Cari Amici (Dear Friends),
Anytime that I receive an invite into someone’s home in Florence, Italy, I try to go. Not just to improve my social life, but because every single space in centro is laid out differently and each one has its charms. I am sure that Medieval Italy never conceived of cookie cutter condos, even though space was at a premium at times. Bathrooms have odd shapes and a tiny window might be snuck in wherever it could fit. And there are often narrow passageways to the rooftops.
I was doubly delighted when I could see the Palazzo Vecchio at night from the terraza on the roof of a friend’s place. The silhouettes of the buildings between me and this seat of Florentine government made for such interesting shapes and I was seeing so much color in what seemed a neutral colored building that I knew I had to paint it.
I hope that you enjoy this work of art, a pastel painting on Firenze-brand paper. I am finding myself more and more drawn into the world of pastel pigments – pure color, as well as the color and light applied to a dark surface. The energy changes so much by the choice of the base. I like mixing warm and cool tones: makes government seem so much more interesting, sì?
Palazzo Vecchio – Firenze, Italia
46 x 64 cm (18” x 25”)
pastel painting on black Firenze-brand paper
$1200 + $20 shipping and handling