Growth, Play + Experimentation

Growth, Play + Experimentation

As an artist there is nothing more essential to our creativity and growth then to continually be learning, experimenting and exploring. But what is the best way to do this when by the nature of what we do is solitary?

My answer to this question is to once a year take a class, workshop or study with an artist whose work I respect and admire and who has a completely different point of view yet finely honed skills.

This past week I spent 5 days in the marvelous hilltop village of Civita di Bagnoregio in Umbria studying with architect Stephanie Bower to focus on sketching, perspective, drawing and improving my watercolor ability.

 

Porta Santa Maria 
Entrance Door to the town of Civita
pencil and watercolor on paper

These 5 days provided multiple lessons, experiments and breakthroughs for my work.

We worked diligently in 1, 2 and 3-point perspective and then added watercolor to the mix, what an intensive week!

 

Old Arches in Tony’s Garden at the NIAUSI office
pencil and watercolor on paper

I love drawing and sketching, but this took sketching to a whole new and very exciting level for me, as I was able to really study architecture, perspective and the best approach to watercolor for me.

To top it off, we stayed in a village perched high above a valley teetering on the edge of a cliff. Our group of 6 literally doubled the local resident population (yes, the village resident population is 6 people).

 

 Tony’s Ape 
pencil and watercolor on paper

The history of this town is a long and important one. Civita di Bagnoregio was an Etruscan city strategically located between Orvieto and Viterbo. The Etruscans lived in caves, which now run up to three levels below all the current buildings in the village and are fascinating to explore.

Since the village is way up on a hill, there was no running water or electricity until recently, all the water being brought up the hill by donkeys.

 

 

 

Narrow View Towards the Piazza
pencil and watercolor on paper

This charming and magical place was slowly revitalized by a couple who started by buying a room from a poor farmer who offered to sell it to them when they happened upon the place in 1965 and got caught there in a rainstorm.

From there these architects slowly bought more rooms and ruins and restored a beautiful complex of houses which is now owned by the American not for profit NIAUSI.

The town is revived and alive and well, almost all of the houses in the village are restored.
It has 1 piazza with a dirt floor and is used for the annual donkey race each year.

The main piazza and church San Donato with Etruscan columns
pencil and watercolor on paper

 

This is a must visit for anyone coming to Umbria or passing through this region. The views alone make the visit worth it, but the charming ancient buildings are something I had never seen.

 

End of the Road, Civita
pencil and watercolor on paper

 

I was so inspired by this new approach to sketching and with complete freedom to play and experiment I found a real voice, which I had been waiting for, with watercolor.

The 5 days spent with wonderful architect, artist and instructor Stephanie Bower were more than I had hoped for and expected to help me cross over into the next level of my skills and ways of approaching my work.

 

Afternoon Light in the Alley, Civita
pencil and watercolor on paper