Manarola Cinqueterre

Bibbi Isaksson's Manarola "collage"

In last week's aquarellista session we actually all worked on the same subject - a pretty Italian-looking village, with very brightly coloured houses, on a cliff. We didn't know where is was as we worked from a picture that came from a presentation... But we all had our suggestions of what it would be: I thought it might be Elba, Cathie suggested Portofino " Cinque terre maybe and Bibbi thought it might be Riomaggiore in Cinque terre... After our painting session the detective work on google started and it turned out that it was the lovely village of Manarola in Cinqueterre... Bibbi as well as Cathie found it... and it is as colorful as the picture... Anyway... Most of us didn't finish the project yet. That is because a painting like this (with perspective, many different colors, light, shadow and contrast) requires a lot of work!! This was the picture we used as inspiration:

And here are the first brushstrokes (bad pictures taken with my phone, sorry) They are actually quite good! Looking back I am happily surprised, also to see those different styles and impressions!

As a very experienced house - and village painter I would like to mention here that an aquarelle of a subject like this needs patience and perseverance, in other words: work!

It often starts quite boring and will get its rhythm and volume and beauty only after you have put in all those shadows and (suggestions of ) windows, roofs, plants and other details...

 So if you are not happy with your half-finished village, don't tear it up yet! Be patient, persist and finish it! It may become one of your nicest paintings...