 |
| The Tibber Amir nir - oil on canvas Italy 2012 |
A quick stroll round the Duty Free, an early-morning coffee by the fountain dripping from above. Just a few moments later and the wheels break away from the ground, the view changes through the oval frame of the plane window, and the fascinating journey begins.
The stewardess tells us to straighten up our seats and the Rome Colosseum revolves below as we come in to land.
The air-conditioned minibus is already waiting at the terminal exit, and soon pushes northwards to the gentle landscapes of Tuscany.
The stewardess tells us to straighten up our seats and the Rome Colosseum revolves below as we come in to land.
The air-conditioned minibus is already waiting at the terminal exit, and soon pushes northwards to the gentle landscapes of Tuscany.
 |
| A view from The Retreat |
Real Italian espresso at
the roadside, one more hour and we’re already in the magical scenery, getting
to know the area, and organizing ourselves in the guest rooms in time for a
light meal. And, a moment later, we’ll begin the first painting…
 |
| Room at The Retreat |
At dinner, red wine,
pasta and roasted vegetables brighten our day, followed by a fascinating art
lecture.
The stone-walled room and pampering bed invite us to sleep till morning, saturated with Italy, its sights and sounds.
The stone-walled room and pampering bed invite us to sleep till morning, saturated with Italy, its sights and sounds.
 |
| Seascaping |
We go out into the
landscape, enjoying art demonstrations and explanations of how to actually start
a painting, and how to choose exactly what to paint out of all this beauty
surrounding us.
In the afternoon, we
travel to Ascoli to paint the sunset in the local piazza, framed by arches,
drenched in light.
 |
| A typical Piazza |
During the evening,
after dinner, two hours of model drawing accompanied by wine, and then falling
into bed with a smile…
Morning, and a drive to paint
antiquities in the nearby Roman city. The Adriatic appears in the background, and
we’ll soon be there, too. Lunch in the piazza, shaded by trees, and then back
to work.
 |
| A typical Piazza at night |
In the evening, a
lecture and demonstrations on mixing colors for landscape painting: each color
and its place in the painting.
Morning again, and we
drive out to paint by the sea. Boats, pier, seagulls and fishermen; an idyllic Italian
scene. Maybe an accordionist will appear from somewhere…
 |
| Typical view |
A fish restaurant at
noon, because we can’t miss that out… and the accordionist…
In the evening we’ll learn
about model painting and we’ll practice. Not everything is grapes, olives, sea
and archaeology…
The Tuscan scenery absolutely invites a tour of its incredible vantage points. We’ll drive out with the minibus in the cool early morning hours to see the extraordinary landscapes, and to absorb the scents and colors.
A number of nice works
have accumulated by now, fruit of our labor, and the time has come to put on a
small exhibition, both to see the results and to be seen. There’s something to
be proud of.
Now it’s a routine. We
get up in the morning, eat breakfast, and immediately go out to paint in the
surrounding vineyards and olive groves.
In the evening we go
down to Ascoli to enjoy the cafés along the seafront.
And there’s really nothing
to add about the journey back…
For more details:nir.amir@gmail.com +972-(0)54-8170020
