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Go to Cortona en Plein Air photo gallery

Cortona "Island in the Sky"
Cortona "Island in the Sky"
Meet Larry Moore
Meet Larry Moore
Cortona en Plein Air
with Artist'instructor

Larry Moore
Cortona, Italy    May 21-28, 2016

 
 
Plein air painting is on the rise and is it any wonder why? We find it challenging & fun, we get to be outside and we can take our passion to places like Italy! Painting en plein air requires a process of logic and intuition; a way of seeing and translating, recording and interpreting, deep soul searching with a sense of play. This workshop will encompass the principles of good painting: creativity, color, value, shape, composition, drawing, edge and variety. Twenty years of plein air experience and ten years of teaching has allowed Larry to distill the process of painting into learnable techniques.Experienced painters as well as beginners are welcome; Larry will be gentle. He likes to make his workshops fun as well as informative. And for subject matter we really can't go wring in historic and visually rich Cortona!


Picture Yourself...
among the sights and sounds of beautiful and romantic Tuscany: olive groves, vineyards, centuries-old buildings, winding streets, texture and vibrant sunlight.
Feel Yourself...
in the warm ambiance of Cortona, overlooking Lake Trasimeno and the Val di Chiana, originally fortified by the Umbrians, claimed by the Etruscans, touched by the Renaissance, almost unchanged for centuries, one of Tuscany's jewels.
Experience...
the joy of painting en plein air in a relaxed and inspiring atmosphere with the expert instruction of a nationally know artist and instructor and the camaraderie of a small group of learners.
Enjoy...
great Italian food, delightful wines, new friends, breath-taking vistas, history and the hospitality of the people of Cortona.

All-inclusive* workshop includes:
Escorted group travel
Florence to Cortona May 21, 2016 ****
Escorted group travel
Cortona to Florence May 28, 2016 ****
Instruction on location
Seven nights accommodations
in historic Cortona** (Private room & bath)

Local Etruscan Museum & Museo Diocesano
All meals***
(Italian breakfast, lunch and dinner)

Daily wine tasting opportunities
Day trip to Chianti
Day trip to Lucignano & Val di Chiana
Day trip to Pienza & Montepulciano
A farewell wine tasting dinner 
 
**Included with "Hotel" plans only. See details.

***Included with "Group Meal Plan" only. See details.  
****Specific departure times from Florence airport on arrival day
 and from hotel in Cortona on departure day only; time to be announced,
  Air travel and ground transportation to/from Cortona is not included and is the responsibility of each participant.


Special Hotel* Plan...
All-inclusive w/ private room/bath &
Group Meal Plan...$3690.00 per person!

$3590.00 per person double occupancy
w/Group Meal Plan!
Special Non-participant rates!


Go to Enrollment page

Cortona city center
Cortona city center
 
About Cortona...

Cortona is one of the true jewels of the Tuscan “hill towns.”    Cortona, which is often called the “City of Art,” has its origin as an Etruscan city that pre-dates Roman times with sections of its walls dating back some 2500 years.  As is typical of Tuscan hill-towns, Cortona is a walled city that, for purposes of defense, was built atop a prominent geographical point. The stone buildings and streets not only have the romance, style, and charm that are particular to Tuscany, but also speak of the lives and times Cortona has witnessed. An encounter with Cortona is an encounter with music & art, with history and with spirituality. Getting to know this timeless city is a real rediscovery of our past. Cortona offers testimony to its history as well as an enchanting view of the landscape enclosed by Lake Trasimeno and the Apennine mountains.


Cortona city center
Cortona city center
 
About this workshop...

Saturday- Arrival day
Participants in or arriving to Florence on Saturday will travel as a group to Cortona with a Toscana Americana escort. After check-in at hotel participants may explore Cortona or rest before meeting  for a wine and chocolate opening reception, followed by dinner.

Sunday- Cortona
Color theory
Morning: demonstration of  chroma, hue and value. Followed by how to mix paint, arrive at a color, understanding the relationship of color and value and know what you are seeing.  
Afternoon: Group painting session locations to be announced.

Monday- Cortona
Drawing, shape and form
Morning:Demonstrations on various methods of describing a form.
Afternoon: Group painting session

Tuesday- Pienza & Montepulciano
Compostion and seeing in short hand
Morning: How to translate what we see into 2-dimensions and how to create interesting compositions with demonstration by Larry.

Wednesday- Chianti
Chianti area day tour & winery visit, a non-painting day, but take plenty of reference photos!


Thursday- Lucignano & Val di Chiana
Group painting in Lucignano & the Val di Chiana

Friday-
Cortona
Group painting & final critque. In the
evening we will enjoy a final wine tasting dinner!

Saturday- Checkout and departure with group travel return to Florence airport.

