CHIANTI CLASSICO

"Afternoon Light" cm 60x120 Oil on Canvas

This is a recent studio painting which represents the most famous part of Tuscany , the one between Siena and Firenze, known as Chianti Classico.

Thousands of visitors are attracted here every year by the beauty of the hilly countryside and by the wines which have been produced in the area since the Etruscan and Roman times.

The Chianti Classico area was a battle field for several centuries, for during the fights between Siena and Florence in the Middle Ages,both cities wanted to establish their power over this  rich and poductive land. Many castles and fortifications were built at that time on top of many hills overlooking the countryside and still today they bear testimony to this glorious past.

In the painting you can see one of the typical farmhouses built with the stones found in the rocky Chianti soil.

I have worked to render a strong sense of space and distance, pushing back the far away hills  using cool colors which contrast with the warm evening light in the foreground.  

PLEIN AIR PAINTING AROUND THE VILLAGE

"Old fashioned Tractor" cm 35x25  Acrylic and Oil on Canvas

I am finally getting into the habit of painting outside more often.

Somebody was watching!

Getting out there with all the stuff you need, (and so far each time I had to go back and fetch something  I had left behind), is not as comfortable as sitting in the studio, but there are many benefits that make it worth the effort.
When you observe your subject firsthand you have much more information than any photograph could ever provide.
Painting outside, looking at your subject directly, is a more exciting experience, and the result si more fresh and immediate, as you need to work quickly to capture the mood of the moment.
Observing from real life you learn much more and this makes your painting skills improve more quickly (at least I hope!).

I painted these two studies a few days ago in the village where I live.
The owner of the tractor, who was pruning his olive trees in the meantime, couldn't understand what it was that attrcted me in that "old and rusty piece of junk" as he put it, while I thought it  was very cute and deserved to be portrayed. I also thought the oak trees at the back made a nice cromatic contrast.

"Little Country Road" cm 30x20 Acrylic and Oil on Canvas

In the second study I enjoyed trying to create a sense of depht and space using the shapes of the cast shadows on the road.
I always take a photo of the subject too so if for some reason I can't finish the painting on location, I can continue in the studio.

Time to leave..

VINEYARDS

"Old Farm by the Vineyard" cm 40x60 Oil on Canvas

Wine is one of the main reasons why so many people travel to Tuscany every year, and our excellent wines are known and exported all over the world.
From my point of view, this translates into the fact that one of the most typical features of our landscape, which I love to paint, are the rows and rows of vines grown in several areas of the region.
This painting was inspired by a picture I took on a beautiful October afternoon, just as the vine leaves were turning yellow and orange. Right now the vineyards don't look just as attractive because growing season is hasn't started yet, so they are still bare...
This spot is near Montepulciano, one of the most characteristic and ancient walled towns in Tuscany.