tuscany - studio day 2

studio day 2 started off the same way as all days at siliano started: a simple breakfast at half past eight. breakfast consisted of yogurt and granola, pastries and toast accompanied by jam and honey. daniel took a liking to eating toast spread with butter and honey so much, we’ve incorporated it into our morning routine here at home.

once the plates and crumbs were cleared away, julian gave a demonstration in monoprinting, a technique in making prints which involves transferring ink or paint from a plate (in julian’s studio, the plate is an ikea glass top) to paper. the beauty in monoprinting is that it is an exercise of spontaneity- no two prints created are alike- and it allows for a combination of painting, drawing and printmaking.

I continued with my painting from the previous day, the one of the tuscan landscape behind the siliano. unfortunately, it was raining and I had to finish my plein air painting using a photograph as reference (thank goodness for digital cameras!). I painted the same scene over and over again, experimenting with different watercolour techniques. Julian would come by to show me a new one or suggest a colour mix. I practiced more than painted, doing quick skyscapes over and over again and trying to create the illusion of trees simply by adding different greens onto paper. by the end of the day, I completed three paintings of the same landscape, each subsequent one using new brushstrokes learned.

a platter of prosciutto and different salamis was served for lunch. I love proiscuitto; it’s so perfectly salty. daniel and I dined out in the back and tufo came to join us. tufo was on a doggie diet and being hungry all the time, he’d come by whenever we were eating and rest his head on your knees, waiting for some food to be slipped to him. after awhile, he’d give up and move on to the next guest, placing his head gingerly on another knee and staring up expectedly with his big brown eyes. it was the most adorable thing ever.

I wished I had a dog.

after lunch daniel and I took our midday walk. apparently the estate has a couple of swimming pools as well as tennis courts, but in our little time there, we only found one of the pools. and unfortunately it was too cool for a swim.

the day came and went as quickly as it had arrived. we all gathered around the studio table, always lit by candlelight, for yet another delicious dinner, the highlight being the dessert. dessert was pears poached in vin santo, a tuscan dessert wine, and served with marscapone; it was so incredibly yummy. daniel and I kept on ogling each other with our “OMG why have we not had this before” look.

dinners typically lasted almost three hours. we’d sit around for hours and swap stories of our lives from far away. dinner conversations always provided such great insight into cultures of other countries as well as art, history, and pop culture.

that night I snuck out early. daniel and the other guests remained in the studio to share youtube videos with one another. I went to chat with my family via skype and then snuggled into the warm bed to journal, to capture the hundred million great things I experienced that day.