Some of my most pivotal creative adventures have been in Italy.

In 1979 I was in Florence with a group from West Surrey College of Art. Led by tutor Malcolm Miles who soon vaporised into his own dimention, leaving us students to discover the wonders of italian artistic genious,  from religious medieval to renaisance and beyond, by ourselves.

Which we did, we walked, shared and viewed.

Literally stumbling over creative wonders from the past on every street corner

There was a Chagal painting on an easel near the exit of the Uffitsi which one of our party decreed, “the only piece worth seeing in the whole gallery”.

I had a secret weapon. My father, Graham Hunt,  vet by profession but lover of all the arts. He was engaged with doing his arts foundation course with the open univercity which meant he qualified to join the trip . His knowlege matched his energy, he contributed both to any one who joined us on the two week tour of Florentine art in 6 days.

My best memories include climbing up the stone stairway and clambering round the Duomo dome and then standing with him at the view point on high, Florence from Duomo.

Standing in front of Botticellis Venus for longer than I had ever been engaged in a painting before. Tears welling in a most genuine show of emotional engagement. The work so layered in art history it couldnt fail to be effective, and being with my father,  it was all done with so much mutual joy.

And picnics.

So. Italy revisited. Over and over. Since then.

Now Barga first in 2024 – planning 2026.

Here are some sketches created from stone carvings,  from inside the catherdral – frottage. By rubbing graphite over thin paper which iscplaced over the carvings. They are now reimagined using a mixed media technique that i learnt in a graphics module at Canterbury College of Art.

Water Colour week at Quattro Archi Di Barga 26th June – 2nd july. A week of heavenly time in Barga, Italy.

Watercolour techniques and application in a delightful studio and medieval town setting.

Not only was the watercolour class on 2nd – 4th November fully subscibed, but all the attendees were keen to learn and fun to work with. 

Its a most rewarding and enjoyable experience to be at West Dean, sharing my love of watercolour with such a receptive and colourful bunch of people.

I will be back for a few days at the end of January ‘Improvers Watercolour’  and then my next adventure is in Italy.  Returning to Barga on 25th June to meet some more aspiring water colour painters.  A creative time with sunshine, fabulous scenery, good company and of course food and wine.

Tutoring Watercolour: a beginners guide.

It is my favourite course where I can share some of the myriad possibilities when mixing paint with water.

Wet in wet, chaotic mixing and dry brush control.  As in the illustration below. (Dry brush detail)

If I can give students confidence to experiment and create the effects that please them.  Making visual diaries, or paintings.  

I like to use watercolour as a form of diary.  I did this painting last autumn the bare willow tree and healthy looking privet bushes.

Now the tree is blown down, and the privet balls are consumed with moth.  But the bluetits are feasting on the caterpillars, so some good comes from the blight.  The detail is relevant for my purpose.

This piece is more playful, light, and shade – the warmer ambience of a French orchard.

The Barn have invited me to create a workshop  weekend. Titled, A Weekend Of  Watercolour.  We will be working through the wonders of watercolour; method, technigues, colour mixing, playfully experimenting and seeing the myriad of effects we can achieve. We will push the boundaries with watery chaos or more controlled brush work.

And then… We will edit, collage, tear, cut and create thematic booklets.   Two days at the beginning of May 2025 ( 3rd/4th)  – come and join the workshop at this most inspiring venue. (The coffees good too). 

I will provide different papers and materials, but hope you will bring past work and your skills to share and develop.

Go to Barn Arts website for booking details.

I sketch to understand, and I paint to resolve.

I am preparing a new workshop, having tested elements of it with art groups and creative friends.

The idea stems from a personal belief and need to practice rater than present. By this I mean, that I am working to refresh and revitalise my sketching habit – being more concerned with topping up my painting language and skills, looking for new motif, rather than trying to produce more finished paintings.

Sketch books are personal, a place where we can play and  practice. This is different from what is being encouraged as ‘Artists Books’ which seem contrived to impress. (Planning a finished book with the intention of displaying.) Sketch books are more akin to exersize books, a notebook, scrapbook, or diary.

