Daily Sketch No.49 View from Via Delle Mura, Barga

As you walk around the narrow streets and alleyways of Barga Vecchia, you notice how many shutters are closed. Italians seem to live in the dark all year round. In summer the shutters keep out the hot sun and in winter they keep the warmth in. As a Northern European (British), I crave light so our shutters are permanently open all year round and if I lived in this villa for example I would certainly keep the shutters open to see the magnificent scenery outside!

Daily Sketch No.48 No Sun Today near Barga, Tuscany

Well, summer lasted for a day. Today, back to rain and cooler temperatures so my sketch today has softer colours and is more atmospheric. You can just make out the mountains in the distance, yesterday they were pin sharp!

Daily Sketch No.47 Late Afternoon Sun, Barga, Tuscany

A hot sunny day today. House Martins flying around starting to build nests although mud is in short supply due to lack of water this winter. People sitting outside cafes soaking up the sun, drinking cold beers, ice creams in high demand and the late afternoon sun creating warm shadows. Yes, I think summer has finally arrived, hopefully!

Daily Sketch No.46 View over the Rooftops of Barga, Tuscany

So far most of my sketches have been long distance scenes but this time I wanted a more abstract feel to my sketch so this close-up view looking down on the garden and rooftops from the Duomo was perfect. Lots of diagonals and strong shadows gives this sketch dynamism.

Daily Sketch No.45 The Fosso in the Sun, Barga, Tuscany

Today, the warm sunshine finally arrived. We’ve not seen a blue sky for many days. People came out of their cold houses to get some warmth. Winter clothes were put away hopefully until October. Today, I wanted the blue sky to feature predominantly so I sketched this view looking down on The Fosso car park with the statue piercing the sky and together with the bright green trees they created a lovely negative shape in the sky.

Daily Sketch No.44 Sun and Rain over Barga Duomo, Tuscany

At last, there was a change in the weather this morning. Despite dark clouds over the distant mountains, the sun finally came out and the temperature noticeably increased. I hope this is a change for the best as people are waiting for decent weather to prepare their veg plots. This view changes every day, even every hour and today was no exception. When I finished the sketch, most of the clouds had disappeared being replaced by blue sky.

Daily Sketch No.43 Molazzana in the Rain, Tuscany

On the other side of the valley is the village of Molazzana which has good views of the valley and mountains behind Barga. What was interesting as I walked around the village was the amount of houses that had smoke coming from the chimneys. It is nearly May and people are lighting their fires to keep warm! Just shows you how unseasonally cold the weather has been. I sketched this view of the village looking from the cemetery in the car with the window open but rain managed to leak onto the paper (see the water marks in the sky area) but at least it is appropriate!

Daily Sketch No.42 Heavy Shower above Sommocolonia, Tuscany

Around 700 metres above Barga is the village of Sommocolonia. Walking around looking for possible view to sketch I came across these two striking cyprus trees in front of a group of buildings. The sky became dark and the heavens opened but at the same time the sun came out creating interesting shadows cast from the two trees.

Daily Sketch No.41 Pale Yellow House above Barga, Tuscany

Up on the hillside behind our house is a lovely pale yellow building which must have fantastic views of the whole valley below and the mountains beyond, although perched on the edge, exposed to the elements must be a bit hair-raising in winter!

Daily Sketch No.40 View from Piazza Cavalieri, PIsa, Tuscany

Pisa is around 1.5 hours drive south of Barga. Famous of course for the Leaning Tower of Pisa, Pisa is also a large University City and because of that it is more lively than Lucca. I like it a lot so if you go to Florence you must go to visit Pisa and not just the leaning tower. There are some magnificent buildings and piazza’s including Piazza Cavalieri where I sat to do this sketch looking out of the Piazza. The Knight’s Square (Piazza dei Cavalieri) is one of the most important landmarks in Pisa, and the second main square of the city. This square was the political centre in medieval Pisa. After the middle of 16th century the square become the headquarters of the Order of the Knights of St. Stephen. Now it is a centre of education, being the main house of the Scuola Normale di Pisa, higher learning institution part of the University.

Daily Sketch No.39 Catagnana in the Rain, Tuscany

A five minute drive from Barga is the hamlet of Catagnana dominated by the church of San Regolo. The drive up from the valley via several hairpin bends pass some lovely gardens and meadows of wild flowers. The sketch was done from the car due to rain again. A spell of good weather is forecast next week so a chance to work on the garden.

Daily Sketch No.38 Barga Giardino in the rain, Tuscany

Again, sketched this from the car due to heavy rain. Barga is split into two part - the medieval bit on the hill and Barga Giardino down below where many of the shops, cafes and banks are situated. Most of the buildings were built around the turn of the century.

Daily Sketch No.37 Loppia Church in the Rain, Tuscany

Loppia Church just below Barga is over 1000 years old I believe. The arrangement of buildings makes a lovely composition. Sketched this from the car again. When will we get some decent weather!

Daily Sketch No.36 Tiglio in the Rain, Tuscany

Showers yet again today! Behind Barga, around 540 metres above sea level is the village of Tiglo. No shop but a small bar that is open sometimes on weekends in summer, serving the Illy brand of coffee (my favourite brand) but not much else.

Daily Sketch No.35 Heavy Showers over Sommocolonia, Tuscany

Yet another day of heavy showers and more expected for the next 10 days at least...aaarrghh! but just realised that I will be sketching outside over the Winter so will have to get used to bad weather. I sketch this view of the village of Sommocolonia sitting in the car. The greens are really fresh and vibrant at the moment.

