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.