Newsletter from Quattro Archi Tuscany -The New Season has started
- micric2020
- May 24
- 4 min read
It's great to be back in Barga for the new season of workshops at Quattro Archi. You can sense the excitement in the town as visitors return and the place gets a tidy up. This summer we have ten workshops / retreats covering our well established printmaking and painting, art on silk, botanical printing, bookbinding and more. In addition, for the first time in Italy we are pleased to host a Carole Waller exhibition where she will be showing her wearable art...art to wear.....read on for the latest updates.....
Kicking off with a Coffee Pot
This week we have the LinoCut+ course running. An enthusiastic group who started with a practice piece of the iconic Mokina Italian coffee maker. They were each given a half-cup size Mokina to draw and cut in lino before printing individually and collectively. Then on to their own pieces which range from architectural views (of which Barga has a great range) to images from the nearby cathedral. There is some fantastic work and it looks great on the Vang Japanese paper. It is always a pleasure to see people's faces when they remove their paper from the lino to reveal their own printed image for the first time. These tiny Mokinas are lovely but I wonder if anyone actually uses them to make half an Italian sized cup of coffee....just a mouthful!!
We only have one of these courses this year and it was fully subscribed. In fact one person has already booked for next year. So if the perfect combination of creativity and technical process appeals, put your name down for 2026!
Vintage of 2025
It isn't really the vintage of 2025. It was made from last year's grape harvest. But for Quattro Archi guests it is this year's wine....and it seems to be going down well. The red is a Montipulciano and a little smoother than last year, the white is just off dry and the prosecco is gorgeous. And they all have labels showing prints created at Quattro Archi
Wearable Art.....Art-To-Wear Exhibition
Our major exhibition this summer is Carole Waller (carolewaller.co.uk) and her wonderful silks to hang and to wear as well as a portfolio of paintings inspired by and created in Barga. Carole will be in Barga in a couple of weeks to help hang the exhibition and will be here for several days after the opening on Friday 6th June at 18:00. Her work will be on display and available to buy for the first time in Italy.....a unique opportunity to see work from this renowned fabric artist.
Carole was an Artist in Residence at Quattro Archi last year and since then has
been super busy creating her latest collection of 'Wearable Art'. They are truly gorgeous flowing silk garments...scarves, tops etc..... all with a little bit of Barga. The colours are fantastic, a testimony to Carole's special techniques for printing and painting on the fabric before being made into a garment. Each piece is unique. Her collection will be on show and available to purchase at Quattro Archi gallery from 6th June this year.
With Sadness.....
Visitors to Quattro Archi may remember the old man living next to us who spent has days watching the world go by, watering his plants outside our doors and most importantly ....tending the capers which grow out of our wall. Enio sadly passed away a couple of weeks ago after a fall. We will miss his welcome smile and his pet cat Leone as well as the seriousness with which he managed the annual caper harvest!
Painting Workshop September 2025
A Sense of Place -Jane Richardson's Painting and Sketching Workshop, now in its third year still has a couple of places available. Each day there is outdoor sketching with different materials/themes. Then time in the studio to develop these. Usually people like to complete one or two pieces at the end of the week in addition to their sketchbook. We have a mini popup exhibition at the end which people seem to enjoy.
The end of the summer is a lovely time in Barga. The summer heat has subsided a little and autumn weather is still some way off. Why not come and visit us for some 'you' creative time or perhaps with a friend. Sharing a room with a friend at Quattro Archi is great value. If you would like to know more, please get in touch.
GIRO...
The Giro d'Italia came through Barga this week. The 'Giro' is the Italian equivalent of the Tour de France and is loved by all the top cyclists. Barga was decked in the distinctive pink colour of the 'Giro' and shared for an hour or so the razzamatazz of this major event. Fortunately the timing was perfect as the arrival of the cyclists coincided with lunch break so our guests could catch a glimpse of the lycra clad sportsmen hurtling through the town at over 50 km/hr
Michael Waight
It was a pleasure to have Michael Waight, Master Printmaker visit Quattro Archi last week. Michael spent a week with us to do some reconnaisance work with a view to returning for a longer residency period later in the year.
I loved his post in Intsagram so took the liberty of copying it here.....thanks Michael
michaelwaight2007
A glorious few days spent in Barga, Italy. Thanks down to the generosity
of the dynamic Jane and Michael Richardson at #quattro_archi_barga Quattro Archi Studio Gallery. A very useful few days to put my head around spending more time later in the year to make some work made in and around beautiful Barga. quattro_archi_barga Such a great place!!! So looking forward to seeing what appears from this amazing opportunity #Barga#Italy#printmaking#painting#landscapeart
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