PA I N T I N G
A GRAND TIME IN TUSCANY ALTHOUGH THE GRAND TOUR ended in theory with the 18th century, travelers have not stopped going to Italy in a quest for personal enlightenment. There, the antiquities and picturesque views have been the inspiration for a myriad of artists. Throughout the 19th century, students of all ages have packed their trunks and spent years travelling around Italy, looking at what mankind and Mother Nature have wrought. Many of these tourists were compelled to write, while others painted, took photographs, or just shopped. In doing so, these souvenirs were proof that the traveler had stood before the ancients and experienced the sublime light that Italy reflects. Think of people like the legendary Edith Wharton, the brilliant John Singer Sargent, or the marvelous Bernard Berenson. If you have a desire to follow in this tradition, Mita Corsini Bland has simplified things for you. Pack your carry-on and spend eight days painting in Tuscany. Mita, a popular artist and hostess, has organized two annual workshops for likeminded people at her 16th century farmhouse on the outskirts of Porto Ercole. For the last several years, Bland has enlisted Patricia Seligman to instruct a limited number of students to the wonders of watercolour (“Tish� is British!). Seligman has written more than a dozen books on how to achieve credible skies, trees, water, or weather. During this week, Tish gives daily demonstrations of useful technical skills which help you achieve a higher level of craft. Even if things do not go well with 90 QUEST
CO U RTE S Y O F K AT E G U B E L M A N N
BY KATE GUBELMANN