This will be a fun and unique experience: the opportunity not only to sketch and paint one of the most picturesque Medieval and Etruscan cities in Italy, but to have the chance to get to know the town and its wonderful people.

During the workshop, we’ll make our own sketchbooks and create marbleized paper with an expert local paper historian. Immersing ourselves in the city’s culture and traditions  allows us to meet townspeople – through interactions during a public sketching event and at a final exhibition held at a local artist’s gallery.

This workshop is open to all skill levels of sketchers and artists interested in more than just making pretty pictures. Become familiar with the charming alleyways, ancient churches and verdant surrounding countryside through painting and drawing. Visit artisan workshops, sketch together on the streets, and roam the bi-weekly farmer’s market. Intermingling culture and place adds a depth of experience that, as an artist, will help you see beneath the surface of Italy’s stunning beauty.

Please keep in mind that you should be in good physical condition: able to walk on uneven surfaces, up and down hills, and sit for extended periods of time on folding stools while painting. You’ll need the energy and curiosity to learn about Orvieto, its culture, history and people. We’ll be working hard all day, every day, from daily sketching sessions, to meet-and-greets with local artisans to evening meetings where we’ll critique and evaluate our work in order to improve in the shortest amount of time possible.

ITINERARY

Day 1: Monday, October 8 – Arrival in Orvieto
3pm – 6pm
Check in at the hotel
7:30pm
Welcome dinner at a typical Umbrian trattoria

Day 2: Tuesday, October 9 – Handmade Paper and Sketchbook
Morning Session: Marbling and History of Paper
10am – 1pm
Visit a papermaking workshop to learn about the history of paper, and afterwards make your own marbleized paper, which will become the cover of your handmade sketchbook.

Afternoon Session: Handmade Sketchbook
3pm – 6pm
Meet as a group to go over the week’s itinerary, answer questions and make our sketchbooks using the handmade marbled paper we created earlier as the cover.
Spend the remainder of the afternoon open sketching in Piazza della Repubblica in the historical center of Orvieto.

Day 3: Wednesday, October 10 – Lake Bolsena & Picnic Lunch

Morning Session: Perspective Made Simple
9:30am – 12:30pm
Spend the morning in the lakeside town of Bolsena drawing and painting the picturesque streets and environs, with a discussion focused on how to easily create sketches in correct 1- and 2-point perspective.

Afternoon Session: Composing from Nature
1pm – 2pm
Group Lakeside Picnic
2pm – 5pm
We’ll spend the afternoon painting and sketching at the lake. Our focus will be on composition and looking for the most successful way to frame our sketches and paintings.

Evening Session:
6pm – 7pm
Gather back at our “studio” to review the day’s work.

Day 4: Thursday, October 11 – Market Day/Sketching Around Town

Morning Session: The Farmer’s Market
9:30am – 12:30pm
Head to the bi-weekly farmer’s market in Piazza del Popolo to sketch and paint the hustle and bustle, the people, and the market stands. There will be a discussion and demonstration of how to capture moving figures on location, and how to place them correctly in perspective on the page so as to create a believable sense of space. The demonstration will be in line pen drawing, adding color later. The rest of the morning will be yours to capture the market in your own way.

Afternoon Session: Capturing Views, Atmospheric Perspective
2pm – 5pm
We’ll spend the afternoon in one of Orvieto’s beautiful parks along the city walls that overlook the valley below. It will give us an opportunity to paint some of the town’s majestic countryside views. There will be a discussion and demonstration on approaches to capturing atmospheric perspective through color and value, then spend the rest of the afternoon painting the sweeping vistas.

Evening Session:
6pm – 7pm
Meet back at our “studio” to review the day’s work.

