Take a Closer Look

I made this Oil painting Tuscan Shed outside in the sunshine on the top of a hill in the Val d’Orcia Region of Tuscany.   Hills and white chalk roads wound like S-curves around the villa and through the countryside. The chalky roads reflect the warm Tuscan Sun.  The mornings were crystal clear, and the sky was crisp and dry.

More on the Weather

But these clear mornings gave way to rolling clouds over the hills. In the afternoon these clouds chased each other out to sea.  I remembered seeing these patterns weather over the island of Irelend.  The ocean breathes clouds into the sky and the breeze sends them flowing back over the land.

Best Materials

This painting was made with the archival chalk hide glue gesso similar to the formula of Cennini recorded in his book Il Libro dell Arte. My own teacher first taught me this recipe in his Asheville and South of France studios when I learning to paint in oil for the first time.