Cats, young girls, wise women and St Francis......what do they all have in common? They're all part a fantastic exhibition of printmaking just opened in Edinburgh. This image of a cat is a lino print made in 1934 by Agnes Miller Parker. Extraordinary 3D feel to it but the biggest takeaway from the exhibition was the diversity of printmaking as a medium. Since the exhibition last week we've been busy taking bookings for courses this year and working on our community project for July.  Roll on 2024...please read on...
ENVIRONMENTAL CONSCIENCE
It all started with the washing machine. We have a washing machine which is available to our guests to give their clothes a quick wash. It helps you travel light. But one day we found someone putting it on just for a pair of socks.....think of the energy, detergent, clean water, waste water etc. So we decided to introduce an 'environmental tax' of 2 euros per load. Some people have ignored it and others embraced it. We decided the money raised should go to a local environmental charity in Tuscany, The Tuscany Environment Foundation, who fund a number of projects both on land and at sea in Tuscany. You can also volunteer to help them directly.
PRINTS ARE ORIGINAL
Wise Woman (2020), Young Girl (1958), Concert Hall (1929) and St Francis (1919) are all relief prints (lino or woodcut) created by the artist as original artwork. They are typically made in small editions of around 10-15 and each one of those is slightly different. Though William Caxton started printing in the 15th century (around the time Barga was built) he was almost a predecessor to the internet.......high volume distribution of information through repetitive printing. Our printmaking is all about low volume creativity. Many people would be surprised to know that famous painters like Miro and Picasso were keen printers. So if you think you just want to paint....break out of your rut, get creative and start printmaking. We have two printmaking courses available in May and August.
Thanks to Tessa Lynch, Pablo Picasso, Sybil Andrews, Karl Schmidt-Rottluff and Agnes Miller Parker for the wonderful cat. The Printmaker's Art Rembrandt to Rego is at the National Gallery Edinburgh until 25 February.
SUSIE HUNT -TUTOR AND ARTIST IN RESIDENCE
We're delighted that Susie Hunt will be leading an art retreat at Quattro Archi in September as well as a period in residence. Susie has a friendship with water, water colour, water-based media and wet paper. She paints inside and out, directly from subject and uses studio space to create more ambitious pieces. Her understanding of the properties of different media allows her to exploit the possibilities and effects they bring to her work whether repelling and resisting or playing together nicely. It is an endless exploration. In the course of tutoring many different techniques Susie has become familiar with a variety of methods and media, these are visible in her work. Combining monoprint and collagraph with watercolour and sometimes acrylic, collage and drawing. Susie Hunt has had work shown in The Summer Exhibition at Royal Academy London, The Society of Women Artists at Westminster Hall, The Royal Institute of Painters in The Mall Galleries, The Royal Scottish Academy in Edinburgh, The Royal Scottish Watercolour at the RSA Edinburgh, The Royal Watercolour Society at Bankside London and The Society of Scottish Artists at RSA.
Fancy relaxing in Barga this year?......we still have availability
We have eight courses this year. Three are already fully booked but we have five great courses in painting, drawing and printmaking. The first one is in May which is a beautiful time of year. Three in August and September. And we have one in July which is aimed at creating an opportunity to spend time with a relative. Mum/dad/son/daughter/gran/grandad (teenagers and older) come to Barga together and spend a few days of quality time together being creative, enjoying the weather and some great Italian food. And grandparents.....if you can't make it yourself, why not gift it to the next two generations and hear their stories when they get back?
For more info or to book a place, please get in touch
Looking forward to seeing you in Barga soon..........