Field in Italy mixed media landscape painting by Polly Jones

Field in Italy by Polly Jones

I painted this during some down time in Italy.  The imagery came from a photograph taken out the window on the bus. I believe it has a museum pass and a grocery receipt hidden under the paint.  It was meant to show through but I painted over it too much.  8" square acrylic on canvas.

Watercolor Landscapes from Italy by Polly Jones

View from San Miniato by Polly Jones

View from The Boboli Gardens by Polly Jones

These were painted on site. We found high places in Florence for amazing views.  Having time to sit and paint was a great way to experience Italy and rejuvenate.  It was a wonderful contrast to all of the crowded museums and mass transportation. 

The top painting was done with a micron pen and watercolor while the bottom was just plain watercolor.  I'm still trying to get the hang of the layering process of watercolor.  It really makes a difference to let areas dry before adding details.  It creates a more translucent affect with crisp edges to contrast with the more "flowey" areas.  I think I just made up a word.

Summer Fruit original still life painting by Polly Jones

Summer Fruit by Polly Jones

I began this 8" by 10" still life in Oxford as a demonstration piece and then finished it up after we traveled to Italy.  I ended up adding the stripes from imagination because it was pretty boring without them.  We saw a lot of orange in Italy with all of the terra cotta roofs.  I've added this painting to my Etsy store here.

two landscape watercolors

Watercolor landscapes by Polly Jones

Hello again.  I hope all is well with you!  I've been away for a couple of months.  My husband was one of the art professors with a college study abroad group and I was able to tag along on a wonderful trip.  We were based in Oxford, England and Scandicci, Italy and our time was spent museum hopping and painting.

I'll be sharing a few pieces from the trip over the next few days.  Above are watercolors I did in Oxford.  The first was the view across the street from the house we stayed in.  The second was done in University Parks from a bench that J.R. Tolkein frequented.  Watercolor is not my favorite way to paint but it's growing on me.