February Morning in Siena
My first visit to Siena was in February 1999. It was a wonderfully bright and crisp, sunny (but cold) morning. When we arrived, the shell shaped Piazza del Campo was very quiet. It’s where the famous Palio horse racing is held twice a year. It was just a little too cool to do any painting. However I spent quality time observing the locals wandering around the piazza. Most of them were men who would often stop to greet each other and stand chatting. It was lovely seeing them enjoying the bright morning sunlight and their conversations.
On my return to the UK I did a couple of watercolours capturing the historic centre. It has been declared by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. One of the watercolours has been reproduced as a limited edition print The other is this one titled Siena, February Morning which can also be seen at my Studio & Gallery in Ponteland.
It’s a relaxing painting. I wanted to make the viewer feel as though they were in the piazza along with the other folk enjoying the sunshine. This has been achieved by framing the figures in-between the foreground shadow and the architecture.