Watercolor course, I Moricci

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Since 2009, I have held watercolor courses every summer at the I Moricci farm, located near the small town of Fabbrica in Tuscany, Italy. I Moricci is a farm that engages in both active agriculture and tourism. This phenomenon is called Agriturismo, and there are more than 20,000 farms in Italy that receive government support by combining tourism with farming. These farms are small and often located in less accessible areas, which, without this support, would likely not survive.

I Moricci is a farm that produces wine and olive oil, and where you can rent apartments or rooms at reasonable prices. The course organizer rents the farm for the courses. This time, we were only eight people, two of whom did not paint, so there were only six course participants. That’s what happens when everyone wants their own room.

Some of us arrived late in the afternoon on Saturday. We were picked up at Pisa Airport by our host, Michael. During the car ride from Pisa to I Moricci, Michael told us a bit about the region’s history and food traditions. Once we arrived, we were assigned our rooms, followed by a relaxing moment with a glass of wine, during which all participants said the same thing: “It’s so beautiful here.” Later in the evening, we were served tomato soup with mascarpone and homemade bread. Shortly after, the remaining participants arrived and were served soup and wine.

The next day began with breakfast: freshly baked bread, homemade yogurt, cheese, salami, ham, and other treats. Coffee or tea and soft-boiled eggs. After breakfast, we had a bit of instruction about brushes, paper, and paints—basically, a little theory on different watercolor materials. I also demonstrated how to stretch watercolor paper, something the participants later did every evening, so they had a stretched paper ready to paint on the next day.

Later in the day, we began painting, starting with the basics like flat washes and wet-on-wet techniques. Both of these exercises were a bit challenging to execute due to the warm weather. The paint dries quickly when it’s hot. After that, we practiced these techniques: one exercise with house gables for the washes, and another with an onion for wet-on-wet. Then, we painted a simple still life. The participants learned a little watercolor technique and how to sketch a subject.

In the following days, we practiced various technical exercises, including brush techniques, color mixing, gradients, shading, and other useful skills. The participants also worked on exercises I had prepared at home with different subjects.

On Wednesday, the whole group went on a wine tasting and visited an olive oil press. They also visited San Gimignano, a medieval town with towers. I stayed at the farm to finish some paintings for an exhibition. I had leftovers for lunch (pasta with Gorgonzola sauce), drank a nice Italian beer, and had a cozy time with my paintings.

Thursday and Friday passed with more technical exercises and paintings. On Thursday evening, some of us walked to Fabbrica while others drove. We sat at a few tables in the small square in the center of the village. We ate pizza from the local pizzeria and drank wine we had brought with us. We tried several different pizzas, all of which were delicious. After a few hours in the warm evening in Fabbrica, while a few boys played football in another corner of the square, we walked back to the farm.

As a finale before dinner on Friday evening, the participants gathered their best paintings for a small exhibition that was appreciated and praised by Michael as we all sipped a glass of Prosecco.