We had to reblog the story of Shirleyann Brough, an artist of Studio Italia.

art classes Italy

Undoubtedly, Refus Global or Total Refusal is one of the most important texts written in Canada. This anti-establishment and anti-religious manifesto, written by Paul-Émile Borduas and co-signed by a group of sixteen young French-Canadian artists and intellectuals, was released in 1948. This text brought finally modernity to Canadian art, or, Canadian painting ceased to be the trailer of international art. A few pages long, this text has all the wisdom of all the self-help books in the market. During our art class in Provence this summer, we will discuss it.  I always ask my painting students to memorize the last sentence because it will become their mantra if they want to succeed as artists: “Until then, we will not rest or falter. Hand in hand with others thirsting for a better life, no matter how long it takes, regardless of support or persecution, we will joyfully respond to a savage need for liberation”. Perseverance is the key to all successful artists.

Having said this, I would like to share the story of Shirleyann Brough, a former participant of one of our painting workshops in Tuscany, who followed this mantra. And through her perseverance, she was featured in an issue of the Australian magazine Artists Palette (No. 138 p.28-31).

Art courses Tuscany Italy

Shirleyann Brough, Windy Road

As written in the article about her works, entitled Art Gave Back My Life, in 2009, feeling overwhelmed by an unrewarding and stressful job, Shirleyann decided to take painting lessons. This decision triggered a series of events that changed completely her life and that helped her construct a new identity. Shortly after Shirleyann started to paint, a friend told her about our art workshops in Italy and she decided to register for our October session of Studio Italia 2011. Shirleyann arrived in Tuscany full of enthusiasm and ready to grasp every opportunity to grow. Following our combination of art theory lectures, painting exercises, and group critiques, it did not take long for Shirleyann to learn how to manipulate oils, but most importantly, to develop a personal style, which is the real challenge for an artist. “I was 65 and having the time of my life, we were taken to some small towns, painting in the piazzas and on the roadside. I had never dreamt that I could ever go to Italy to paint. Painting became my passion…Through my art some major lessons; I have learned that not everyone will like or accept my art and that is o.k.” she says.  Today, Shirleyann is a full-time artist and her works are exhibited in various galleries and cafés around Adelaide. She is also very active in her community and facilitates art classes as a volunteer at three nursing homes.

Thanks to her passion, hard work, and perseverance, Shirleyann was able to liberate her true self and at Walk the Arts, we are honored of being part of her story.

 

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Who are we?

We all make art! It is part of culture. It is deeply rooted in human nature as a way of communicating with others. We all need to tell our stories because it is stories that link us all. We are all one, one creative mind! Though, all unique and equipped with unique ways of expressing ourselves. We live in constant search of that unique liberating voice. At Walk the Arts we aim to facilitate our art makers to explore new territories. Our painting classes and art history trips on three continents are meant to be rounded art experiences among small groups of like-minded adults. We offer an environment that fosters creativity. As we always say, art as religion is just a matter of faith. This blog is about living fully the experience of art, about finding our single artistic path, about the joy of art-making. We believe that making art accessible to all will lead to a betterment of our society.

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“Re-situating” myself

 

Alone in your studio, guided by your intuition, stop, sit down, with your notes in hand, your mindmap on the wall, to gather a feel for the next avenues. I suggest you take a few days to write down a first draft of an artistic statement. It will put some order into your thoughts so as to better clarify them. Be warned, however, that this will not be your final statement, as others will follow.
Set parameters: no more than 500 words, write a seductive title, an incipit (very first line) that hooks; write in the active form. Watch out for repetition and tautology! The more honest you are with yourself, the easier it will be to write this text. The more you hesitate to let go with your art, the harder it will be.

Gray a Philosophical “Color”

 

“Over the past 40 years, I’ve seen students in the process of transitioning from saturated colors to grayed ones, a sign of serious questioning about painting. As a beginner, we shy away from mixing colors, and the more we progress in our creative practice, the more daring we become. That’s life! When we’re children, we only see saturated colors, and as we get older, gray takes over. Adults realize that gray is everywhere. “The color of truth is gray” wrote the French author André Gide.”

We can face Artificial Intelligence

 

How many times were we tempted to fall into the trap of mainly teaching painting techniques now all available on the Net? Just type “How to paint an Italian Landscape” and … two million plus videos jump onto your computer screen.

A First History of NFTs

 

“I think the reason […] I’ve chosen the career that I have is because artists are always the seers or the truth tellers. They show us the way forward”. Nora Burnett Abrams, The Story of NFTs, Artists, Technology, and Democracy. P. 53

The World of NFTs!

 

I had to know if NFT art is and will be a fad or not. In Canada’s national capital (Ottawa) art world, I kept hearing that it is not going to last, it’s all smoke and mirrors, ya-ya-ya, etc. So, I entered the Palazzo Strozzi with an open mind. I saw the works, I read everything on the walls, and I came out of the exhibition thinking “It is here to stay.” From that moment, on la Via de’ Tomabuoni, I felt compelled as an art historian and art educator to embrace this new reality. Didn’t we do it for Pop Art and Conceptual Art in the late ’50s and ‘60s?

My painting workshop in Tuscany

 

Already a month since my return from a fun-filled art-learning experience in Tuscany, Italy! The workshop went far beyond what I even imagined, or hoped it would be. The roughly eight hours per day for most days of art instruction gave me a new perspective on my art: where I was and where I wanted to be, the past and the future. But, together as a group, we were living in the present.

Studio Italia, a painting vacation with…

 

If our art workshops focused mostly on painting techniques, then why traveling to Italy and spending money when you could stay at home and learn everything you need through the Internet for free?

Art and Neurosciences

 

When a subject becomes familiar, the brain activity shuts down like when viewing a lovely chickadee painting…

Can we talk about the neuroscience of art? This is the question that French neurobiologist Jean-Pierre Changeux addresses in his beautiful book The Beauty in the Brain or La Beauté dans le Cerveau (Odile Jacob, 2016). Prof. Changeux describes how the human brain behaves when making or contemplating a work of art. To make a long story short, he argues that the neural bases of aesthetic pleasure are the product of the link between cognitive and emotional brain functions, in other words, the harmony between reason and emotion. Moreover, he gives some tips on how artists can maximize the impact of their works on their audience.

Evolving in art is just a matter of faith; only believe!

 

We refrain from teaching painting techniques easily found on the Net. We prefer taking the necessary time (36 hours) to fully involve the participant in reflecting on her or his art — including all levels, all media […]
Rest assured that having attended one of our online classes, you will be more confident in taming the landscape in your own way while on a plein-air painting workshop.

Let Go! The Artist’s Way of Cooking


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Ten years ago, here in Tuscany, we decided to write a recipe book but with so many good cookbooks in the market, we needed to propose a new idea. We had to find a modus operandi close to who we are and what we do as visual artists. The answer was in front of us and painting gave it to us: art and color!

Travelling with meaning : a painting workshop in Italy

 

More and more travellers from the developed world are looking for meaningful travels. We are aiming for journeys that allow us to learn something new, to deepen our culture, to enhance our lives. Purpose, inspiration and self-discovery are now vital elements in our traveling choices. Probably, this is why our quality painting workshops offered since 1997, have become more and more popular.

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