Art on the Fly- Thoughts on being an Art Adventurer

I'm off on another adventure!  Once again I'll be trying to make art on the road...or in this case, on the fly.  I've just arrived in Greece after an overnight flight.  I'm sitting in the cafe' enjoying a few minutes of free WiFi and a cappuccino.  I'm again reminded of how great a cup of cappuccino can taste!  Europeans have got the formula, or perhaps the right machines for great coffee.  I'm feeling pretty rested despite light sleep on the plane.

I had almost an entire day to kill prior to meeting my group in Athens at the Aegean Airlines counter.  I'm thinking I may use today as a time to do some drawing and perhaps just try to capture quick sketches here at the airport.  There are a lot of interesting faces here...

I've decided to not expect myself to create a lot of finished work while here.  I am going to try to capture moments through sketches and quick studies.  I hope loosening up will allow me to be more free and less inhibited.  That pressure to do "great things" can be stifling, and I had a bit of that feeling on my last trip.

Waiting to begin until you can do something great is a sure way to never get anywhere...

Those of us with perfectionist instincts can fall prey to that kind of trap if we're not careful.  When I first began doing art, I wouldn't start a painting until I knew where I was going to hang it!  How silly that seems now, but I'm sure someone out there can relate.  Thankfully, I've moved past that kind of mindset, but every once in a while I have to fight for the right to just jump in and do something simply for the fun of it.

We all have to begin somewhere...

Those of us who come to art later in life have to sometimes be willing to set aside the sense of competence and accomplishment we have achieved in other realms of our life.  There's almost a need to surrender our egos to the process of exploring something new and very challenging.  If we are going to learn new things as adults, we have to be willing to play around and perhaps fail occasionally.  Ironically, I've found that some of my best work has resulted from just giving myself permission to play around and have fun.  When I have joy in the process it tends to show up in the painting.  As a result, I'm all about encouraging my students to HAVE FUN and paint what interests them.  It's a formula that has worked for me, and I'd predict it would work for you too.


You may or may not know about my recent trip to Tuscany May 2013.  While there, I painted and drew my way around Tuscany and Cinque Terre with an art group led by my friend and mentor, Karlyn Holman.  I had lots of fun, sketching here and there, and painting when possible.  I loved what I did, but didn't have a lot of "finished" work upon coming home.  Prior to leaving on this trip, I did some work on a few of those sketches and had fun bringing a few of them across the finish line.

Here are a few of the watercolors and paintings which have resulted from my adventure in Tuscany.


In the painting I call “Bubble Boys”  I tried to capture a sense of light from the left and use it to shine a spotlight on the main characters of the drama I was trying to create.  The scene was a quiet corner in Castellina.  The young boy and the old man were in a separate location in the same town.  I had been charmed by their interaction and took some photos of them.   Later, I decided to merge them as characters into my scene after I’d drawn the location as I’d found it.  The scene was originally without people.  After assessing the drawing, it felt lifeless and so I placed the exchange between these two into the scene.  The result is this painting.  

Sketch done on location with figures inserted later

Bubble Boys
Watercolor and Ink on Paper
11X15

The villa pictured in this scene was very near San Fedele.  By pure chance, I ended up perched atop a ruin of a celtic altar in order to capture the scene.  The whole experience was magical...on a Tuscan hillside by myself and in the midst of all this greenery.  This painting begs the question:  when is the painting complete?  Sometimes the answer is, “when I’ve said all I have to say on the subject”.  I’m not sure if this one is complete...I still am tempted to inject an image of the fawn that visited me at the end of my time there, but for now, this painting is at least a remembrance of my magical moment at Villa Casa Nova.

Villa Casa Nova, Chianti

 The rooftops of Siena were not altogether evident in walking around town, but after photographing my way through the city I found that some cropping and zooming allowed me to focus in on some of the abstract patterns found above the rooflines.  There is a lot going on above the street level as you can see...wires, dishes, balconies, terraces, antennae, and more.  It was fun to treat them as patterns and make that the focus of this painting.

