More Sketchbook - Rome

Pulcino della Minevera in the Piazza della Minerva - Rome - Watercolor - 4 by 5 In. - Sketchbook

If I did not have my umbrella my decision on what to paint was determined to some extent by where I could find shade. I sat in front of the Basilica of Saint Mary which is considered the only Gothic church in Rome. I could see this unusual obelisk statue designed by Bernini. I used a water-soluable sepia pen to draw it and then hit it with a little water and finally adding some color.

The other inescapable view across the piazza was the bulging Pantheon. It is just so massive. It looked sandwiched between the two younger buildings on either side of it. I was trying to capture its breadth in my little 4 by 5 in format.

View of the Back of the Pantheon - 4 by 5 in. - Watercolor - Sketchbook.

More Sketchbook

Rooftop view from the Albergo Cesari in Rome - Watercolor - 4 by 5 in. - Sketchbook

This little sketch is just one of the many little architectural ornaments that adorn the rooftops of Rome. Like I said in an earlier post I loved having breakfast on the rooftop of my hotel the Albergo Cesari in Rome - a different perspective. The old, the new, the casual, the formal all co-exist up there. Below are some rooftops viewed from the Pantheon Piazza which was always swarming with people.

Rooftops Near the Pantheon - Watercolor - 4 by 5in. Sketchbook

Small Sketchbook from Italy Trip

View of Vineyards at Spannocchia in Tuscany

Now that I am home from my month of painting in Italy, I am madly painting and getting organized for my upcoming show at the Art League of Hilton Head from August 9 - September 10. The opening reception is on Tuesday August 10 from 5-7 pm.

Since I was not able to really document my trip via the blog as I had hoped due to the slow internet in Tuscany, I am back-tracking a bit now. I want to start with my small sketchbook that I bought at my favorite art supply store Ditta G. Poggi in Rome. The sketchbook is made of Khadi paper and is 5 by 6 in. I wrote Italy on the cover in a font I thought was appropriate and this little sketchbook turned out to be one of the most satisfying forms of painting and sketching that I did the entire trip. I also bought this small Winsor Newton travel watercolor set there that came in a black enamel box and was no bigger than my camera. The lid on the left holds the water that is kept in a flask like compartment that runs the body of the the set. I changed out a few of the colors and was good to go. I just love it! I am just obsessed with small things like this. It is so portable but functional and I used it constantly while there. I guess it is in keeping with my passion for small paintings.

I also found some skinny tape to tape off the borders. I kind of like the tah-dah moment when you peel off the tape to see what your painting really looks like with a nice clean edge. I developed this habit from Joseph Zbukvic after taking a workshop with him last year. I like the way it looks in the sketchbook.

I have some other thoughts about working small. I do not consider my work to be miniatures. I just do not think that that is what they are. Not a value judgement. I think it is because my work is not detailed. I am think of them more as a visual response to a compelling view - more like a poem than a paragraph so to speak. I try to be essential without a lot of detail. I could and I can work that way. I do botanical illustration too but my landscapes are about something different. Being on location is being in the moment and very present in my life. Painting is a way of capturing and savoring that experience.

I will be posting more sketches from this sketchbook over the next two weeks.When I have documented all the paintings for my show I will post them as well. I just got a new Espon scanner and I am loving it.

Finally, the painting above was done during one of the last days at Spannocchia. It was a view that I had not noticed before. I took a new found friend Liz Cellucci out to paint with me. We had a stellar day painting around Tuscany.

Lots of Paintings

I am at Spannocchia in Tuscany painting like crazy. The watercolor class was great fun.The internet is very slow so I have not been able to post. I will be having a show entitled "Chasing the Light - New Work by Linda Warner Constantino" opening August 10, 2010. It will include oils and watercolors. Stay tuned!

This is Jean Cauthern who is also a college art professor located in Charlotte and teaching a plein air painting workshop in oils at the same time I will be there. She found me online and we discovered we would both be in Rome at the same time so we got together to paint.(I think I mentioned this earlier). We painted in Trastevere again. She did a nice little painting. We kept having to move our stuff when and car came through even though we were on the side of the street it is very snug.

Here I am with my painting. I love how the apron makes me look like a kangaroo:)

Rome: Tuesday June 15

The first rain day in Rome!! I decided to take this opportunity to shop for presents for my family. I would have no problem if they wanted art supplies. I walked all over Trastevere in the rain and then up the via del Corso(totally impacted with tourists) trying to find stuff. Very little luck. I try to buy things MADE IN ITALY but so much is made in India. The aesthetic is lost. Maybe I will have better luck in Florence later in the month.

