More Toscana!

Tuscan Morning, 12 x 12

A few more trip notes...the weather was sunny and perfect most days, and we painted in Cortona and also in Chianti, on the grounds of a castle overlooking amazing vistas.  We also had a cooking class at the Villa, and ate the most delicious tiny artichokes, porcini crostini, saffron-laced fresh pasta, roasted veal, and little raisin and vin santo biscotti for dessert.  We ate on the terrace, under umbrellas, and felt pretty lucky that day!  Afterwards, we actually painted, telling ourselves that the wine was freeing our brushstrokes...

As Jean Dortch said, "It is good to wear a hairnet when pouring wine!"

A couple of paintings follow, first two by Nancy Armstrong, and last two by Wendy Jackson (she used Arches Rough paper for a lot of hers...it gave a nice, sparkly effect).  All of our work was done with Golden Open Acrylics.

Nancy Armstrong, Views at the Villa di Piazzano

Wendy Jackson, Vistas, Villa di Piazzano

So far, that's all I have received, but am looking forward to getting more paintings.  I enjoyed using a transparent orange toning on most of my work there.  I mistakenly used a board toned that way today at a session with some other painters, when we had a model (a ballerina) -- whoa -- what a mess, and so difficult to judge values and color relationships.  Won't do that again!  It is very nice, however, to be using oils oncemore.