Atrani Blues Print

I am very pleased with this artwork that started in a very intuitive, quick way. I drew the grass first, using some of the oldest oil sticks that were so tiny I could barely hold them between two fingers, so I also applied them with the palm of my hands, moving them in quick strokes and I liked the effect so much! I thought it was the best way to render the long leaves and the grass, almost like swept by the wind. It might have affect my mood also the song I was listening to on the radio (Muddy Waters "I Am The Blues"). When I started painting the sea I picked one of the most greasy blue oil stick that I have and applied it rolling it with my open hand, you can spot some of my fingerprints as well, I guess. I like to say that this drawing is made with oil pastels and the warmth of my hands, because some of the effects could haven't be possible if I wasn't applying the paint in that way. I continued rolling the pastel creating layer upon layer to get this velvety finish for the sea. I kept this intuitive way of applying the colour for the rest of the scene, too. You can spot it in the shape of the buildings on the top right corner. I liked the in this way I wasn't able to tally control the strokes, but I think this added more strength and character to the entire artwork, that is why I intentionally left some blank spaces between the grass and the sea, so one could almost appreciate the size of the oil stick (very small, but the time I approached that area!) The bell tower is one of the fews in Atrani, a beautiful, small village on the Coast. I often wonder why I cannot stop looking at it and being enchanted every time, and I guess it is because the bell tower is so iconic, so different in colour and shape from all the other buildings and from the church itself. I think it is also because it stands out, there is nothing behind it, it is surrounded only by the sky and the sea. It seems almost cut out. Landscape is a subject that I rarely do, but my life has been quite different from the previous years in these last months and I ended up going to the beach more often than usual. After almost 3 years spent in London I was back in Italy almost a year ago, and during lockdown there weren't many places I could go to, so I started exploring my surroundings, some of them being places where I haven't been in a long time, or places that I would see for the first time ever, or that I would look at with fresh, new eyes. When we were finally allowed to go to the beach we started going again to Castiglione di Ravello beach, the place where all the people from Ravello (my boyfriend being one of them) go. And when summer was over we didn't stop, because the weather is still so nice and I felt almost an obligation to spend time outside, taking in as mush sunshine as I could, as who knows when we would have been able to do that again? I couldn't help but taking pictures, like I was a tourist myself or like I was seeing that place for the first time, but I think it is like that for almost everyone, because the place is so beautiful that every time you are there, you cannot help but staring at the view and tell yourself how lucky you are to be there. I found out Sennelier oil pastels are a great medium to depict the surface of the sea and I am quite pleased with the entire artwork. Now that I live in Italy again I think my way to look at things is slightly changed, and I am thrilled to share my new vision of the Italian "landscape", made of things, people and places. The artwork will be shipped rolled in a tube, I recommend to take it as soon as possible to a framer, to professionally flatten it back and to provide a frame with a glass, as the oil pastel needs to be protected from the dust. 5th of November 2020

Print:Giclee on Fine Art Paper

Size:9 W x 12 H x 0.1 D in

Size with Frame:14.25 W x 17.25 H x 1.2 D in

Delivery Time:Typically 5-7 business days for domestic shipments, 10-14 business days for international shipments.