Daily Sketch No.34 Barga Duomo from Del’Aquadotto, Tuscany

At last, the sun came out for a few hours this afternoon. I produced this sketch sitting on a wall in the sunshine looking from Via Del’Aquadotto towards the Duomo. The sun and shadows on the yellow house on the left makes the sketch come to life. A mixed bag of weather again next week!

Daily Sketch No.33 Umbrellas of Lucca, Tuscany

Today I went to Lucca to stock up on art materials and have a stroll around in the rain. As an artist, rain is great for creating atmosphere - figures reflecting on wet pavements and bright coloured umbrellas. The walled city of Lucca (the birthplace of Puccini) is a 45 minute drive south of Barga and if you are in Tuscany you must go and visit. Smaller than Florence and Pisa, its easier to walk around, elegant and clean with some beautiful churches and lovely cafes for people watching. This sketch was done sitting outside a cafe in Piazza San Michele.

Daily Sketch No.32 Vines near Barga, Tuscany

I find vines truly amazing. Throughout the Winter and early Spring they look like old stumps of wood but look closely and you will see they are perfectly pruned, ready to get maximum growth and grapes during the summer and early Autumn. Notice the silhouette of Barga Duomo in the distance.

Daily Sketch No.31 Sillicagnana in the Rain, Northern Tuscany

After the town of Castelnuovo, the valley opens out to reveal some lovely villages and the architecture changes slightly - churches acquire domes on the top of the towers and the houses take on an alpine feel, the shutters become solid pieces of wood rather than slatted. High mountains dramatically loom over the valley and yet we are only 30 minutes drive from Barga. Today we had heavy showers and sun at the same time. I sketched this view of Sillicagnana village from the shelter of the car.

Daily Sketch No.30 Trees on the Fosso, Barga, Tuscany

These trees leading up to the Fosso car park are like sculptures, the trunks have a camouflage effect and the Spring leaves dapple in the afternoon sunshine. Sadly, a few had to be chopped down due to a disease, l hope the disease does not spread to the rest of these beautiful trees.

Daily Sketch No.29 The Red House behind the Duomo, Barga, Tuscany

I have always liked this reddy brown coloured house behind the Duomo. It is an unusual colour for this area. The views from the house must be fantastic. Today was cold and dull but the clouds moved for a few minutes, allowing the sun to shine on the foreground grass. Moments like these inspire any landscape painter!

Daily Sketch No.28 The House above our House

Many houses cling to the hillsides around the whole of Northern Tuscany. This house above us sits next to a road but many can be very isolated. Some are lucky enough to have a track but some can only be accessed by a mule track so you can imagine years ago before roads were constructed, life was very hard and people had to survive on only the food they produced. Visiting another village in the next valley would have been like us now visiting another country!

Daily Sketch No.27 View from the Sofa, Tuscany

Just come back from a nine course Easter meal at a local restaurant. Too full to move so did this sketch lying down on the sofa!

Daily Sketch No.26 Our House near Barga, Tuscany

Another day of showers but managed to do this sketch of our farmhouse before the rain. We are very lucky to rent this house because it’s location is great - open views and only a five minute drive down to Barga. It also gets the sun most of the day so good for the veg plot! The house looks more French than Tuscan with the pale blue shutters as nearly all shutters in Italy are Green or Brown, not the most exciting colours.

Daily Sketch No.25 Just before the Rain, Tuscany

The weather over the past few days has been changeable but this creates great images for a landscape painter. Just after strimming the terraces, the sky turned very dark. Grabbing my sketchpad, I quickly sketched this view looking from the house before the heavens opened. I also liked the vertical tall trees that cover the steep hillside with patches of green.

Daily Sketch No.24 Sommocolonia Village from Barga, Tuscany

The attraction to sketch this view at this particular moment were the clouds above the hilltop village of Sommocolonia, just outside Barga. Standing at just over 700 metres above sea level, the village has magnificent views over the valley below. Very few people live permanently in Sommocolonia, there is no bar or shop like so many small villages in Italy but there is a peaceful atmosphere and in the heat of summer it’s good to stroll around and get some cool air.

Daily Sketch No.23 The Old Barn, Tuscany

Here is yesterday’s sketch today! We set off late last night from France, arriving back home at 3.00am this morning. Leaves are now on the trees, blossom in full bloom and the grass has grown by several inches - back to strimming the grass every few weeks now for several months! This old barn in front of our house has loads of character. It would make a great little house but would cost a fortune in Italy to renovate and masses of red tape and form filling. Not worth it so we just enjoy the crumbling walls.

Daily Sketch No.22 Menton Marina, Cote D'Azur

The last rays of sunshine provided inspiration to do this sketch down by the marina in Menton. Tomorrow will be my last sketch of the Italian/French Riviera before I head back home to Tuscany. Rain is forecast for the next few days so expect some atmospheric sketches!

Daily Sketch No.21 Ventimiglia Street Scene, Italian Riviera

Ventimiglia is the last coastal  town in Italy before you cross into France. Its a bustling place, just a normal working town. Being right next to the sea you would imagine it to be geared up for tourists, like the French Cote D'Azur but the Italians don't seem to market themselves, which would bring much needed employment. to the area.

Daily Sketch No.20 Distant views of Monaco from Roquebrune Village

Driving up to the medieval village of Roquebrune from Menton is like driving up to the Hollywood Hills I would imagine - large impressive villas with landscaped gardens, enticing swimming pools and gated driveways. The views from Roquebrune are very beautiful with Monaco in the distance.