Rooftops of Siena

I was able to gain permission from the photographer to paint this aerial view of Porto Venere in Cinque Terre pictured below.  We met while on a ferry boat shuttling between the towns which form the Cinque Terre.  She and her book of photographs were lovely.  In painting it, I used a bit of collage to create a sense of the texture in the hills.  What I was really going after was the sense of the dramatic setting for the church at the entrance to the harbor and the steep incline on these precipitous cliffs.  I think the perspective of the composition helps get my point across.  It’s incredible that people have lived their lives for so many centuries perched on the sides of these cliffs. I’m hoping this piece conveys  some of my sense of wonder at the beauty and the ruggedness of the area.

Birds Eye View- Porto Venere, Cinque Terre

Our home base in Tuscany was the restored former monastery of San Fedele.  Such a romantic place!  That was the intention of this painting...to capture the romance of the location there.  I decided to give the wrought iron fence some prominence and push the lighting to create a sense of warmth.  I hope these paintings give you an idea of how wonderful it can be to augment your travels by capturing your memories through photography, drawing  and painting. That's why I'm on another art oriented trip...I can't get enough!

San Fedele, Chianti

As for Tuscany, I can’t wait to go back!  Showing San Fedele and the Chianti area to friends and students who may want to join me is next on my bucket list!  Let me know if you’d like to be part of our adventure in Sept 2014!!!  Cost is $2695 per person and includes art and cooking lessons, double occupancy room, two meals per day and all transportation from the airport and around the area to local sites I feel l will be conducive to painting, drawing, and photography.   

Please contact me if you're interested and I'll fill you in on all the fun details!  rebecca@artmyrtlebeach.com

My Greek Adventure will continue for the next couple of weeks.  

Our First Stop:  the Island of Lesbos!  I can't wait to learn more and paint my way around this ancient and beautiful country!  Here's a taste of one of my first Greek photos...lots more to come!  Stay tuned...

Molyvos: on the Island of Lesbos, Greece

Rebecca Zdybel

Artist/ Art Instructor

Myrtle Beach, SC

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Artfully Tasteful Tour of Tuscany Fall 2014- Italian Encore!

What to do when you leave a little of your soul back in Tuscany?  

Join Me for An Italian Encore!!  

Our souls are not capable of moving quite as fast as we can move in the modern world...our souls move more slowly...  

It seems that in our American culture we are rushing around, productive in every moment, multitasking our way through the day and in the process we have lost a little of that poetic sense of the romance in daily living.  What if our souls can’t move at the same speed as our bodies? Perhaps that is why so many of us are walking around feeling stressed and unfulfilled. Perhaps we can look to the Tuscan life style as a model for how to slow down and savor life.

Let's slow down and savor life the way they do in Tuscany...

Sometimes we need to distance ourselves from real life in order to gain perspective.  I have a definite change of perspective since going on this trip.  After my fourth trip to this region, I have come to the realization that I love the Tuscan lifestyle!  I love focusing on the meal at the end of the day, with an appreciation of the fresh food and great wines that this region has to offer.  It is a ritual means of punctuating the day's activity and connecting with those I care about.  I love focusing on beautiful things and celebrating that beauty by trying to capture it via art and photography...

I want more of this kind of living in my life!

I have a dream...

Since coming back to Myrtle Beach, I am dreaming a dream, and hoping that verbalizing the dream will help it to become a reality. I want to host a trip back to Tuscany and take others along with me!! Combining all the things I love: Travel, Great Food, Cooking, Wine, Art, Teaching, Friends, Music…what’s not to love, right?

I want my friends and students, and people I care about to experience what I experienced…peace and tranquility, beautiful scenery, making art on location, delicious food, great wines, bursts of joy, lots of laughter, new friendships, singing in the evenings, and a little adventure.  How could I not want to experience more of that? Why would I not want to share that?

Prerequisites if you would like to join me:

1. A capacity for laughter 
2. A positive attitude
3. Willingness to dwell on beautiful things and/or indulge others as they dwell on them
   
4. A taste for farm-to-table organic foods and wines,  
   
5. Willingness to explore incredibly beautiful and wonderfully medievel Tuscan towns.  
   
6. Interest in  viewing art, learning about art, and/or making art through drawing, painting, and/or photography.  If you aren't an artist, then we'd require a willingness to indulge us when we talk about these things.  You can always choose those moments as an opportunity to take a walk, swim in the olympic size pool, grab a nap, read a book or take advantage of #7...
   
