painting

Our Winter Wonderland

| reedart

The sounds of laughter, chairs being arranged, cutlery being laid, and various pots and pans being carried back and forth drifted across the room as Alan and Susan sat for lunch with the congregation of an evangelical church in Pistoia, Italy in the October of 1998.

Caffe Gilli
Cafe Gilli, Florence

As active members of City Church, Newcastle (which is part of the family of churches called New Frontiers) Alan and Susan were in Italy as part of an orientation team from New Frontiers who had a vision of planting a church in Italy.It would be their first venture to the Tuscan region, giving the couple a perfect opportunity to explore and sketch this beautiful area.

Catching a train from Florence to Milan on the last leg of their trip, Alan and Susan fell in love with Florence from the moment they stepped foot in the station.

It was a beautiful hot sunny day, despite being well into October and the couple spent the day exploring the local shops, enjoying a coffee and people watching at the popular Café Gilli while Alan completed a sketch of the Ponte Vecchio, a medieval arch bridge over the Arno River.

A limited edition print of Ponte Vecchio, Florence by Alan
A limited edition print of Ponte Vecchio, Florence by Alan

Unable to resist, the couple returned to Florence just four months later for their wedding anniversary in February. Drinking in the local culture, Susan suggested they embark on an adventure to San Gimignano – a small walled medieval hill town in the province of Siena, Tuscany that she’d spotted on a TV programme about the area.

Alan Reed artist Ponteland
Alan sketching in San Gimignano

Fondly nicknamed as the Town of Fine Towers, San Gimignano is famous for its medieval architecture, its hilltop setting and encircling walls which form an unforgettable skyline. Sipping a glass of wine together and sampling the local wild boar salami as Alan painted the skyline beyond the piazza in which they sat, Alan vividly remembers his desire to capture the famous towers bathed in the warmth of the late Tuscan sun.

The finished piece has become one of Alan’s most popular limited edition prints, often bought as a souvenir by customers who have holidayed here, but more surprisingly so as inspiration to visit this stunning location.

Part two of this wonderful trip to mark their wedding anniversary together took Alan and Susan by train back to their beloved Venice. Alighting in the midst of the dazzling Venetian Carnival, the weather was a stark contrast to their last visit, but no less beautiful. Wrapping up from the bitter cold, the city was alive with the sights and sounds of the carnival, providing endless inspiration for any artist.

Jester, Carnival Venice
Alan’s original watercolour of a Jester at the Carnival in Venice

The Venetian Carnival is an explosion of colour and spectacle during the month of February, starting 40 days before Easter and ending on Shrove Tuesday. Decorative masks and costumes are very much part of the festival – bringing the city to life from the cold winter frosts.

For Susan, who’s two young children took part in whilst the family lived in Venice many years ago, the trip was an unforgettable reminder of happy times spent here.

For Alan, it was another opportunity to immerse himself in this vibrant city and its culture. Interestingly, the severity of the cold temperatures during the carnival meant that Alan had to find another medium if he was to capture this incredible sight, as watercolours would take too long to dry with such little warmth.

Reedart Holidays in Italy
Susan with a young Louise and Oliver dressed up for the Venetian Carnival

Their trip to Florence and Venice for their wedding anniversary in February 1999 further fuelled Alan’s popular collection of Italian-inspired artwork – much to the enjoyment of customers who visited the Alan Reed Gallery regularly in Eldon Gardens and remain fans of Alan’s artwork and admire this incredible country and its culture.

The Merchant of Venice

| reedart

After a chance meeting in local pub The Diamond in Ponteland, family members and friends could scarcely have predicted the adventures in store for Alan and Susan who married three years later. Having recently returned home from living abroad in Venice with her two young children and settling back into life in the North East, Susan longed to show Alan the sights, sounds and smells of her beloved Venice and introduce him to some of the lifelong friends the family made there.

