Florence, Italy, has always drawn artists to study and learn from the region’s master painters. This September, a new program for Plein Air landscape painting, run by three artists, will open in a beautiful villa in the hills above Florence.
Home to classical art and traditional painting methods for centuries, Tuscany is famous worldwide for its magnificent landscape: this is the first school exclusively oriented at applying the studio painting methods to Plein Air. During the week-long event, each participant will develop the skills and awareness of the process of painting in oils, watercolors and pastels.
Resident artists will arrive from around the world to paint en Plein Air in this magnificent villa, couched just 15 minutes from the city of Florence and below the famous hill town of Fiesole. The workshops are for artists who reside in the villa and also artists who visit from nearby to attend daily. Both avail of the magnificent villa’s amenities.
Tom J Byrne, view from San Miniato al Monte
Our workshops are designed to distill the knowledge of painting and to make the most relevant elements available in an accessible manner. Sometimes, this process is about being exposed to information, picking and choosing what you need. There’s no dogma, and if you simply wish to be in the company of other creative painters with whom you can share experiences, then this is the perfect place for you.
Tuscany Plein Air differs from a studio approach simply because in a studio the environment is controlled with artificial light and a fixed painting subject; there’s no wind, no moving elements and an easily identified visual target. Outside in nature there are vast amounts of visual information, points of view and potential painting subjects. Nonetheless, the rules of the studio still apply to the landscape. Fall of light, composition, understanding of color and values, organizing your pallet, materials and painting procedures. Additionally, there’s the pleasure of being in nature and capturing that magic on a canvas or paper.
Llewelyn Matthews, Tuscan Stone Fruit / Rory Haran, The City Palace Udaipor
Oils, watercolors, pastels and drawing are covered in the workshops. Demonstrations are provided on how to manufacture your own paints, choosing and preparing a good surface to work on, painting in oils, choosing a good composition and many other topics. An introductory video of the methods involved in manufacturing watercolor paint can be seen here: https://youtu.be/wbqT6kGetEs
Then there’s the inspiration of course: there is no place like Tuscany to whet your creative appetite: rolling hills, smiling people, magnificent food and beautiful weather. The history of Florence lies within striking distance on foot and can be seen as you peer down from the villa. The Renaissance, the Medici family, Titian, Leonardo, Michelangelo, famous landscape painters of the past, craftspeople, ancient towers and museums full of artistic treasures: all of this inspiration is here in Florence, waiting for our artists to soak it up.
Join us this September with all the inspiration of Tuscany.
For more information on the artistic workshops visit www.tuscanypleinair.com or email info@tuscanypleinair.com.
