Seeking Your Creative Side: Art Workshops in Italy

By Amanda Denz

When Wendy Bassin received a postcard in the mail last year with a picture of Tuscany's countryside and the statement “What you are seeking is also seeking you” she was intrigued.

The card was announcing a summer painting and drawing seminar in Italy. And it just so happened that she was looking for a summer vacation that would challenge and inspire her more than the average sightseeing variety.

Wendy signed up for two of the four programs offered by ARTE/VITA, a company run by two artists who are devoted to providing a relaxing yet stimulating environment where guests can immerse themselves in creative exploration. Their workshops in Florence, Venice, and the Tuscan countryside promise good food and beautiful scenery and allow you the opportunity to learn more about yourself and your artistic abilities.

Drawing on Florence

Wendy's journey began with the five day workshop Drawing on Florence. During this exploration of the lesser known parts of Florence Wendy spent the mornings sketching the sights of the city. She spent some mornings in museums, others on rooftops, and she also had the chance to see the city from the outside while on a nearby mountain.

Along with creating art in this beautiful city, Wendy and the other participants received a lesson in art history from their hosts, Arte Vita founders Jessica Houston and Marcia Teusink. Eleanor Appleyard, another participant in the Florence course, felt that these lessons “Catapulted us back to the renaissance and helped us to feel the artists' presence, seeing and experiencing them in their setting in history- who they were, the beauty of their creations, and the techniques they used.

Wendy was unsure of what she was looking for when she first signed up for the seminars. While drawing Michelangelo's statue of David she had a breakthrough moment. For the first time she got the shading to translate from her eye to the paper perfectly. It was at this point that she truly felt she was an artist. The second leg of her journey- painting in Tuscany- brought Wendy more discoveries. 

Life in a 10^th Century Villa

After the Florence excursion Wendy and some other guests continued on to Tuscany where they would remain for the next two weeks. Painting in Tuscany is another workshop offered by ARTE/VITA where participants live in Villa Rignana, a 10^th century villa set on a working farm in the wine district of Chianti where the owners produce and sell their own olive oil and wine.

Each morning the guests awoke to the smell of freshly brewed espresso. Once they savored this cup of perfection while greeting the other sleepy guests the day began. For Wendy, who participated in the Color and Light seminar, the day began with a painting class.

During this instruction the guests did a variety of exercises, learned new techniques, and heard from several guest lecturers. Exercises not only taught about positive and negative space and perspective, they also helped inspire creativity.

One morning, rather unexpectedly, the class started off with a walk through the forest. Everyone was instructed to gather any objects they liked. Upon return to the Villa each person used his or her collected objects to form a sculpture. While this was not a painting activity it did open up the boundaries of the definition of art and how it should or should not be created. 

Under the Tuscan Sun (or Shade)   

After a healthy and delicious lunch the afternoon was devoted to individual artistic pursuit. While guidance was available when needed, most guests set up out in the sun or in the shade of the pine grove and immersed themselves in their work.

In the evening the guests joined together for a relaxing dinner filled with good food, wine, and conversation. This daily routine, which was anything but routine, allowed the guests to loose themselves in their artistic pursuits. They were away from the stresses of everyday life- free to create whatever they could imagine.  

As Wendy reflected upon her journey she recalled that “We painted everyday; lived in color and texture. The instruction was inspiring and rejuvenating. We took trips. We relaxed and swam, went for walks, talked.  And sometimes we even gazed at the moon and stars.”

“I had not known when I signed up what I was looking for, but I found it and more. I had forgotten what it was like to get lost in something.  I had forgotten how living and working together is challenging and fun.  I found these things and more; I left with more friends, more vision, more meaning, and more art.”

Everyone can paint

When Mary Giaimo signed up for the Painting in Tuscany workshop she was really looking forward to enjoying the beautiful Tuscan countryside. While she knew that Jessica and Marcia held the philosophy that ‘anyone can paint', having never experienced that medium for artistic expression she was slightly skeptical. However, much to her surprise and delight, she found the classes very enjoyable. She felt that Jessica and Marcia had various techniques that “short circuited her inner critic”.

After several days of working with her visual sense so intensely she began to feel that her sense of sight had been heightened. She began to notice very subtle things such as the color of a door and how it's shades varied or the light and how it hit an object in front of her.

Arte Vita gave Mary a memorable experience in Tuscany. Art and Life- this workshop really intertwined the two and created subtle changes in her consciousness that stayed with her. Even if she does not always notice it everyday in her busy life, occasionally she will stop and see these subtleties that were previously out of her sight. As Mary told me “there is a Native American saying that ‘we all walk in beauty' this experience helped me to remember this”.

Artists Residency

The Artists Residency is an alternative to the color and light workshop for those who want to participate in the two week painting in Tuscany experience but crave less structure. Serena Buschi, an artist who has participated for several years, describes the course her day takes after her morning espresso.

“As morning brambles on you have decisions to make, since I produce more at this time I choose to draw or paint or collage, whatever media I decided to bring that year. I usually set myself up outside on the property and as you look out you see others setting up for their day with their media. The landscape is breathtaking and therefore fodder for art making but you are only limited by your own imagination.”

Both Jessica and Marcia are available to those participating in the artists' residency. As Serena comments, “Their knowledge of art and the media they work with is extensive and they are eager to share with you their detailed discoveries and experiences working with them.  They provide interesting books for independent reading and offer opportunities for discussion.”

Wrapping it all up in Venice

Immediately after the two weeks of painting in Tuscany Jessica and Marcia lead one last excursion that consists of four days in Venice. During this trip participants explore the city and learn about its history from two women who know it intimately.

All instruction is in English and all skill levels are welcome and accommodated. Workshop groups are small, and students receive a great deal of individual attention.