In order to get my painting in for the day I did little sketches in my room while listening to Itunes. The image above is a basket of bread. I loved the colors. The dark one looked like it was made with india ink. Down right blue black.

Here is a watercolor of the place I painted the day before with scooter.

I just could not walk past this bouganvilia.The color is like lipstick. I liked the simplicity of the shapes around it.

I have been thinking that I should have done a food blog too because I did not have a bad meal here. My favorite places are the Paris Ristorante in Trastevere and the Armando de Pantheon (slow food)right by the Pantheonon. My favorite dessert was fried riccotta cheese from the Paris Ristorante.

Rome: Monday June 14

My newly found painting friend Jean Cauthern who is also teaching a workshop in Tuscany and I went to the Trastevere area to paint in oils. So I shifted mediums for while we are painting. It is nice to have someone to paint with and talk "tech" with because everyone has their on unique ways of painting and she is a seasoned plein air painter.

I started off very small 6 by 8 inches. I liked the way this little corner was lit. There was a moped parked under the fresco but it soon left and i knew it would be paint it so small.

Here is a picture of me painting. My eyes kind of look closed. Of course we received lots of comments from the locals. They seem proud they we came all the way from America to paint their streets. Below is a view of the Pantheon Piazza. It is usually swarming with people and is near my hotel.

Rome: Sunday - June 12

Another hot day in Rome! Yesterday I was back at the art supply store Ditto G. Poggi. I love this little shop. I bought a great little squirrel mop brush which is ideal for doing a kind of calligraphic brushwork with watercolors. I also got another little travel watercolor paintbox. It is tiny and so compact. I like the idea of small gear for small paintings. It is like camping gear but for painting.

I decided I had enough of painting restaurants and headed for the Palatine. On the way there I discovered and exhibit of Corot, Sislely, Monet and some other Impressionist painters. How timely because they were plein air painters. It is always a treat to see the original art. In fact the first time I came to Italy was a year after graduating from college with my degree in Art History. I spent 8 weeks going to Paris, Rome, Florence, Siena, Venice, Pisa, and Munich studying art history. To see the original art after studying it mostly from books was a real treat.

Anyway, after that delightful detour I set off to paint in the Palatine area near the Coloseum. I had my small little Khadi(Nepalise watercolor paper that is more of an eggshell color with a lot of texture to it.) sketchbook and my small paintbox and just walked around and painted.It was nice not to be dragging so much gear around for a change. I will take a picture of the paint box and post in a forthcoming blog entry.

On the way back to the hotel I passed another museum with an Edward Hopper show. I passed it numerous times but there was always a line. Today was the last day and as I passed it there was no line so I decided to go in. The quote as you walked into the exhibit was this "All I ever wanted to do was paint light on the side of a building." by Edward Hopper. I love the quote and the show was fabulous because it showed the range of his career of work from art student to printmaker and illustrator and finally a painter. Very inspiring.

Rome: Saturday - June 12

I got up and headed down to the Trastevere area across the Tiber river. It is about a 30 minute walk. Believe me I am walking all over the place. Not only do you see more but it helps keep the pasta weight off. I just love the sense of discovery of walking around and seeing a scene that nearly knocks you over and you have to paint it. It was a bit hazy so the light was not real strong so I tried to go more for shapes and values. There was a corner bar with a big sign that said BAR. It looked so graphic, I decided to paint it. Once again, an Italian lady came up to me a told me I was painting the window of her apartment. She seemed very proud.

Here is a photo of my painting setup in the Botancial Gardens.This is what I have been schlepping around.

Rome: Friday - June 11

I went back to near where the market was located from the day before an planted myself across from a restaurant called Maccheronis.I ate there the night before - a very busy place with lots of energy in the air. As I was painting a man came over and showed me the window a few floors above was where he lived. He was so excited that I was painting his building.

I have to say I feel a little like a bag lady with all my gear in my wheeled backpack with my folding chair and easel and sometimes an umbrella. I paint standing up with oils but for some reason I prefer to sit down when painting in watercolors. Oh well either way it always feelslike I am shlepping too much stuff.

Afterwards I headed over by the Pantheon to paint. I got all set up and the police told me I had to move. That was it, it was so hot that I just headed back to the room to re-group and wound up painting some little studies there. Later I moved up to the roof top of the hotel which i may have mentioned is my favorite spot, and did some little vegetables studies. I will post one of the squash blossom later because I forgot to photograph it.Meanwhile,here is another little restaurant study.