SS09 Cortona, Italy

SS09 Cortona, Italy

Drawing completed on location September 2011, with Novacks Avid Traveller -Artists in Italy. First portion of our trip we stayed in Cortona, a Tuscan hill town. Walking here you could not get lost, you were either walking up hill or downhill. In the centre of town there was the main piazza, P. Della Repubblca, with some lovely street cafés and shops.

SS08 Cortona, Italy

SS08 Cortona, Italy

The next streetscape completed on location in Cortona, Italy in September 2011.

SS07 Cortona, Italy

SS07 Cortona Italy

Second streetscape completed on location while in Cortuna Ilaly in September 2011.

SS06 Cortona, Italy

SS06 Cortona, Italy

Drawing completed on location September 2011, with Novacks Avid Traveller -Artists in Italy. First portion of our trip we stayed in Cortona, a Tuscan hill town. Walking here you could not get lost, you were either walking up hill or downhill. This drawing is near the Plaza Mazzini entrance to the walled city, with vines growing over and thru the wall and one small clothesline hanging from window.

Believe it or not, Cortona, was a well-known Umbrian hill town before Frances Mayes wrote about renovating her house, “Casa Bramasole”, near here. (Under a Tuscan Sun). Cortona is a small but fascinating city in the province of Arezzo, Tuscany, central Italy, situated on a commanding hill, and overlooking Lake Trasimeno. Its cyclopean walls reveal its Etruscan origins.

This drawing is for sale on RadfordArt on Etsy.
Cost is $65.00 Canadian plus shipping.

Drawings from Italy



SS06 Cortona Italy

This is one of the drawings completed on location in Italy last September, that will be in show at Shutter and Brush, 194 Main St. Port Stanley, staring this week. There is an Open House on Saturday March 10 from 1-4pm. I have 4 drawings from Cortona and 4 drawings from Italy in the show, all graphite and ink.

Cortona, Italy, Landscapes

In Cortona, we stayed at Casa Betania, which had a beautiful vista of surrounding coutryside. (second sketch) On Monday, September 26, we walked outside the city, for some landscape drawing. (first sketch) Cypress trees are symbolic of trusan landscape. "One cannot think of Tuscany without thinking of the magnificent cypress tree, so quintessential and symbolic of the Tuscan landscape that it has adopted the name of "The Tuscan cypress tree. Although this is a somewhat fitting name, it is however grossly incorrect as its real place of origin was almost certainly Persia or Syria and was brought to the Tuscan area by the mysterious Etruscan tribes-people many thousands of years ago who considered the plant to have mystical/supernatural connections." read more The Tuscany region is truly one of the most beautiful places in the world, with its magnificent scenery of rolling hills, hilltop towns villages and vineyards.

View of church and fort on hilltop

View from garden patio at villa

Cortona, Italy, Streetscape

Another streetscape completed on location in Cortona Italy.

SS08 Cortona, Italy

Cortona, Italy, Streetscape

Once I got a feel for Cortona I looked for streetscapes to draw. Not only did I have to find an interesting street and architecture, but I had to find a shady spot to sit, where I wasn't in the way of traffic, rather difficult on those narrow streets.  Weather was perfect our whole trip, too hot to sit in sun, but perfect when sitting in the shade. Drawing completed on location.

SS07 Cortona, Italy