One of the pleasures of being in Italy for me is getting to know their cat populations. I think you can learn a lot about a town by the condition of their cats. Towns with lots of healthy cats seem friendlier to me. Â Although Italian cats are usually smaller than our cats, Â don’t eat as well or live as long, Â this trio, although clearly feral, were bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, well taken care of. Â When I walked into their secret courtyard, where they had been basking in the sun, they were all on the alert, ready to flee, but lucky for them, I just wanted to get a look at them, and after a quick snapshot, left them peacefully. This is a painting of a little courtyard in Sersale, Calabria.
this painting is SOLD
This is a commissioned piece, used as a surprise wedding gift. Â They were thrilled.Â
During my last trip to Italy, I took a lot of photos in hopes that when I got home (and had time) I would have time to turn them into paintings. This is one I took in Sersale. I love the arched doorways and the light coming from within on this one really caught my eye. I really liked the shadows and the way the red paint in the distant wall and of the letters in the arch accented the whole thing nicely. As I painted the letters, I tried to figure out what they signified. I really couldn’t imagine what word that was, it wasn’t VICOLO or USCITA. My husband took one look and declared, “That’s GABINETTO.” Â and there it is, a beautiful painting of the entrance to a Gabinetto. or actually, a toilet, in old fashioned Italian.
Once in a while you get a commission that really seems impossible. Â A friend asks for you to paint a portrait from an old b & w photo, combine it with another photo, and use the style from a Dutch 18th century master. To be honest, I was terrified. Â I was going into completely unknown territory, but I knew it was worth it. Â To me, this was a reasonable request from this friend. This photograph displayed for all the world to see her incredible presence, better than any other. So here she is with Rosebud, a very friendly cat.
