Frederico Doda

This was a sweet little park, Piazza Cairoli, in the Ghetto section of Rome that we had stumbled upon during our previous visit.  I liked this statue of a man lost in thought in a comfortable easy chair, his overcoat draped at his side.  Later I googled him; Frederico Doda was an Italian politician and writer.

To see my travel scrapbook with photos from our visit to Rome, click here.

- Linda


Click here to purchase a 5x7 giclee print of this watercolor.

Vatican City Wall

The Vatican is amazing, stunning, and overwhelming; it's filled with corridor after corridor of beautiful historic paintings, sculptures and tapestries.  And it's very, very crowded;  I felt like all the tourists in Rome were walking through with us at the same snail's pace.   So, after seeing the Vatican Museum and the Sistine Chapel, I wandered away, past St. Peter's Cathedral to a side street just beyond the Vatican City wall to find a spot to sketch.  As you can see it's a very imposing, thick, sturdy wall.  But then they would need that to protect all that artwork, oh.. and the pope.

To see my scrapbook of photos of our Vatican visit click here.

--Linda


To purchase a 5x7 giclee print of this watercolor, click here.

Villa Borghese Garden

Chris and I love the Borghese Gallery in Rome.  It's a huge, elegant mansion that belonged to a Cardinal and is now a museum filled with world-class Baroque sculpture, paintings and furnishings.  Chris' favorites are the sculptures by Bernini, especially his statue of Apollo chasing Daphne.  I love the paintings by Caravaggio and the incredible painted ceilings.

We visited the museum last May and afterwards we enjoy walking through the villa's gardens, which are now a huge park open to the public.  I snapped this mother and child enjoying the fountain behind the museum on that sunny day.

- Linda


To purchase this 8x8 oil painting, click here.

Back Street Venice

Recognize this couple?  It's the same couple I put crossing the bridge in Venice a few posts back.  When you have a good reference photo, I say make use of it!  In the other painting I gave her a dress, and in this one I turned her shorts into a skirt.

This was actually the location that I photographed them in; the back streets of the Castello section of Venice.  The buildings were three stories tall and hanging over the street were lines and lines of laundry.  It was much less busy than St. Marks Square area and made me feel like I was seeing the real Venice.  I cropped the image to put the focus on the couple.

This is the painting that I started in my demo for the North Tampa Arts League.  To see the photos, visit my Facebook page: Linda Hugues Studio.

- Linda


To purchase this 8x8 oil painting, click here.

Cler Fleurs

Paris:  Another painting from Rue Cler, my favorite street.  I always want to imagine that I live in an apartment here, where I can get fresh flowers and a baugette just outside my door.  This was actually a grey morning when we visited,  but the flowers were still beautiful.

Recently I was telling my students about the how shadows on a cloudy day are different than those in sunlight.  Of course, they are much lighter in value, but they are also warmer than the lit areas.  So: warm light (sunny day) gives cool shadows, and cool light (cloudy day) gives warm shadows.  Look at the dark line under the boxes to see what I mean.

- Linda

This painting is sold.  To see more, please visit Linda Hugues.com.

Just Us

Flashback to Paris.  I love Parisian cafes;  the idea of sitting at a table all morning sipping my cafe au lait and watching the world go by is very enticing.  But on vacation, we never take more than a short break because there's always so much to do.  But at least I can bring a photograph home and make a painting of it to keep the memory.

I liked this image because of the way these two are cuddled together and the pink color of the cafe.  It was a complicated scene so I did a value sketch (no color only focusing on light vs. dark) to help me organize it.  I'm pleased with the oil sketch, so I think I'll do a larger 30x30 version.  I'll show you when I'm finished!

- Linda


Click here to purchase this original 8x8 oil painting.

Florence Street

The scooters were everywhere in Florence, but it's harder than you'd think to take a photo of them.  They zip by so fast, I usually just got a shot of them from the back.  So when I saw this woman stopped at a light I quickly took a photo.  Later, while on the bus, I painted this watercolor from the image on my camera. 

