Italy has a rugged, mountainous landscape with plenty of coastal scenes and lush interiors. In the central area of the country, the climate is very similar to southern France and Spain, which of course facilitates large olive plantations mostly in the south of Italy. When studying the Italian landscape via google earth and the Duckduck go image search engine, I found a lot of mountain scenes reminiscent of other mountainous countries, although the rocks looked old and crumbly, with prominent marble-like or granite deposits strewn about. In the end I went with a colourful agricultural scene with natural elements juxtaposed against an olive grove. To make a painting like this work, it is all about controlling the contrasts. On the right, a soft and pale olive green is set on a background of warm brown, and the dark purple olive tree trunks and branches really make it pop. On the left, you have a sharp pairing of green, beige, warm yellow, and green chartreuse going from bottom to top. The cypress trees done in perylene green (PBk31) and deep scarlet (PR175) give the light/dark contrast to simulate sun. I added a turquoise and blue swirling sky to give a nod to Van Gogh, since a lot of the technique here was adapted from his paintings of southern France. The textural overlays on each segment accentuate the composition. In the test painting, I had composed it on the landscape orientation, but I thought the portrait orientation was stronger. That strip of beige, representing a dirt access road, anchors everything together. I quite like this painting, and didn't expect it to turn out so nicely, so I hope everybody gets a kick out of it!
World Inspired Landscapes: Italy, watercolour 10 x 11" cold press, November 2023
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