Bastia, Corsica, France

Bastia is the largest city in northern Corsica, and is the passenger and freight port for most goods that arrive in Corsica from France and Italy. The old port has plenty of old charm in its dereliction and a lovely church that is very characteristic of the place. EEC money is pouring in to rejuvenate the historic districts and the “New Town” or Terra Nova as it is called which is the old Genoese quarter, has already seen a lot of renovation. However, the Corsicans are trying to maintain the old charm and are renovating the old buildings to their former glories.

The old port is surrounded by brightly decorated restaurants and cafes and the harbor is filled with small sailing yachts and a few old fishing boats. While I was there, you could drive and park on the harbor wall that made access very easy for painting the buildings and harbor lighthouses. You share the wharf with a few fishermen/women and only the occasional tourist. The harbor area is a little run down in places, but it’s a small price to pay to be able to enjoy such peace and freedom from the hordes of tourists that normally go with any pretty spot. There is a lot of shade here most of the day because the harbor wall is very high and in just the right position to provide shade all morning and into the early afternoon.

Above the old port is the Terra Nova which has been mostly restored and houses the lawyers, doctors and architects of the town. Its narrow streets and views down to the sea and old port provide a lot of painting material and you can always find shade here too. There is convenient parking just outside the Terra Nova walls. There are also some nice church buildings in this part of town, which provide additional subject matter. There is a garden that leads from the old port up to the Terra Nova and this garden also offers several opportunities to find shade later in the day and great vistas across the harbor and to the new port.

In the new harbor there are lots of large ferry boats which offer the opportunity to paint more modern subject matter. The colors of the large ferry boats are interesting (offering a nice contrast of blue grays against the azure Mediterranean skies) but the shapes of some of the boats are sometimes a little odd. Next to the new harbor is a large park where many people gather and which also has a regular flea market giving you the opportunity to do park scenes. There are many inexpensive hotels (but no apartments to rent). The most convenient hotel (Hotel Posta Vecchia) is right next to the old port, facing out to sea.


Overall rating: ****
Aesthetics: ****
Accessibility: *****
Tranquility: *****
Variety: ****
Shade: ****

Map: Bastia, Corsica, France

This location contributed by:
Barry John Raybould

Pacific Grove, California, USA

Pacific Grove on the Monterey Peninsula has some of the best rocky coastline in the world for plein air painting. It is very accessible since there is a road that runs along the coastline all the way from Monterey through Pacific Grove to Pebble Beach, so you can easily park you car in the many parking areas and you are within steps of your painting spot. The weather varies throughout the year and you can get some amazing winter storms in January and February that come in from the Pacific and create spectacular waves and colorful skies. In the summer the water is calmer and you get some wonderful shimmering effects across the bay. Beware that in the summer, from July to September, the fog can roll in and it can be very cool here so bring layers that you can put on and take off as the temperature changes.

The only drawback with this plein air painting location is that because it is so accessible you can be surrounded by tourists at any time, taking your photograph and asking you about your painting - they sometimes seem to think an artist is part of the tourism on offer!

Overall rating: ****
Aesthetics: ****
Accessibility: *****
Tranquility: **
Variety: ***
Shade: **

Map: Pacific Grove, CA USA

This location contributed by:
Barry John Raybould

Tsitsikamma National Park, South Africa

South Africa has great potential for plein air painting, with its variety of landscapes and climatic regions. My all-time favorite spot is the Storms River Mouth Restcamp in the Tsitsikamma National Park, which is a rocky stretch of coast known for its large waves battering the coast. There's also natural forest and a river with tea-coloured water should you somehow get bored with the sea.
For me painting in this national park solves the problem of being in an isolated spot on the coast in a country with a high crime rate. Access is controlled, and you've got spectacular scenery from the verandah of the accommodation (camping and chalets) should you not want to walk even a little way.
I've encountered baking sunny days with deep blue skies in January ending in slow sunsets over the sea. Mist in April where the waves were simply areas of more intense whites and greys, and it was impossible to tell where the sky ended and the sea started. There are cold sunny days and blustering storms in July, which also has the advantage that you don't have to get up so early to enjoy the sunrises. The only time of year I wouldn't go is the peak Christmas holiday season.
The park's website (see below) explains how to get there and you can check availability and book accommodation online.

