Roman Nonchalance
In the middle of a public park just on the outskirts of Rome there is a giant ruin of a tower, Tor de’ Schiavi.In English this translates to The Slave Tower, a foreboding name to go along with what’s left of this structure jutting into the sunny landscape.Don’t me misled though, the tower got its name from the Schiavo family who had their villa here during the 13th century.
Tor de’ Schiavi 8×6″Oil on Linen Panel ©Kelly Medford
An oddly dark and pointy ruin amidst the sunny Roman landscape, this is a place I’ve been fascinated by and wanting to paint.It is a bit intimidating to paint this for its odd forms and attempting to show it breaking up the landscape- maybe I need a taller canvas!For a foreigner like me in Rome, I can never quite adjust to the typical Roman scene of ancient ruins treated in complete nonchalance with people out playing with their kids, walking their dogs, chatting on their phones and reading in the grass.Someday I might become less reverent myself of these giants that I prize so highly and insist on painting over and over again and just go and hang out in the park reading a book and chatting to the locals myself.In the meantime I’ll stay fascinated and keep attempting to capture them in paint.
Upcoming Workshops:
Art of the Painted Sketch August 21-28
Umbria, Italy
Spend a week in an Umbrian villa eating, swimming, relaxing and learning the art of the oil sketch
The Light and Life of Venice October 12-20
Venice, Italy
Explore and capture Italy’s most magical and mysterious city in paint
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