Columbia Home & Lifestyle - January/February 2009 - (Page 33) drawn arts TO ITALY adele coleman wenT To iTaly on an arT Trip and came back Feeling benissimo Written and Photographed by Adele Coleman i first read about paul jackson's Fall 2008 Watercolor Workshop italy Tour on his Web site in the spring and thought, ”oh, what a dream trip that would be!” When I mentioned it to my husband he said, ”I seriously think you should go,” and I decided not to argue with him. Well, now I can say without reservation that it was a dream trip— better than I even imagined. Fourteen of us spent three days each in Rome, Florence and Venice sketching, painting, eating gelato and drinking cappuccino. Even now, after being back for two weeks, I continue to listen to my Italian lessons on CD in an effort to continue that benissimo feeling! We arrived in Rome exhausted after an all-night flight, cramped in the middle seats of the middle section of a 747. Craving a nap once we reached the hotel, we found that our rooms were not yet ready so we went around the corner for panini and cappuccino. Somewhat revitalized, we made our way downtown to the Piazza del Popollo, Spanish steps and Trevi Fountain. Rome is full of energy, the streets packed with Smart Cars and scooters, which pay little mind to lanes and less attention to tourists who might dare to step in their path. We found we suddenly had plenty of energy for photography, shopping and sightseeing and all managed to stay up until 9 p.m. before collapsing into our wonderful horizontal beds. On day two we toured the Vatican Museum, Sistine Chapel, and St Peter's Basilica, all followed by the Coliseum. Later that afternoon, several of us walked over to the Museum of Modern Art—I guess we just couldn’t get our fill of art. On our third day, we started with a sunrise photo safari, intent to capture the morning light on the sienna colored buildings with their rooftop gardens. After breakfast, our sketching lessons began in earnest at the Vittorio Emanuele Monument, which has so many statues and decorations that it’s nicknamed ”The Wedding Cake.” Paul challenged us to sketch—not draw—spending only 10 to 15 minutes at any one place. We then moved on to the Forum, and it was there I realized that sketching is not about the product but, rather, the process. columbia home & lifestyle 33 Sketches from Adele Coleman’s trip to Italy.
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