7. Interest in Optional opportunities to cook with my favorite Tuscan chef, Andrea Anichini, If you are part of this trip, then any of us may cook with him whenever the schedule allows or the mood strikes...how fun will it be to learn a few of Andrea's Tricks of the Trade- Tuscan Style?! And yes...he is just as  FUNNY AS CHARMING AS THIS PHOTO IMPLIES! (He is also a sommelier!)

   

   Our Chef -Andrea Anichini

8. Interest in Optional tours of local Tuscan wineries, viewing local art history sites and/or historical sites.  (These might be alternatives for artists and non-artists alike). 
   

9. Enjoyment of being serenaded with Broadway tunes after dinner by Michaelino from Il Chiostro,

10.  Possibly making our own music if I can persuade Paul (my husband) to bring a guitar! Warning:  link to the following video is a little PG-13 Video link to Paul singing/playing "Wild Thing"  PS-- he doesn't know I'm posting that one!  lol
FYI- Paul will be joining us and along with his musical talents, he will bring his qualifications and experience as a physician...so we have a little medical back-up along with us should we need it.  =)

Please contact me if this trip sounds like something you would like to do. No obligations, but I will keep you informed if you contact me. I will need a minimum of 6 participants, and an initial non-refundable deposit of $500 to hold your spot.  I will cap the number to keep it manageable and friendly.  The dates for this trip are set for Sept 27-Oct 4 2014. I have developed an itinerary with Il Chiostro, (the organization who handled the trip I just took). I'm super excited about the plans and the towns we will visit.  I was able to choose my favorites!
My goals for this trip are as follows:

1. Visit my favoriteTuscan hill towns and sample the views, the charm and the local food and wine
2. Explore painting/drawing/photograpy on location with those interested in doing so
3. Have the chance to visit a couple of vineyards to tour and learn about the agriculture and winemaking process, sample their wine and food,  and/or paint on location
4. Give Art lessons on location and in the studio space at San Fedele for those who are interested
5. Take advantage of multiple opportunities to cook with our chef, Andrea Anichini (he is a friendly, and vivacious guy as well as an incredible cook).  

I will let those of you who contact me know about all the details first. Space is limited so let me know if you're interested! I’d love to hear from you and possibly have you join me for what is sure to be a memorable time in Tuscany Sept 27-Oct 4 2014.

Comment here or contact me via email. Andiamo!  (let’s go!)


Rebecca Zdybel
Artist, Instructor, Art-Travel Instructor
Art Lessons in all media
Myrtle Beach, SC
rebecca@artmyrtlebeach.com

Spread Light, Share Love, DO Art!

Feel free to share this blog post on your own blog or website, but I ask that you you include:

Rebecca Zdybel is an artist and instructor in Myrtle Beach, SC.  Follow her and see her work at http://www.artmyrtlebeach.com/

"Like" my facebook page: Rebecca Zdybel- Artist
Join me on Google+ Rebecca Zdybel Google+ Profile

Arty Party- Paint Wine Glasses for a Fun Girl's Night Out

Wine Glass Painting- Rock your Girls' Night out with an ARTY PARTY- 

Give me 2 hours and you'll have a great souvenir of your night out together!  

Link to Full Album on Facebook

New Painting chosen to be in Statewide Watermedia Society's 2013 Show

"Figuratively Speaking" to be included in South Carolina Watermedia Society's 2013 Annual Show

Figuratively Speaking- 22 X 15 Mixed Media on Crescent board

My recent painting "Figuratively Speaking" has been picked for inclusion in this year's Statewide Juried Show of paintings done by members of the SCWS.  It is such an honor to be included in the list of exceptionally talented artists that will be on display in this year's show.  I am thrilled!  Wish me luck for inclusion in the touring show! Anyone want to go to Hilton Head with me for the annual luncheon?

