscan one, but a bit more hilly. Umbria is also less touristy, probably not for long. I was there last year and I loved the serene beauty of this wonderful region.

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.

Summer at Greve

I paint everyday. There are days when I say to myself "today I will do something different". It could be something as simple as using a new color, or choosing a different subject or a pick up different size brush. I am not the kind of painter that uses a brush for every color. Although I have a few hundreds brushes all ready and willing, I end up using a couple of brushes from beginning to end, maybe three, when I want to feel fancy. Drawing being more familiar to me that painting I never got used to switching brushes like many artists do. I take a "stick" dip it in color and ..go. Consequently the kind of brush I use affects the look of the piece as much as color and composition do.
For this painting choose a small stiff brush (size#4 quite stiff) that I would not normally use in a painting this size. I liked the intricacy of the vegetation and wanted to show it as the main subject of the painting.

"Summer at Greve, Tuscany" oil on canvas size 16x20".