Orvieto: Stellar Umbrian Views
Orvieto is one of many gorgeous Umbrian hilltop towns.
But I swear, Orvieto is different, special and lively. You can just feel it in the air.
The people who live here take impeccable care of their city and it’s not a big place, so everyone knows and is keeping track of each other.
While visiting friends who live here, they took me to this spot and I could immediately picture this painting. Getting back to paint it took awhile, but I filed it away in the “places to paint” mental encyclopedia that I keep ongoingly.
And when I did get back here to paint, the day was perfect with these enormous clouds floating overhead and the sun reflecting the light off the rooftops.
View of Orvieto
8×11″
oil on linen panel
SOLD
I’ll tell you a secret, or rather tell one on myself: I really never liked painting views.
I can explain why.
Views are tricky because unless there is something to set up a foreground, middle ground and background, the space doesn’t really make any sense and there are just some mountains and trees and things floating off away there in the distance.
Views are always a good idea to paint in theory, but in practice turning them into a decent painting is another matter.
Sometimes I break my rule, like here for example, because of the light and daring myself to think I can make it work with what I’ve got going on in the scene.
This light hitting the rooftops with the blue in the distance and the old wall with the valley in the background, well, it seemed enough. And I was in love with the color combinations of reds, pinks, blues and greens so I went for it.
Orvieto is a special place I tell you, the old haunting grounds of Etruscans.
The View to Orvieto, Tamburino
9×12″
oil on paper, mounted
SOLD
Here is another view looking back towards Orvieto from the other side. This is another exceptional place and where coincidentally J.M.W. Turner also once painted.
This was painted in the spring. You can read the story about this painting here.