Wednesday 18 December 2013

Painting Holidays 2013 - the best memories


How much have Flavours painting holidays in Italy inspired our art tutor Michael Gahagan  in 2013? We interviewed him and here's what he has to say about what he enjoyed the most about our unique painting holiday experiences of sketching at places where famous films were shot in Italy!


Tuscany 

The traditional villa was perfectly located with panoramic views  over the newly harvested fields bordered randomly by  cypress trees, and set gainst the stunning backdrop of the distant Tuscan hillside.

Early morning was particularly special as the sun rose above the mist laden valleys to cast a golden haze over the villa and the surrounding fields.Sitting sketching  outside the villa at this quiet time in the morning was a joy with only the noise of the  birds echoing in the distance.Capturing the kalaidoscope of colours on my painting pad  created by the rising sun through the broken mist was both challenging and magical!

A particular highlight of the holiday was the visit to
Arezzo where one of my favourite  movies  "Life is Beautiful" was filmed.Life Is Beautiful ( La vita è bella) is a 1997 Italian comedy-drama film directed by and starring Roberto Benigni. To be able to sit in the square,enjoy a beer and sketch the historical buidings where scenes from this moving film were shot was a unique experience and an absolute delight!


As an artist, the dramatic change in climate,scenery and culure experienced in my first trip to Sicily made this an exceptional painting holiday for myself and the participants.Landscapes,seascpaes and traditional and historical Italian buidings provied a wealth of reference material for painting and sketching.The luxurious facilities  including a new swimming pool,rooftops to watch the magnificant sunrises and sunsets and outdoor but  shaded venue for the art classes made this a memorable venue for a painting venue.

Memorable  highlights for me, in addition to the above, were the visits to various towns  where true Scilian life was seen in the "raw" and where the markets offered a fantastic richness of colour,smells , and characters. 

If you are tempted to experience one of our inspiring painting holidays in Italy click here.


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