"Spannocchia Farmhouse"

Copyrighted © 2008 by Linda Warner Constantino. Oil on Belgian Linen board. 5" by 7."

Now that summer is here I am dedicated to painting. I am painting some of the scenes from my Spring trip to Spannocchia which I have chronicled in the blog below. It was an experience that I will never forget!

I am offering small paintings for sale $100 plus shipping. 20% of sales will go to directly to the Spannocchia foundation. I hope you enjoy!

Spannocchia Doorway

Copyrighted © 2008 Linda Warner Constantino - 10"by 8"-oil on board.

I loved the way the afternoon sun was coming across this doorway at Spannocchia. I think the light is especially beautiful this time of day.

If you are interested in taking my plein air painting workshop this summer at Spannocchia please contact me. I can assure you it is not just a painting experience but also a cultural immersion. My recent trip there confirmed that Spannocchia is an exceptional place.

Spannocchia - Day 7 - Ciao!

My last day at Spannocchia. It is cloudy so I painted the interior of the dining room that has been so warm and inviting. This has been a trip I will never forget, the friendliness of the people, the views, the aroma of food and the food itself, the gardens and overwhelming sense of a reverence for the land. I highly recommend this place to enrich your soul and connect with the Earth.

I will write more when I return home.Ciao!

Spannocchia - Day 6

It was a rainy morning so I went to shop in Siena for presents for my family that I miss so much. The sun came out in the afternoon and I saw how it hit this little building in an area called the "secret garden." It had a sprawling lavender bush in front and some of those great cypress trees.

Spannocchia - Day 5

It was a gorgeous sunny day, the best so far. I ventured down the hill to paint this farmhouse surrounded by vineyards. I could not resist including the brush tipped cypress trees so perfectly located.
Wednesday was pizza night. The smell of the dough rising and the sauteeing of ingredients was indescribable and intoxicating. I will write more about it after I get all the images up.

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This is a little painting of a little garden with this stone shed or root cellar and a flash of late afternoon sun running across it.

Spannocchia - Day 4

The forecast was for rain so I played hookie and took a cooking class. We began by taking a tour of the vegetable gardens conducted by Carmen, the head gardener. I could write a whole blog just on the gardens.

She has a system in place for rotating crops that is phenomenal because even if it is written down some where, it is obvious that it is all in her head. She knows all the vegetables” growing traits and tendencies as if they were her own children. If that were not enough she has the growing synchronized with the kitchen cuisine and vice versa.

It was great fun watching our chef Loredona maneuver in the kitchen with such a natural ease. We started off by making dessert first – chocolate salame - looks like salami but made with chocolate and crushed cookies. Then we prepared baked squash with rosemary. The meat course was saltimbocca made with veal, goat cheese, sage and garlic. For the pasta dish we made gnocchi. I learned that the secret is to peel the potatoes while hot – do not let them cool- and rice them and knead them very little. I finally learned how to roll the gnocchis off the end of the fork to create ridges in them to hold the sauce. They were served with a basic tomato sauce. We also put together a pear and gorgonzola crostini for an appetizer. Of course we got to eat the fruits of our labor! Delicious!

Surprisingly enough, the sun came out after class and I went out and did two little paintings (5” by 7”). This one was done so quickly because I was so cold. The building cast a shadow on me and the temperature dropped.
By the way, the easel I chose to take is a lightweight Openbox M pochade box that takes up to 8” by 10”. I also bought the wet canvas carry case. I pop both things in my backpack along with my easel, paints and gamsol and I am off. I highly recommend it. I have been using an alkyd walnut oil painting medium to speed the drying time. It leaves a gloss finish but I like it and it is non-toxic.

Spannocchia - Day 3

I woke up and headed up the hill behind Spannocchia to a large open field. It was breezy and cold and I perservered with the weather as long as I could. The clouds were changing constant causing the sun to play an ongoing game of “hide and seek.”It was a painting with fingerless gloves day

Later in the day I ventured down the hill to a vineyard area surrounding a small complex of Tuscan farmhouses. I had my watercolors and painted this small landscape and took lots of pictures. I will be doing more watercolors as the week goes on.