The 36th Annual Exhibition will be held at Coastal Discovery Museum July 13-August 24, 2013 at Hilton Head Island, SC.  Top award winners will travel the state to various local museums during the year.  If you'd like to join the SCWS, here is a link to their website:

http://scwatermedia.com/
Rebecca Zdybel
Artist/Art Instructor
Myrtle Beach, SC

A Song for San Fedele

Sometimes you're so happy you just have to break into song...

Such was the case as we celebrated our final evening at the beautiful former monastery which is now the lovely Borgo San Fedele in Tuscany.  Thank you to Nicolo', Renata, Michael, Michaelino, and Andrea...and all the wonderful staff there.  I will cherish the memories and look forward to returning someday.  If you were on the trip with me, I hope you keep in touch and enjoy this video as a little walk down memory lane.

Bathing in Holy Water- Heaven helps when everything goes to Hell

I spent my last day in the Cinque Terre on my own.  The Cinque Terre are 5 cities along the northwestern coast of Italy near Porto Venere.  Our group spent the first day on and off the ferry and shuttling between these inaccessible hill-towns along this coast.  On this final day, the rest of my group was ready to sit and paint in Porto Venere, which was the town we were staying in.  I had only seen 3 of the 5 cities and wanted to see them all, so I set out on my own and bought a ticket for the ferry again.  It was a beautiful day.  Just being on the boat and able to drink in all that visual beauty of this amazing coastline was a treat.

Europe measures time in such different increments.  We look at our history and measure it in terms of wars and perhaps 50 year increments.  Here, they literally go back thousands of years.  These cities are old.  They date back to times when there were no national governments.  It was every man for himself, and every village for themselves.  Pirates or Saracens would regularly raid along the coasts and so protection was gained by making it inconvenient or impossible to reach you.  Families moved up into the hills and began cultivating grapes and terracing the incredibly steep slopes in order to literally carve out a safe place to live.  When you look up and down the hills, you can get some sort of appreciation for how long people have been living in these hills.  Every possible square foot seems to have been altered by human labor.  Life here must have been incredibly difficult, but life has been going on here for a long, long time.  Just walking around is a struggle…and that is with paved roads and stairs to travel.  What must it have been like to live here without any of those?  It really makes the point that my life has been so easy by comparison. 

I got off the ferry in Manarolla and walked uphill, and uphill again, and UP some stairs to yet another hill.  By the time I got to the church at the top of another hill, I was ready to sit and paint. 

 I decided to go up even a little higher on a path that led to the terraced gardens above the village in order to get an aerial view of the church square and see the buildings’ roofs a bit better.  (I love all the roofs here…so full of great shapes). 

 I got out my water bottle, set it beside me, got out my little 3 legged stool and quickly found that it didn’t support me very well on an incline.  Since very little ground is flat in this place, I just propped myself up as best I could with my legs and hoped I could be fast with my drawing and painting.  Comfort is not necessarily part of painting plein air!  

Once I was done with my sketch it was time to paint.  I reached into my pack and pulled out my paints.  My palette had some paint which had oozed beyond the box and I did my best to clean it, and started painting.  I used a little watercolor, a little white acrylic ink, and was trying a scraping technique I was interested in using.  As I got going, a bit of red paint made its way onto the painting.  Where did that come from?  I looked at my hands and I had thick red paint all over my right hand! Oh no! Reaching for my water bottle, I knocked it over and it began to roll down the steep little path I was perched upon…  

I looked around and the closest public facility was the church.  I made my way up there and since it was at the top of the village, very few people were around.  I went inside and there was nobody in there.  These old churches have no bathrooms, but then I spied it… and it was like a choir of angels began to sing… the holy water fount!  A beautiful marble fount with a small plastic container of holy water in it!  Hear the angels yet?  I certainly did, and yet the good catholic girl in me hesitated for a minute…well at least for a moment (I was never really that good).   

