Sketching in Rome

 From our room with a view

Largo di Torre Argentina

We recently had the good fortune to spend three days in Rome staying in a delightful suite overlooking the ruins in Largo di Torre Argentina. 

How did I score three days in Rome?  Well, Italy happened to be playing Ireland at Rugby in the old Olympic Stadium.

I would probably have been bored to tears had Italy not won!

The highlight of the trip (for me) was discovering a wonderful little kosher restaurant in the old Ghetto where I finally saw how to prepare Carciofi alla Romana.  The fridge is now full of globe artichokes.

Hiroshige in Rome

Museo del Corso Rome

With the warm weather, along with the swallows, friends flock to Tuscany. For the past few weeks I've been enjoying friends - neglecting art.

I met up with Helen and Anni in Rome on Friday and joy oh joy, discovered a fantastic Hiroshige exhibition. Months ago I started a sketchbook devoted to Hiroshige's nature prints, copying them in watercolour from the Internet, trying to learn the secrets of his composition and colour.

Watercolour after Hiroshige

I came face to face with an original print of these fishes along with two of his prints that inspired paintings by Van Gogh. Van Gogh's oils are in Amsterdam, apparently too fragile to move, but high tech reproductions are displayed alongside Hiroshige's prints Bridge in the Rain and Flowering Plum Tree. Was Van Gogh as dizzy with excitement as I when he saw these prints? I wouldn't be surprised. It really was almost too much to take in.

By the time I had peered at every one of the 200 prints, I was spinning out. So little time, so much to try to absorb and remember. There was also an excellent video of the traditional process of Japanese prints and a display of tools, blocks and pigments.

Most of this collection was donated to the Honolulu Academy of Arts by novelist James A. Michener. The catalogue was expensive and the quality of reproduction disappointing but it is enough to refresh my memory when I continue my studies of Hiroshige.

When the Rome exhibition ends on June 7 it moves to London. Not to be missed!

Rome was as fascinating and beautiful as ever and we stayed in a delightful little apartment in the old Ghetto just steps away from the ancient Portico D'Ottavia.

As usual I didn't find enough time for sketching.

May was a wonderful month. I met warm, enthusiastic and TOTALLY DELIGHTFUL blogging friend, Lin Fry - View from the Oak for lunch and a stroll around Orvieto. Sadly no time for painting but Lin was on a painting holiday so I imagine we will be enjoying her Italian watercolours for the rest of the year.

Then I had the joy of driving to the little Tuscan town of Monterchi with a favourite (and brilliant!) Australian artist, Deborah Russell to finally see Piero della Francesca's masterpiece fresco Madonna del Parto (Pregnant Madonna). Thanks Deb, it was Bliss!

Now it's time to get back to work.

Piazza della Minerva

Watercolour 7" x 10"

I finally finished adding some colour to my sketch of Bernini's statue of the elephant supporting an Egyptian obelisk from the Piazza della Minerva in Rome. This little painting is a gift for my friend Philippa who posed quite a challenge by assuming I was going to be able to sketch it at all!

The Italians' pet name for the statue is il pulcino della Minerva. I found a very interesting blog that attempts to explain this and shows some of Bernini's early sketches for dealing with the obelisk.

Hope you like it Philippa.

Sketching in Rome

Ponte Fabricio 62BC

We live two hours from Rome, this week I was there for the first time in two years! Shame on me. But what a treat. Dear friends, Jim and Philippa invited me to stay in their apartment near the Pantheon - what bliss. They totally indulged me with food, walks, art, wine, Bellini cocktails and precious time to sketch.

Bernini's delightful little Elephant balancing an Egyptian obelisk was just around the corner. It's a favourite of Philippa's, so while they went off to their Italian class, I attempted to sketch it for her.

The Piazza was deserted when I arrived and next to a pile of rubbish I found a cardboard carton full of junk to sit on. Bliss. Half an hour later the rubbish men arrived in their truck, grinned at me, examined my sketch, loaded the bags of rubbish and then did a double take. They had spotted my 'seat'. I bashfully stood up but they showed no pity. Off it went in the truck. I continued as long as I could sitting on the cobblestones. Ouch!

Pulcin della Minerva

7"x10" HP watercolour paper - ready to paint

Alas, HWEM was at home with the dogs so I headed off for a nostalgic cup of coffee at a favourite spot of ours in the square opposite the Pantheon.

Time,I decided, to attack the Mt. Everest of sketches - Benini's Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi . When I arrived in the Piazza Navona I found it covered in scaffolding. I wasn't really up to the task anyway. Besides it was blazing hot and there wasn't a scrap of shade, so I stood for a couple of minutes beside the Fontana del Moro and tried to capture a couple of details.

Fontana del Moro

Jim and Philippa also introduced me to what must be the best art shop in Rome (Ditta M. Poggi, via Pie' di Marmo 39). So, armed with my new Pitt artist pens, I headed back to the apartment to sketch a portion of the view from my bedroom.

Watercolour Moleskine

I took lots of photos in order to do a larger painting of the entire cluster of charming little Roman apartments.

It was a fantastic two days. The highlight? Standing in front of Caravaggio's Saint Matthew Cycle in San Luigi dei Francesi to see, for the first time, his Calling of Saint Matthew.