I am working thematically,  maybe watercolour techniques, or colour harmonies, or birds or whatever…

Following a trail and seeing where it leads. Or if it’s a dead end.

Keeping an open mind to allow connections to evolve.  Then maybe: if different pieces fit together and a spark of confidence  is enough, to inspire the creation of a more resolved piece of work.

This is what is written around the outside edge of the BEM medal I was presented with yesterday.  For services to arts and crafts.

In my own home, with many of my fellow creative, collaborative buddies, friends all.

It was an utterly delightful day.

Tickled pink doesn’t come close to describing my pride and joy at it all.  Be it humbug or brew ha ha I care not. I am chuffed to bits.

The sun shone, adding bright blue sky to backdrop the posing.

Thank you all who have artfully meddled with me, who helped to initiate NEOS all those years ago, who hussled and stayed true to AAS when it seemed to be doomed.  Volunteers and advocates, visionary and ambitious.

And my family who have filled my life with wonders.

And to those who thaught me worthy of recognition.  Who…

And of course key chums who also share the baking, the banter, the breaking of bread, drinking coffee and wine, the boules, and other bollocks. Thankyou.

And the flowers. There were lots and they are all appreciated.

We saw the new year in with a covering of snow – snow on snow like the Christmas Carol. And it has stayed for longer than any of the last ten years.

So last week my concern was the drive south to fulfil my short course delivery at West Dean.  The A66 was closed (my preferred route across from West to East) and snow kept falling in the shire.

But here I am safe and sound, 600 miles drive with steady moving traffic and no significant weather. I took the precaution of filling my windscreen wash though and  it is now near empty. the gritted roads and snow melt covered cars with a fine grime and pertinantly, the windscreen.  Many folk were driving with grubby obscured number plates.

I’m hoping the comforting fire will be lit at West Dean and that the heating is on full blast in the Orangery.  It is just as cold in East Sussex as it was in Aberdeenshire.

Painting snow is a lovely conundrum, what seems so obvious (no colour?) can  be anything but… Monet manages it with such joyous complimentary combinations.

Maybe we can add the possibility of rendering illusion of snow to our list of watercolour methods and effects.

My next tutoring trip is to my favorite teaching space at West Dean College.  Mid November, so I have plenty of time to edit and refresh my teaching material.

Autumn /winter at the college has a.very different feel to the longer days of spring and summer.  The wood panelled lounge with its big open fire, the smell of log smoke and cosy chairs all add to a lovely atmospheric experience.  For my last visit I was in a studio in the main building which was a good space for teaching. Although I really enjoy being in the light filled, old victorian Orangery, it does have its challenges with occasional drips landing when it rains.

I have recently been in Tuscany, sketching, drawing, painting and some basic printing,  skill sharing and working with a group of like minded people.  I am feeling refreshed and inspired to try some larger works based on the colours and motifs of the landscape.

. 

Flights were booked over 6 months ago and suddenly it is all in the past. Nearly a months immersion in Barga.  The spacious studio, the bagpipes playing, the various people, the saltire flags, the painting, the swimming, the steep stony streets, the butterflies in the valley, the acasia trees, the swathes of wild pink cyclomen, the sound of green woodpeckers from the hillside, the views of the medieval town with solid Catherdral from all directions, the old black labrador.  More people, the truffle restaurant, wine, the sketching, the talking, walking and printmaking.

The bells, the clock bells, the bell ringing.

And the breakfasts.  Everyday a winning combination.  Eating out on the terrace.

It was a time full of delightful images and sounds, a great experience and a lot to digest.

First impressions.

Walking and exploring. It’s a new location to me, but there are familiar echoes.  The smells of hot earth, mown grasses, jasmine and frying vegetables (with garlic).  The colours of Italy, painted houses, yellow ochre, venetian red,  cold blue hills and warm terracotta tones in the fore. Roof tile burnt scienna, sunlit to bright orange.

It is a rare opportunity I have here, to look and sketch – with nobody to please but myself. I am finding my way, navigating the steep pathways, hard hand cut stone step ways and dark intruiging alleyways.

And in the studio I am starting to figure out how to put some of this into picture form.