I certainly couldn’t bathe in the fount, but who was I to say that God hadn’t provided this perfect provision for me in my time of need? Who was I to not take advantage of what God was providing…Right?  I looked left…looked right…and dove into my pack for some paper towels.  Dipping them into the holy water I was able to rinse the red color off my hands without staining the holy water. It took quite a few dips to get clean, but eventually I looked a little less like an axe murderer.  What a relief!

Then I remembered that I had acrylic on my brush…and those of you who paint know you can’t leave acrylic on your brushes…right?  So again, I looked left…looked right…and picked up the plastic container and carefully poured a little water into a collapsible bottle I had with me.  I spilled a bit in the transfer from container to container, but it was captured by the marble fount (that’s what it was made for, to hold holy water, right?) Still hearing the angels?  I was!  When my covert operations were over, I felt clean and relieved that my brush wouldn’t be ruined.  I may have to mention it next time I go to confession, but I was happy!

I made my way down the hill, bought some water, and boarded the ferry for the last city Monterosso.  This last city is flatter than most of them and has a beach.  I was ready to try again…this time on more level ground!  I found a cute wine shop and decided to sit in the shade and do a little sketch.  This experience went much better and I just loved capturing the umbrellas, the barrels and all the wine bottles and signs.  When my sketch was done, I had lost my shade and needed a little gelato, so the sketch never got painted, but it was a great ending to a fun day of trying to make art en plein air (which means outdoors on location). 

I’ve decided plein air painting is a little like camping…it may not always go well, but when you survive the misadventures you end up with great stories and some art which records the memories.  I can’t wait to do it again!






Can't wait for October 2015...join me on my Artfully Tasteful Tour of Tuscany!  See all the details here on my website or contact me for information.



Rebecca Zdybel
Artist, Instructor, Art-Travel Instructor
Art Lessons in all media
Myrtle Beach, SC
rebecca@artmyrtlebeach.com

Spread Light, Share Love, DO Art!

Feel free to share this blog post on your own blog or website, but I ask that you you include:

Rebecca Zdybel is an artist and instructor in Myrtle Beach, SC.  Follow her and see her work at http://www.artmyrtlebeach.com/

"Like" my facebook page: Rebecca Zdybel- Artist
Join me on Google+ Rebecca Zdybel Google+ Profile

Florence Italy- Abducted by Fashion Designers!

 Sometimes your momma’s warning 

“never talk to strangers” is dead wrong…

In the list of pick-up lines I’ve fallen for, I now have a new one…”I like your hat”.  

That’s how it all began.  After having shopping at the market near the train station in Florence, my roommate Sally and I were strolling near the Duomo. It was a cold rainy day but the sun was beginning to peek out.  Our trip to Florence, Italy was another excursion during our art trip to Italy. We were dressed for the weather with a few layers of clothing under our jackets.  I also was wearing a new white hat which I recently purchased for the trip.  It’s a great hat.  The string holds it on in the wind, and the brim is perfect.  It’s cool, covers my hair and face, and has a dark under-brim to help decrease reflective light.  I love my hat!  Apparently someone else did too…

He was a finely dressed Italian guy in his 40s.  He was walking in the piazza in front of the Duomo with another gentleman about the same age.  Both of them were dressed as if they were out of a fashion magazine.  The day had been rainy, and yet one of them had on velvet shoes!  Both were in gorgeous jackets.  Giorgio asked me where I had purchased my hat in perfect English, and I told him that I had purchased it online at Amazon.com.  As the conversation continued, we found out their names were Filipo and Giorgio.

Sally is very outgoing and was chatting them up.  She asked what they did for a living, and we quickly found out that Filipo was a fashion designer.  Giorgio told us Filipo had recently made a coat for a recent first lady/presidential candidate to which Sally remarked, “Well, couldn’t you have done something about her hair? We all laughed when the response was,” Darling, I’m a designer, not a miracle worker!”  He then went on to tell us his coats were in various high-end retail stores in the USA.  He seemed very amused by Sally and her obvious “Wis-CAHN-sin” accent.  He had studied in the US and started teasing her about being from “Wis-CAHN-sin”.  Sally has a gift for laughing and It was really fun talking to them.

After being with them a while, I began to take in what they were wearing…it was incredible.  Filipo’s jacket was fine wool and black,  with a braided collar that was gorgeous.  They were really the definition of Italian style.  How fun!

