The Orange Tree and La Damigiana.

orangetree
Orange Tree and a Damigiana. Oil on canvas, 30cm x 40cm.

 

Finding a title for a painting is a sometimes a struggle! I chose this view because I liked the effect of the afternoon light on the house and the orange tree with the glass damigiana in the foreground but when it came to finding a title nothing very interesting came up.  In Italy the glass bottle in the foreground is called a ‘damigiana’ and in English a ‘demijohn’.  The word damigiana is definently a more elegant term than the blunter English word demijohn which I wouldn’t have put in the title !

Traditionally in Italy a damigiana is used for wine making and you are always sure to find a good selection of empty ones like this in most rural Italian families although nowadays they are used less due to the more modern ways of wine making. Except you can’t beat a damigiana full of wine compared to a bottle!

Summer Evenings…

Winnie Drawing.  Oil on board, 20cm x 30cm.
Winnie Drawing (with Gwen and Lenny). Oil on board, 20cm x 30cm.

My favourite time of day for painting is in the early evening, around 5pm when the light is softer and the shadows a little longer. I am glad to show my daughter that painting or drawing nature is a valuable lesson and it is helpful for her to notice the small and simple things as well as all the wonderful colours that it offers which can sometimes go unoticed. P.S. My dog Gwen who is a retired sheepdog likes to keep watch over the cat now that she has no sheep!

A portrait of my daughter.

A Portrait of my Daughter.  40cm x 50cm, oil on linen.
A Portrait of my Daughter. 40cm x 50cm, oil on linen.

I painted this oil on canvas a couple of years ago when my daughter was 18 months old. It was based on sketches and observation as she played around me in the studio, her hair and skin tones were important to me.

La Pineta, Maralunga. Oil on Board, 20cm x 25 cm

La Pineta was painted last summer during a day at the beach with my family. In the distance you can see the Isola of Tino and Porto Venere.
La pineta