I love the red color of the scooter.  In fact,  I liked this image so much I turned it into my favicon for the blog and my Facebook image for Linda Hugues Studio.  I'm beginning to think I really need a red scooter.  But I need to live in Florence first.  Hmmm...

- Linda



Click here to purchase a 5x7 giclee print of this watercolor.

Villa Il Crociccio

I've really fallen in love with cappuccino this trip.  At home I drink strong black coffee.  But here it feels right to drink that luxurious frothy treat.  And of course the alternative is to have an espresso in those tiny cups; much to small to be satisfying for me. 

This was another view of the Villa Il Crociccio, on the agriturismo farm in Tuscany.  I painted this before breakfast on our last day here.  In the morning the distant hills are bands of lighter and lighter blues, and the hills wake up from their mist-covered slumber.  Very beautiful and was very hard to leave.

Venice Stroll II

So this is the large (30x40, oil on canvas) version of the sketch I posted last time, with a detail above.    I think it captures the beauty and charm of this corner of Venice at noon.  I especially like the figures, that I took from a different photo than the scene.  At one point I had painted them holding hands, but then I decided to keep it like the actual pose as you see it here.  It has a bit more mystery, I think; you wonder about their relationship more.

What do you think of the large painting vs. the sketch?  I did make some changes, the sky, the skyline, and some of the colors.  I find that even though I have the sketch to start with, the larger painting needs to find its own way, and I try to let it.

I'll be back to posting sketches next week.   I'll be at the Hyde Park Village Art Fair  this weekend in Tampa.  Hope to see you there!

- Linda

Venice Stroll

When I'm not happy with a painting, I know it's not in the details, so I look for larger elements that aren't working.  Somehow the last painting didn't work as well as I hoped; I think it didn't have enough large unifying shapes. 

So I decided to try this scene, also in Venice.  I love the shape of the darkness under the bridge and the spots of greenery and the flowers.  This one I'm pleased with and I've already started the 30x40 version. I like to do a sketch before I tackle a large painting, for just that reason.  I can resolve a lot of composition, value and color issues in the small version much easier than the large one.  Painting is hard enough;  I'll do whatever it takes to make it easier.

--Linda

Supper at La Fenice

 

Hi friends!  I'm trying something new.  When you get this email, click on the grey "PaintbrushTravels" to get to my blog and see the current post.  I wanted you all to see my beautiful blog instead of just a boring white email.  Please let me know how it works and if it's an inconvenience.

So here's the post: 

This night in Venice we had had a lovely dinner with our tour group in a cozy restaurant near St Marks Square.  As we wandered back to our hotel, along one twisting alleyway after another we stumbled on this pleasant square.

My eye was first drawn to the restaurant and its inviting tables.  Then Chris recognized the building next door as La Fenice, the famous Venetian opera house.  We had recently read a book about the intrigue and scandal involved in the building's burning down in 1996, and finally being rebuilt and reopened in 2004.  La Fenice means the Phoenix, and the building has lived up to its name.  I liked the contrast of the warm light of the restaurant and the cool blues of the May evening sky reflected in the facade.

This painting is a sketch for a larger painting I'm planning.  I'll keep you posted!

--Linda

Evening Light

The inn in Tuscany had set up tables for our tour group to have dinner under the black walnut trees near where I was painting, separated by a stand of evergreens.  I knew I would be late for dinner but I wanted to capture this beautiful scene and the long deep afternoon shadows.   I could hear laughter and the clinking of silver on plates as I worked.  The light was almost gone when I finished, and I packed up my brushes and walked across the grass to where my husband and new friends were sitting, bathed in a warm glow from the twinkling lights hanging from the branches. 

Have you been to Tuscany?  I'd love to hear about your experiences.

--Linda


To purchase a 5x7 giclee print of this watercolor click here.