As we walked, they told us about a wholesale jewelry outlet on the second floor across the street from their shop, and said to tell them “Filipo sent us”.  Sally was looking for jewelry, so we thanked them for the tip.  Then we came upon their shop, Por Santa Maria Leather, near the Ponte Vecchio (a major tourist destination on Via Santa Maria in Florence). They were definitely in the high rent district!  When they invited us into the shop, we just had to take a peek…

Their store was beautiful, filled with gorgeous high end leather jackets. All the clothing was beautiful…refined and very finely detailed.  There were nice couches and mirrors and Sally was prompting me to try on this and try that.  I was layered up against the cold and carrying a backpack and camera.  I was hesitant to undress and try anything on.  Then she pointed out a gorgeous jacket…black leather with a brown detailed belt and other nice details on it…I hesitated and said something about how beautiful it was.  Sally asked me what size I wore.   I answered,” I’m not sure what European size I wear.”  Filipo took over saying,” I’m the designer, it’s my job to know.” 

Filipo Bosa and I at his shop- Por Santa Maria near the Ponte Vecchio.
What is his hand doing????  I think he's playing with my hair!

About then, Giorgio showed up with some wine.  We all had a sip and Filipo pointed to my outfit saying,” Darling, why are you dressed like this?”  I said something like,” It’s COLD outside and we are trying to stay warm.”  But before I knew it, he had removed the hat off my head and threw it onto the couch across the room like a frisbee with such a dramatic flair that I couldn’t help but laugh.  Again the question,” Darling, why are you dressed like this? Are you going on Safari?” This was asked as he slowly and dramatically walked around me as he unwound the scarf around my neck with a sly look and a not-so-insignificant caress underneath my hair to the back of my neck.  I was thinking to myself,” I wonder if the secret service allowed this with "she who shall remain nameless"? ”  He carried my little scarf with even more dramatic flair to the couch across the room as if it were contaminated, and dropped it there next to my hat.  I was laughing and thinking, “Oh Lord, what next?”  Then he walked up to me and unzipped my jacket and moved behind me to remove it.  There was even a little dramatic body contact from behind as he slid the coat off my arms. It was about then that Sally quipped,” THAT'S IT! I'M DYING MY HAIR BLONDE!”  She and Giorgio were drinking wine and laughing at the obvious show which Filipo was staging.  I was the prop and he was the showman.  

He picked up the jacket we had admired and slipped a perfectly fitted-light-as-a feather-softest-most-incredible-thing-I’ve-ever-put-on-my-body leather jacket onto my shoulders.  As he put it on me, he came around to the front and tied the belted waist, walked across the room and grabbed a scarf and with a flick of the wrist tied it round my neck into a great looking bow.  He went on to explain that the coat was antelope and waterproof.  He demonstrated its waterproof properties by spraying it with water and letting us all watch the water bead up and roll off the coat.  Then he took another jacket just like it and turned it inside out, to reveal that the beautiful jacket I was wearing was actually reversible to a suede alternative on the inside!  I have never worn a more beautifully detailed coat! 

I looked at the price…No wonder it was beautiful!  It was beyond me and I told them so. He then got out his calculator and showed me a price saying, “for you darling,” The price came down...much better, but still a whole lot of money.  I offered to trade him a painting for the coat, but unfortunately he didn’t take me up on my offer.  We traded cards instead.  

As we left, they walked us in the direction of a restaurant they recommended and we parted saying our goodbyes.  As we walked toward lunch, both Sally and I found ourselves giggling and wondering what on earth had just happened?!  

Their lunch spot, Trattoria Corrozze, was fantastic and very reasonable.  I had the best salad of my trip and a nice glass of wine for 20 Euros. The restaurant is located along a street parallel to the river off the street which becomes the Ponte Vecchio.   I would definitely go back.  It was in the designer shopping district and very quaint.