Day 5: Friday, October 12 – Sketching Around Town/Artisan Visit
Morning Session: Understanding Value and Color
9:30am – 12:30pm
We’ll focus on setting up our paintings using a solid value structure foundation by learning to mix and then utilize rich grays with only primary colors. We’ll also discuss how to use warm and cool colors, leaving the light of the paper and contrast to create dynamic and interesting sketches in watercolor. We’ll perform an exercise that helps you capture the sense of light and space quickly.

Afternoon Session: The Shoemaker
2pm – 5pm
Meet a local artisan and learn about his creative process. We’ll have the opportunity to watch him work and then sketch his workshop and processes.

Evening Session:
6pm – 7pm
Meet back at our “studio” to review the day’s work.

Day 6: Saturday, October 13 – Open Citywide Sketching Event/Gallery Exhibition
Open Sketching Event:
10am – 12:30pm
Open public sketchcrawl with local Orvietani in Piazza Duomo

Gallery Exhibition & Aperitivo
6pm – 8pm
Final exhibition in a local art gallery that will be open to the public. We’ll share our week’s work and have a celebratory aperitivo (cocktails).

Day 7: Sunday, October 14 – Departure from Orvieto.

Workshop Tuition
For a single person sharing a room €950
For a single person with private room €1,200

Workshop Tuition Includes:
Accommodations (6 nights) + Breakfast
Sketching and painting Instruction (5 days)
Welcome Dinner
Day out with picnic lunch
Gallery exhibition & cocktail party
Visit with Local Artisan
Handmade Marbelized Paper Workshop
Handmade Sketchbook
*Maximum of 10 participates

Not Included:
Airfare
Transfers
Meals

Art supplies (list will be provided)

**IMPORTANT** Please Note:
Purchasing travel/medical insurance is highly recommended.

Participants should be in good physical condition and able to walk on uneven surfaces and up and down hills while carrying supplies and equipment in a backpack. Must also be able to sit for extended periods of time on folding stools while you paint.

If your budget and schedule allows, we recommend arriving in Orvieto a few days before the workshop begins or to stay a few days after in order to tour and enjoy Orvieto at a more leisurely pace. If you’d like to do so, let us know and we’ll help arrange your accommodations for those extra days (extra nights not included in the tuition price).

About Kelly
Kelly Medford is a classically trained American oil and watercolor painter, as well as avid sketcher specializing in Italian landscapes and cityscapes. She has been painting en plein air since 2005, training in the United States at various art schools and in private apprenticeships. While living in Florence, Italy (six years) she studied figurative drawing at the Florence Academy of Art before moving to Rome in the fall of 2010. She has traveled and painted extensively in the US and Europe, where her work has been frequently exhibited. When not working on private commissions, she teaches week-long, exclusive workshops in Rome, Venice and Umbria.

She began Sketching Rome Tours in 2012 as a way for tourists visiting the Eternal City to see and experience it in a unique and creative way. She is an instructor and active member of international Urban Sketchers.

See Kelly’s work on her website: www.kellymedford.com
Or click here to contact Kelly directly

About Orvieto
Orvieto is a small hill town perched upon a tufa rock in the region of Umbria, Italy. The majestic cathedral, Duomo di Orvieto, dates back to the 13th century and houses one of the great masterpieces of the Renaissance, The Last Judgement by Luca Signorelli. Just some of the other famous sights to see while here are Pozzo di San Patrizio: a 16th-century well shaft with a double spiral staircase, and Orvieto Underground: a fascinating subterranean network of Etruscan caves and wells. Find out more about what to do and see here:

Payment
Deposit of €450 to hold your spot is due by July 31st
Final payment is due in full by September 10th
(Payment plan is available upon request)

Cancellation Policy

In the event the workshop is cancelled, all deposits and payments will be returned in full. If you have to cancel for any reason payments will be returned as follows:

• • Cancel on or before August 27th: 75% of payment returned
  • Cancel on or before September 10th: 50% of payment returned

• After September 24th, payments non refundable

Contact
Kelly Medford
www.kellymedford.com
paintings@kellymedford.com
+393349835677

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