Olive Trees

When I woke up in our little cottage in Tuscany on the agritourismo, I was itching to paint the scene outside my window:  warm sunlight on the rows of olive trees with the blue hills in the distance.  But, alas, there was no time because we were headed into Florence.  But later in the afternoon, I was able to take my time with it.  That night, the owners told us that the olive oil on our salad came from this very farm.  That's eating local!

- Linda


Click here to purchase a 5x7 giclee print of this watercolor.

Florence's Finest

I was impressed with Florence's police officers.  Not that I had any personal interaction with them, mind you.  The just had nice uniforms, interesting helmets, and very high quality white leather accessories.  Probably Gucci.

--Linda


Click here to purchase this 8x8 oil painting.

Tuscany View

This was one of the cottages on the agriturismo (government-subsidized farm bed and breakfast) where we stayed outside of Florence.  In the morning the distant hills were bands of lighter and lighter blues.  We were woken by a symphony of Tuscan roosters, with a chorus whose lyrics said that absolutely everyone should be up now!

- Linda


Click here for information on purchasing this 8x8 oil painting.

Villa Il Crociccio Vines

I set my borrowed chair among the rows of grapevines to paint this one.  I could see how carefully the plants were tended; each one was neatly tied to a stick to keep it upright, and skillfully pruned, presumably by someone who was taught by his grandfather.  

As I sketched, I could hear the staff setting up for our dinner under those trees, as the late afternoon sun bathed everything in a beautiful golden pink light.  Painting a beautiful scene while someone else cooks my dinner--heaven!

-- Linda


Click here to purchase a matted 5x7 print of this watercolor.

Il Duomo

So this is Il Duomo, the centerpiece of Florence, up close.  Really, it's up too close;  I couldn't get a view of the church and the dome together because the structure is so close to the neighboring buildings.  For me, this painting captures the experience of walking in the narrow cobblestone streets of Florence, turning to look down a cross street and seeing this architectural masterpiece so near.

The dome is such a distinctive shape; it was a challenge to get it right, and to get the feel of sunlight and shadow on the buildings.  Those Italian flags were really there, too.  (OK, I did add one: gotta have an odd number!)

- Linda


Click here to purchase this 6x6 oil painting.

View from the Piazzale

This is a view of one of my favorite sights in Florence, from my favorite place in Florence.  The Piazzale Michelangelo is a taxi ride from the center of town, up winding streets lined with green trees and beautiful homes, that ends at a broad plazza on the hillside.   I love the spectacular view looking across the Arno river towards the mountains in the distance.  You can see the Boboli gardens of the Pitti palace, the Ponte Vechio and of course the star of Florence, Il Duomo, and its beautiful dome by Brunelleschi.

For me, this is definitely a pinch me moment.  I just want to bottle this view and take it with me.  Creating a painting is the next best thing.

Where is your favorite place in Florence?

-Linda


Click here to purchase this 8x8 oil painting.

Villa Il Crociccio

Tuscany!  We drove from Venice through lush countryside to a small farm outside of Florence.  This type of farm is called an agriturismo, which means they also run a B&B for tourists.  The extra income allows them to continue their rural way of life.  It's also wonderful for tourists who stay there because they can experience the countryside in an intimate way.  At an agriturismo visitors get to meet locals who are passionate about farming and the products they create, which at this farm was a delicious olive oil.

This is the main building, a sturdy Tuscan style villa set on the rolling hillside, surrounded by vineyards.  We stayed in a nearby cottage, and I woke to see mist covering the rows of olive trees with blue mountains in the distance.

-- Linda



Click here to purchase a 5x7 giclee print of this watercolor.

Heaven and Earth

 

This is Santa Maria di Salute, which you see across the Grand Canal from Piazza San Marco in Venice.  These perfect domes against that beautiful sky, seem to me to be a bit of heaven.  Don't you just want to be on that boat?  Or live in one of those palaces?

- Linda

Click here to purchase this 8x8 oil painting.