As we left Florence that day, I was still laughing to myself and shook my head a little at everything that had transpired. Honestly, if I feel any regret over what happened, it’s that I didn't purchase that coat!  You can check out their beautiful shop, Por Santa Maria Leather on Via Santa Maria very near the Ponte Vecchio.  If you go, tell them Rebecca and "Sally from Wis-CAHN-sin" sent you! My advice, BUY THE COAT!  ;-)

If you enjoy travel and would like to think about combining a beautiful visit to Tuscany with optional cooking and watercolor painting lessons ( I make it easy and FUN), think about joining me in 2015 for my EAT, PAINT, COOK TOUR OF TUSCANY 2015.  Read more about it on my Friday Nov. 28, 2014 post on this blog, and by following these links:  
EAT, PAINT, COOK TOUR OF TUSCANY 2015- NOV 28 2014 BLOG POST 

Tour/Workshop Details and REGISTRATION

Rebecca Zdybel

Artist/ Art Instructor

Myrtle Beach, SC

Tasting Tuscany

I don't care what anyone says, there is no better food than in Italy! The "fresh factor" probably accounts for most of the fabulous tastes, but ahhhhh, the food is fabulous.  I had a new whole grain salad the other day...at least it was new to me:  spelt.  It resembled barley, but it was so tasty in a salad with EVOO and grilled veggies.  Yummmm!

Then there is the wine.  The Chianti region is where we are staying. The special appellation known as Chianti Classico (a dry smooth red) can be made here.  It's a red wine that pairs well with food. You may not be aware, but the making of wine is very controlled and regulated by government officials who inspect the agricultural methods, bottling and content of the wines which want to be considered Chianti Classico.  Many of the vineyards make extra wine that they do not  bottle.  For these wines,  they don't bother to preserve them by adding sulfites.  This makes it seem that we can drink more and not suffer the normal headaches we might get otherwise (at least that's what we're telling ourselves as we drink from lunch through dinner!) They serve these un-preserved wines as their house wines.  The house wines are often great, and because they are meant to be drunk right away, they are not available outside the country.  These are sometimes white and sometimes red, but almost routinely delicious.  Another reason to visit Tuscany!

I am staying at a restored monastery known as San Fedele.  The owners made their fortunes in the cell phone industry and hopped off that fast track for life in Tuscany.  They felt a special kinship to this land and this property and claimed a piece of it for themselves.  After over 7 years and an incredible investment of energy and money, they took the property from abandoned ruins to restored beauty. It has a very good vibe and is tastefully authentic.  We have WiFi and good plumbing.  The rooms are spacious and modern.  Our group also has a large room in which to use as a studio for painting during the evenings or inclement weather.  That makes it especially ideal for our group.  The other evening, as the sun was setting and we were drinking some wine before supper, we were treated to a triple rainbow of incredible intensity.  None of us had ever seen such a thing, and I will forever associate San Fedele with that moment.

Though all the things I describe are great, one overwhelming perk of this place is the food!  Breakfast is cooked by Renatta, the owner.  Those generally feature a couple of home baked cakes, yogurts, fruits, meats, eggs, breads and juices.  It's very good, and I am not a breakfast lover.

 We eat lunch elsewhere as a rule.  Andrea is our chef in the evenings, and we have had extraordinary meal after extraordinary meal thanks to him. He is a lively and funny guy who loves to describe each course we eat every night.  Generally there are 5 courses: Anti-pasti, Prima Pasti, Vegetable, Salad, and Dessert.  All the food is organic and fresh  He doesn't use anything which is frozen, and shops every day for the food.

Last night's Anti- pasti:  Tuscan Salame with large peppercorns, spinachini (baby spinach), and home made chicken liver pate' on Tuscan toast

Our chef- Andrea Anichini

We have been so spoiled.  The pasta is amazingly fresh (and made by our Chef's sister-in-law).  The vegetables and meats are from local producers and are incredibly tasty.  Our chef Andrea is a fabulously enthusiastic cook and loves to tell us all about each course.  He puts such heart into his efforts to serve an authentic and tasty representation of Tuscan cooking at it's finest.  I will miss his warm hospitality and our happy conversations about food and life and art.  His talents and sweet friendship really added to my time here. He offers lessons in his home kitchen and comes to the US to cook in the off season for special events.  I hope to find my way to his table again...either here or on our side of the Atlantic.

