Arabella returns home from Florence
Arabella has recently returned home from a month-long stay in Florence where she studied portraiture, expanding on her already knowledgeable base. The studio she was based at employs a “sight – size” technique for painting and drawing, one that was thought to be used since the 17th century and is apparent in much of the art that Arabella is inspired by.
Always on the lookout for ways to improve, Arabella enjoyed opening her work p to constructive criticism both in terms of content and technique. Meeting and working with so many different people and cultures was also a highlight as well as gaining inspiration from a city so steeped in history and culture.
Arabella comments on the experience: “Working in the studio in Florence day in and day out was like training for a sporting event or competition. The event itself is the final painting however many hours of training go into making the ultimate performance a triumph. By exposing myself to some of the most academic principles in painting I have honed my skills, especially technique which is such an important foundation for any good painter to have.”
With temperatures exceeding 40 degrees, the eight-hour-a-day classes tested the students stamina, but Arabella still had time to do some sightseeing with her 19 year old daughter Olivia. Some of the highlights were visiting Arabella’s family home that she grew up in, the Villa Colfranco in the Lucchesia area, and the grave of her great great grandfather, Antonio Caccia in San Miniato, Firenze.
Image: Portrait of Girl Firenze; Arabella Caccia; 2012