Larry demonstrates
Larry demonstrates
Painting trip to Isola Maggiore
Painting trip to Isola Maggiore
Painting the medieval church of San Nocolo
Painting the medieval church of San Nocolo

Itinerary

 Saturday  – Arrival in Cortona

-12:00 noon – Escorted group travel Florence airport to Cortona

-Arrival and Check-in in Cortona

-6:30p Welcome to Cortona wine and chocolate tasting at La Saletta.

-7:30p Evening dinner in Cortona at La Locanda nel Loggiato

  

Sunday  - Cortona

-9:00a-12:30p Morning Session

-12:30-1:30p Lite Lunch TBA

-1:30-5:00p Afternoon Session

-7:00p Aperitifs  TBA

-7:30p Evening dinner in Cortona

 

Monday  - Cortona

-9:00a-12:30p Morning Session

-12:30-1:30p Lite Lunch TBA

-1:30-5:00p Afternoon Session

-6:00p Aperitifs at Il Pozzo Gallery

-7:30p Evening dinner in Cortona

  

Tuesday  - Pienza & Montepulcinao

-9:30a-12:30p Morning Session in Pienza

-12:30-1:30p Lite Lunch TBA

-1:30-4:30p Afternoon Session in Montepulciano

-7:00p Aperitifs  TBA

-7:30p Evening dinner in Cortona

 

Wednesday  - Chianti

-Day trip to Chianti area with lunch provided (non-painting day)

-12:30-1:30p Lite Lunch TBA

-7:00p Aperitifs  TBA

-7:30p Evening dinner in Cortona

  

Thursday  -  Lucignano & Val di Chiana

-9:00a-12:00p Morning Session in Pienza

-1:00-2:00p Lite Lunch TBA

-2:00-5:00p Afternoon Session in Val di Chiana

-7:00p Aperitifs  TBA

-7:30p Evening dinner in Cortona

 

Friday  - Cortona

-9:00a-12:30p Morning Session

-12:30-1:30p Lite Lunch TBA

-1:30-5:00p Afternoon Session

-7:30p Farewell Wine Tasting Dinner in Cortona

 

Saturday – Departure

-Morning Check-out

-9:00a departure from Cortona.



Note: Toscana Americana reserves the right to alter this itinerary. All times are approximate.
Note: Transfers are provided only for programmed meals and activities away from the hotel.
Note: All guests are responsible for handling their own luggage/baggage....we suggest to pack light.
Note: No refunds are given for any unused aspects of the itinerary or for any activities outside the above itinerary.

Note: Airfares not included


Painting the view from Cortona
Painting the view from Cortona
View from Cortona
View from Cortona
Cortona city center
Cortona city center
Participant Supply List

Paints
a good basic travel paint set is a warm and a cool of each primary. for example, i use:
cadmium yellow light (or cad lemon) cadmium yellow medium (or yellow ochre), permanent red (or cad red medium), alizarin crimson, Prussian blue, French Ultramarine blue plus titanium white and a series of medium warm and cool grays. If you wish to augment this with more earth tones, like; burnt sumber or burnt sienna , sap green or cadmium green that's up to you. but everything you need can be mixed from the primaries. and too many tubes of paint is... too many. bring extra white and it's okay to bring black.

Brushes
a fair assortment of types and sizes, hopeuflly you know what you like. I use bristle filberts and flats  sizes 4 through 10 and some sable flats or filberts sizes 8 or 10 for blending. also a couple of small rounds for details and a rigger (long soft bristle round).
  
Medium
I use Liquin, also Copal, pale drying oil, Avavilable for purchase in cortona.
Do not bring it with as airplane authorities frown on flammable stuff.
Turpenoid or turpentine, also mineral spirits. Avavilable for purchase in cortona.

Easel
an efficient lightweight painting box is essential. I've tried every  kind. my personal favorites are from Open Box M (www.openboxm.com) and EasyL (www.artessentials.com) both are extremely well designed and light and both have dry rack storage. you can also use a half-french or full french easel but they get heavy.

Paint surface
there are so many to consider panels from www.windriverarts.com  canvas mounted to gatorboard or wood, they are great, might want to try the variety pack first to see what best fits you
Or
gesso'd: masonite, heavy paper, wood panel
stretched canvas, but these can be bulky and hard to transport wet

Other important stuff
tripod for your easel, palette knife, tape, turp container, dry box for wet panels
paper towels (i use Viva) not sure if they have them in italy, but if they do they would be called La Dolce Viva Avavilable for purchase in cortona.
dry rack; something to hold wet panels and make sure your panels actually fit the rack
back pack or paint/materials carrier. the back pack allows for hands free mobility and the more efficient you can make your system the better. nothing worse than scrambling up a mountain with 6 things in your hands.
water bottle, snack bars,  some kind of repellant to ward off those pesky Italian men.
if you need to sit, a portable stool.
do a couple of dry run throughs and practice sessions with all your stuff.

If you have questions email me:
elmodraws@cfl.rr.com

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