Arrivederci San Fedele...I will leave a little part of my heart here.

Take a photo...then "Imagineer" Your Own Reality!

I am not a" great photographer.  I respect photographers and know that getting the right image is about planning, timing, study, readiness, equipment and technical savvy.  These days, it's also about editing know-how just as in the past it was also very much about dark-room know how.  Photography is art.  Photographs can be beautiful and complete as an art form. However, for me...photos are just the beginning.  That's why I am a painter.

Yesterday I was in Siena.  A town behind a massive wall on a hill...a description which could fit many towns in Tuscany.  This one has the distinction of being the owner of St. Catherine's head!  Oh, and her right finger too!  How grisly and medieval is that?  There she was today...what's left of her that is.  Not to disrespect her or anything, but as far as I'm concerned, cutting off her head and putting her decaying face in a box for all to see is not necessarily respectful  When I go, close the casket and remember me as I was.  She was very important to the residents of the city and they claimed her as their own...however when she died in Rome, they kept her remains as relics and charged for seeing them or being blessed by them.  Citizens of Sienna staged a guerrilla raid on Rome and chopped off her head...and her finger (how random!) and then brought them back in a box to her home town.  And here she is to this day...

Siena is very hilly and filled with old buildings, gelato shops, lots of tourists and beautiful little vistas wherever you look.  It's a great town to photograph and wander around, which is what we did today.  I was like a dog on the trail of a good scent...just following my nose (or in this case my eyes) from one thing to the next.  My new friend and roommate, Sally, was my partner in crime.  We stumbled upon a great site today with laundry on the line, shadows and cool architecture.  We stood there at the side of the road and drew it in our little pads...took photos and then kept on.

At one point Sally told me she had found a shopping mall.  I followed her in there and we saw lots of people but no shops.  We stumbled on some nice bathrooms, so we took advantage.  There were lots of bars to assist with mobility and pull chords for emergency on the walls...that should have been our first clue.  When we came out, we realized that there were all kinds of old people and nurses...Then it dawned on us...we had somehow found our way into a convalescent home!  We began laughing so hard and making fun of ourselves, but even so, I was taken with some of the cool faces and old people around us.  What was even more funny was that they weren't moving too fast, so it made taking their photos easier. I didn't feel comfortable taking obvious photos of the old folks, so Sally volunteered to stand in the vicinity of a couple of choice characters and I surreptitiously took these shots.

Photos are a very necessary part of my process.  They provide me with resources from which I can "imagineer" a painting.  For example, when we drew a spot on location I felt that it needed a point.  When you looked at the city landscape I had drawn, it didn't seem to have enough life for me.  I decided it needed people to give it some life.  

It was time to use a photo reference.  I was taken by the story which was told in a photo I took earlier in the day.  The little boy blowing bubbles was interacting with an elderly man on the street.  Charming!  I decided that those two characters belonged in my drawing in order to remind me of my experience here.  They were not in the same place in the same time at all, but because I'm a painter, they ended up right where I wanted them to be.  Photos are the reference, but the fun for me is found in the the ability to create my own reality.

Finished Painting
"Bubble Boys"- Watercolor/Ink on Paper

As a PS to my previous entry...I found out that the very spot I climbed to get the photo below was a former celtic place of worship.  There are stone circles on this site and as I sat upon one of them I was visited by my little friend the fawn.  How cool is it to think that this ancient holy place gifted me with an innocent spiritual present?  That fawn symbolized innocence, vulnerability, and being present in that place.  I am even more convinced that he was sent as some sort of heavenly affirmation.  One more reason to love Tuscany!

Villa Casa Nova- Chianti
Watercolor/Ink on Paper

Rebecca Zdybel

Artist, Instructor, Art-Travel Instructor

Art Lessons in all media

Myrtle Beach, SC

rebecca@artmyrtlebeach.com

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Rebecca Zdybel is an artist and instructor in Myrtle Beach, SC.  Follow her and see her work at http://www.artmyrtlebeach.com/

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