Artist'
Notes
The inspiration for this painting is the setting for our June workshop in
Tuscany. We stay at this wonderful working olive farm in Tuscany,
near Sienna. It's called LeLodoline and is owned by the Conetessa Giussepina Radicatti di Brozolo Hamilton.
These trees have haunted me since I
saw them. The first year I was there I painted them in small oblong sizes
en plein air. They are so unlike any of the trees we see here. They just
grow every where, towering over everything, huge, lining dirt paths in the
country and the fields and villages in the hills.
I've worked on this subject in a large square composition previously, but
this is the largest I've painted. It's 30x40 and will be about 38x48
in it's frame. I wanted to make the trees at the end of the path on the
left recede, so I cooled them off some, and kept brightening the
ones in the front with warmer greens, hoping to make them come
forward. Using the path in the composition is key for this painting,
it leads you into the work, hopefully. I remembered the glowing
sunlight from our days at the workshop and wanted to depict that on the
path, with warm bright lights.
It's a subject that I still feel so
inspired by. I'm excited that I'll be visiting this very spot in
just a few weeks.
See the framed painting at the left.
Karen
Read other Artist's Notes
Seabrook Island Demonstration Notes
Endless Summer Notes
