Lucca...A Splendid Gem

Last night we arrived back in Paris (and it's still raining!!!!) after a week in Lucca........and what a week it was.

Lucca was the perfect setting for my drawing/watercolour workshop with Pauline Fraisse paulinefraisse.com .

The city is full of colour, interesting angles and lines, Puccini opera, (the great composer was born in Lucca) bicycles, ancient trees...and the Italian way!  Oh....and the food...bellissimo!  It really is "a splendid gem" as one historical scholar described it.

My fellow students (mostly French and one British artist) and I worked intently on our art projects.....but we also had time to explore this beautiful city between classes.  My limited French and Italian were stretched to the limit....thank heavens for sign language!

Here's a sample of my week in Lucca.

(1)  The yellows, pinks, greens and ochres of Lucca

Notre apartment (centre yellow building, top floor)......just across from the Music Institute of Lucca.  We could hear the students practise...it was sooooooo relaxing.

How do those ancient trees survive on top of that tower?

Geometric shapes, angles, lines, curves, shadows....bellissimo Lucca.

The ancient walls were works of art.

(2)  Lucca is a city of 99 churches...all of them beautiful.

(3) Rain....but only for a few days

(4)  Drawing/painting in Lucca

We spent our mornings observing and drawing the shapes, angles, colours and lines of Lucca...and then at night, the workshop continued with more creative activities.  

My travel sketchbook (which I eventually transformed into a concertina book) contained drawings, paintings, collages, text, found objects and thoughts about my week in Lucca....here's how it progressed.

 Voila!  My travel sketchbook of Lucca.

I'll complete it back here in Paris with a little more text.....it was fun to do.....and is probably the best souvenir of Lucca that I could bring home.  I've still got a very long way to go with watercolour and drawing.....but I've made my first step.....let's see where it leads.

Next Saturday, I'm off to do another workshop with Pauline.  This time, in the garden at Musée Rodin....so, let's hope the rain has stopped by then and that the roses are blooming!

A bientôt!

You may also like my post on:
http://parisallons-y.blogspot.fr/2012/04/amsterdam-impressions.html