House on the Hill

Long before we decided to buy in Tuscany, even though HWEM had been lobbying from the moment we arrived, I fell in love with a little house on the hill. When we walked the dogs, I used to point at it behind the wall and say 'If I were going to live here, that's the house I'd want. After we bought our apartment, the garden of which backs on to the wall, I realised it was directly in front of 'my' house on the hill. My pointing finger was obviously off target!

Today I rugged up and took my sketchbook out to the top of the garden and sketched the view in pencil. By the time I finished sketching my bum was starting to feel numb so I retreated to my 'studio' to add the watercolour. I hope it's a sign that I am becoming more adventurous and will spend more time sketching and painting en plein air this year. The detail of all the foliage and terracotta usually overwhelms me. I think the time I've spent this month trying to learn from the marks of Van Gogh, has made me a bit more confident and much less literal.