It was June 1991 when the couple finally took that much-talked about trip. This would be Alan’s first trip to Venice and armed with little else than a conversation he’d had with an old colleague about the architecture and stories he’d read about this iconic city, it became one of the most memorable trips of the couple’s lifetime and the couple returned to Venice in August 1994 where Alan painted 14 “en plein air” watercolours which were part of the “A Tale of two Cities” exhibition in the Spring of 1995.

Reedart Holidays in Italy

While Alan’s family had strong Christian roots, Susan’s rebirth as a Christian was borne in St Mark’s Church whilst living in Venice, and a visit to this magnificent church tied the couple even closer together as Susan shared this chapter of her life with him. Introducing Alan to the friends and “family” Susan made whilst there, Alan quickly found himself falling in love with the Italian way of life. A true home from home for Susan, she happily wandered around the shops with the children, buying handmade sketchbooks and exploring the little back streets and lesser known piazzas whilst Alan painted the joys of Venice – soaking up every inch of the Grand Canal, the view from the vaporetti (the water buses of Venice) and everything in between.

(Image Credit: Alan Reed Art)

https://alanreed.com/product/venetian-sunset
https://alanreed.com/product/st-mark-s-square-venice-1

It was undoubtedly the beginning of something special, especially for Alan who compares their trip to Venice “like being on a stage set”. The pinch-me moment came when the week all-too-quickly drew to a close and Alan found himself overcome with emotion, already planning his next trip to the city that had stolen his heart after only a week. “I’ll definitely be back”, he thought and he was right. Venice, and indeed Italy has been a constant source of inspiration for Alan’s artwork throughout his career, his works of Venice have been featured in art galleries and various art books over the years – but none can compare to the feeling of pure excitement and exhilaration the young family felt as took their first trip together to a place filled with so many memories – giving Alan a wonderful sensory insight to the wonders of Venice that he in turn shares with us all through his artwork.

When to Visit Venice:
Venice is magnificent any time of the year, beautifully hot in the summer months before turning icy cold in winter. The sight of everyone wrapped up in their furs and the frost dazzling on the canal is unforgettable – while the iconic Venice Carnival which takes place in February is a must not miss.

Where to Go: Head to the Castello neighbourhood of Venice and you will find the “Giardini” (gardens) where is nice to wander in the shade to cool off. We often took the boat over to the Lido to sunbathe on the beach. I would make a large container full of home made lemonade to take with us to drink throughout the day, it was so refreshing made with about a dozen fresh lemons.

Where to Eat: An unusual restaurant in the Jewish part of Venice was Gam Gam which serves fantastic tasty food and very reasonably priced. We also highly recommend Osteria Enoteca near San Marco and Antico Forno, near Rialto for a nice pizza. Try Al Covo Restaurant and Osteria all’Alba near Rialto for cocktails.

“When I lived there, my old Venetian friend Nai used to take the children and I to the island of Burano famous for its lovely different coloured painted houses and the old ladies sitting in the doorways making lace. I could hardly wait for Alan to capture all its colours. We ate in a restaurant called Al Gatto Nero (The black Cat) and sat outside in the sun eating Fritto Misto with a bottle of white wine, a memory to treasure”  – Susan Reed

 

Reedart Holidays in Italy

“The moon shines bright. In such a night as this. When the sweet wind did gently kiss the trees and they did make no noise, in such a night…”
― William Shakespeare, The Merchant of Venice

Follow this link to view all of Alan’s Venetian paintings currently available for sale. 

Painting Holiday May 2015

| reedart

The venue this year was the recently restored church Chiesa del Carmine, a building that was in ruins when Alan first painted it on location in 2004. We never dreamed that one day we would have the privilege of staying in, what is now, a beautifully restored building with breathtaking views and landscaped gardens.

The accommodation itself is stunning and is the perfect place to chill out and relax. There are plenty of subjects to paint in and around the property (which we did) but we also enjoyed a couple of day trips out and about.

The first was the small hilltop town Todi, just south of Perugia in Umbria. We based ourselves in the piazza. Alan and the painting guests sketched the architecture in watercolour before enjoying a delicious pizza at a nearby restaurant.

Alan Reed Painting Holidays
Sketchbook Watercolour by Alan Reed of Todi