7 ARTISTS - 7 ARTWORKS - 7 STORIES - MARIANNE CARA

IT'S ART MONTH!

Each Artist has picked one Artwork and shares its Story with us. Enjoy! 

Italian Landscapes 1 by Marianne Cara

Except from her journal while she was in residency at Montecastello

Tuesday 17^th June

Took Dan’s painting class (he is a well known American landscape painter) – he gives lots of great talks and offers advice, but can I put it into practice?  He often repeats:  simplicity, darks, lights, colours, shapes, fast.  Went to the studio and painted for two hours but I was not happy with my paintings – they lacked emotion I was forcing myself to paint something.

Tuesday afternoon

It was extremely windy and grey outside, so I decided not to go to the studio and instead I drew inside, with some accompanying piano music.  I drew 20 small thumbnail sketches of a brown terracotta jug for two half hours – insane!  I would never do this at home in Australia.

Wednesday 18^th June

After breakfast looked at some slides Corot, Constable, Sargeant with Dan’s words “darks and lights” imprinted on my mind. I walked to the outside wall to paint some of the vast landscape surrounding Montecastello.  I felt so overwhelmed by the vastness of this beautiful landscape surrounded by many valleys and a tiny river flowing towards the village.

Thursday 19^th June

A restless night with many mosquitoes!  After breakfast I gathered my easel and paints and set off to my favourite spot on the walled ledge just outside the main gate, overlooking the valley.  I kept getting interrupted by passersby – well meaning of course – so interested in what I was painting – their beautiful land!   I painted three small landscapes – it was a very hot day but worth it.  My critique with Dan was very positive indeed and this was the first time I had attempted painting a landscape as vast as this!  This was only the beginning of my landscape genre works.

Sunday 29th June

My first exhibition in Italy!! Wow!  We were invited to exhibit in the Faculty Show at Palazzo Pellegrini with the Faculty of the International School of Painting, Drawing & Sculpture.  My small Italian landscapes lining the old plaster walls – my heart soared! 

Marianne Cara 2015