Many people painting or sketching this scene would delete the traffic sign as it looks ugly but that little sign makes Barga a real authentic place. It means No Parking, although no vehicles could get into this little piazza except motorcycles but a skillful Italian driver with a small car/ape would try to get there if it meant parking as close as possible to his/her destination!
The first sketch in this year long project was Aristos Bar, the epicentre of Barga, where things just suddenly happen. Normally Aristos closes around 8pm depending on who is around. Tonight after a stint manning our joint exhibition with Fiona Scott-Brown, I was surprised to see Aristos still open. A music session must have occurred!
When visitors come to Tuscany they tend to photograph the images that Tuscany is known for - cyprus trees, sunflowers, rolling hills, vines, olives, Fiat 500s, Vespas etc. but Tuscany is not a theme park, people live and work here and Barga is typically still a working normal Italian town. It just happens to be a stunning medieval hilltop town! Exposed telecom and electric cables, dented cars parked in small squares, this it is what defines the true Italy, which is what I’m trying to do with my Daily Sketches.
After many weeks without rain, we finally had a thunderstorm lasting an hour or so. Early evening there was a beautiful soft light, the sun trying to blast through the haze and the duomo just visible.
Yesterday evening was the procession through Barga for Saint Christopher, the patron saint of Barga. Dressing up in medieval costume is no big deal in Barga, since Barga is medieval and the costumes looks great and not out of place, but a modern invention like building scaffolding places this sketch most certainly in the 21th century!
A few days behind uploading my sketches due to organising an exhibition in Barga. So this is Mondays sketch, looking down Via Dell’ Acquedotto with Barga Duomo just behind the distant trees. The car gives a sense of scale.
I love shadows! They can transform a view, create a 3D effect on a 2D piece of paper. The arrangement of these shadows in Tiglio fell just perfect to lead you around the page and guide your eyes to the village of Coreglia in the far distance.
