Last week I was lucky enough to go and visit Portovenere which is a small medieval Italian fishing village near the Cinque Terre. The houses are each painted in bright colours, tradition being the fisherman would find their way back home easier from the stormy seas.
The Church of San Pietro was originally a 5th Century Pagan temple dedicated to Venus and was then consecrated in 1198. It is small and simple inside with a great sense of history and an incredible position thanks to the Pagans who chose to build their temple over looking the sea on all three sides. Luckily for me it wasnt stormy weather when I happened to visit and I found the perfect painting spot, not because of the view as I am sure with more time on my hands to look around there would have been many more interesting compositions to choose from, but because I had found an old washed up tree with holes just big enough to hold my brushes in 🙂
Painting out of the sudio can be uncomfortable if you are not well prepared which sometimes I am not so I was glad to come across this spot. Portovenere is a great place to visit if you are visiting the area, you can get a boat from here to the Cinque Terre or if you feel energetic walk along the rocky cliff paths from here as far to Monterosso in 6 hours, just watch out for the sheer drops down to the sea!
Anna Dennis | Oil Painter 
Beautiful! I wish I was there 🙂
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thank you!
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I would love to visit there. It looks beautiful. Your painting is terrific! ~Rita
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Thank you, its a very lovely unique place!
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Awesome scene Anna – I can feel the warmth of the sun. Wonderful painting.
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The water is beautifully reflected on the building and on the walls below. I really like your use of color in the hills and the difference between shadows and sunny spots. Gorgeous!
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Thanks so much Heidi, it is a nice subject because the stone church and rocks are dark and shiny from the sea/waves and also the colours are simplified when painting towards the sun which makes it quicker to paint.
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Hi Anna, I love the easy way how you capture the light in your works. Thanks for sharing and… Bravo!
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Thank you so much for stopping by and taking a moment for looking. Shadow and light are the first things that draw me to a subject!
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And also you’ve got the nuance of the atmosphere. Thanks again, the merit belongs to you.
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Gorgeous!
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thanks Elena 🙂
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Beautiful.
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Thankyou! It is a beautiful place 🙂
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