Siena, July 13th

We reached the Medieval city of Siena driving south from Florence, through the beautiful hills of Tuscany. We arrived at the Piazzo del Campo, which is famous for the Palio. In the same piazzo stands the Palazzo Publico where we saw some of the most important frescoes of Siena's artistic heritage. We spent time drawing and painting scenic views from the balcony. We ended our day visiting the Cathedral of Siena with it's beautiful frescoes, stained glass windows, and inlaid marble floors. This was definitely our favorite cathedral.

Il Papiro - Marbelized Paper, July 12th

We stopped in at Il Papiro, a paper shop, and learned how to make marbelized paper using diluted acrylic paint mixed with ox gall and distilled water.

Academia Gallery, July12th

The Academia is the museum that houses the most famous sculptures by Michelangelo: the "David", the "Slaves", and "St. Mathew". Michelangelo carved the "David" out of a tall and narrow block of marble which took him a little more than two years to finish. The sculpture stands about 18 feet high. VERY impressive!!!

Uffizi Gallery, July 11th

Today we went to the Uffizi Gallery which is one of the most beautiful and important museums in the world. It houses some of the greatest masterpieces of art, most of which comes from the private collection of the Medici family. Masterpieces such as Renaissance artist, Botticelli's "The Birth of Venus" and "Primavera" are located there. Also, we saw Leonardo da Vinci's "Annunciation" and the unfinished "Adoration of the Magi". Since this painting was never finished, we were able to see how Leonardo would start a painting. This was very interesting. We purchased several books and a comprehensive video on the Uffizi artwork that we can't wait to share with our students.

Arrival to Florence, July 10th

After a long flight to Rome and a several hour wait for a train, we finally arrived in Florence late in the afternoon. In the short hours left of daylight, we explored the Piazza Duomo and Ponte Vecchio (a bridge with many small shops). We will stay in Florence until Tuesday, July 14th and then on to La Romita. Tomorrow, we will visit the Uffizi. Ciao, until this evening.

All packed and ready to go!!!

We packed our art supplies carefully into plein-air backpacks, and then into our suitcases. We are bringing both tube and pan watercolors, acrylic paint, travel palettes, watercolor blocks, assortment of brushes, pencils, pastels, and an assortment of Fabriano watercolor and drawing paper.

Next stop - Rome, and then on to Florence for a four day tour before the workshop begins.

See you in Italy!!!

The Workshop at La Romita School of Art

July 14 - July 28
New Directions in Watermedia

The workshop, taught by Marilynn Derwenskus, will provide abundant opportunities for creativity on location and in the studio. We will start each day exploring a different ancient Umbrian hill town to sketch, paint and photograph. In the afternoons, we will continue our artistic exploration by creating paintings in response to Italy from our morning experiences. We will end each day with watermedia and drawing demonstrations along with the next days project guidelines including slide lectures and individual and group critiques.