A Watercolour of Florence
In 1998 Susan and I went to Firenze for the first time. We fell in love with Florence from the moment we stepped foot in the station. It was a beautiful hot sunny day, despite being well into October and we spent the day exploring the local shops, enjoying a coffee and people watching at the popular Café Gilli. I painted a watercolour of the Ponte Vecchio, a medieval arch bridge over the Arno River.
Unable to resist, we returned to Firenze just four months later for our wedding anniversary in February. We loved exploring this compact city which wasn’t too busy because of the time of year. I painted a watercolour from Piazza Michelangelo in the rain with Susan holding an umbrella over me. This was used to help create one of my first limited edition prints Florence from Piazza Michelangelo.
San Gimignano
Drinking in the local culture, Susan suggested we embark on an adventure to San Gimignano – a small walled medieval hill town in the province of Siena, Tuscany that she’d spotted on a TV programme about the area.
Fondly nicknamed as the Town of Fine Towers, San Gimignano is famous for its medieval architecture, its hilltop setting and encircling walls which form an unforgettable skyline. I recall sipping a glass of wine together and sampling the local wild boar salami as I painted the skyline beyond the piazza in which we sat. I vividly remember getting the bus back to Firenze and seeing the famous towers bathed in the warmth of the late Tuscan sun. I decided that this is what I would paint once I returned to my studio.
The finished piece has become one of my most popular limited edition prints, often bought as a souvenir by customers who have holidayed here, but more surprisingly so as inspiration to visit this stunning location. More about San Gimignano in the next post.
Carnevale Venezia
Another highlight of this trip was getting the train to Venice for the Venetian Carnival. Venice was packed but full of colour and life. Lots of figurative work came from this overnight stay, a mixture of small 7″ x 5″ watercolours and some larger pieces of folk dressed in costume, one of which became a limited edition print “Jester”.