Overall rating: *****
Aesthetics: *****
Accessibility: ****
Tranquility: *****
Variety: ****
Shade: * (except in forest)

Map: South African National Parks

This location contributed by:
Marion Boddy-Evans

Chianciano, Tuscany, Italy

Chianciano has a nice old town, but it abuts the newer Chianciano Terme, a busy modern spa resort mostly frequented by more elderly Italians seeking the health giving properties of its water. Therefore, although Chianciano is a good central base for the surrounding countryside, the town itself does not have the old world charm that Montepulciano and Pienza have. Chianciano does however have a more active social life and there are frequent concerts and festivals of one kind or another, mostly attended by locals. It also has the best market in the area, selling food, clothing and a few antiques, and the colors of the people and market stalls make great subject matter. This painting is an evening scene of the main (and only) road into the old town, with a view of the Val di Chiana in the distance.

Overall rating: **
Aesthetics: *
Accessibility: **
Tranquility: ***
Variety: **
Shade: **

Map: Chianciano, Tuscany, Italy

This location contributed by:
Barry John Raybould

Montepulciano, Tuscany, Italy

Although Montepulciano is one of the most beautiful hilltowns in Tuscany, and especially so when viewed from the surrounding countryside, it does have a lot of tourists. Its main street, which connects the lower and upper areas of the town, has too much motor traffic to be a good painting location. It does, however, have some great places to paint if you know where to look. One of these locations is by the Porta de Grassi. The few streets around this zone have that magic three-part formula of:

• Good light/shade pattern on the subject


• Shade for the painter, which is really important in June, July and August


• Little traffic and few tourists.

The trash collector who works in this area each morning is very interested in art and often stops to chat! From Montepulciano, you get beautiful long vistas of the Valdichiana valley. These views can be spectacular on a stormy day, reminiscent of a Turner landscape. Parts of the valley can be hit by sunlight with warm greens and ochres, while other areas are under cloud shadows in cool grays and blues, getting bluer in the distance as the vista recedes to the mountains of Umbria. A great place to get this view is from the Art Deco Caffé Poliziano.

I painted the "Madonna di San Biago", under the walls of Montepulciano. It is a beautifully architectured church in a lovely setting. Sunsets are particularly beautiful. A good place to stay is Montorio, an agriturismo just outside the old town. Although you have some traffic noise from the main Pienza/Montepulciano/Chianciano road, it is more than compensated for by its great location. Not only is it within walking access of the old town, but it has the advantage of being the best sunset painting location in Montepulciano. As a guest you have three options at sunset, from painting the sunset itself from outside your room, to painting the view of the beautiful church of San Biagio as the last rays of the sun catch the warm tones of the stone, to painting the golden orange/green of the sun on the hill of cypress trees just below the old town – simply magical. You have to book early to get this place though, since they only have five apartments.

Overall rating: *****
Aesthetics: *****
Accessibility: **
Tranquility: **
Variety: ****
Shade: ***

Map: Montepulciano, Tuscany, Italy

This location contributed by:
Barry John Raybould

Castello, Venice, Italy

The Castello area is one of the few genuine neighborhoods of Venice. In this area you will find some everyday scenes to paint and practice your plein air painting skills. You can paint the market stalls that set up every morning on Via Garibaldi, the vegetable barge on the canal at the end of the same street, and the avenue of trees through the Giardini (gardens) that lead to the embankment where you have open views of the lagoon.
When you are planning any painting, it is important to make sure you spend a lot of time getting the composition right before you put brush to canvas, or you are wasting your time. I am currently renting an apartment in the Castello area so I get a lot of opportunities to practice my compositions, such as in this painting I did of the vegetable barge owner and his customers who tend to stand around chatting for a long time which gives you plenty of chance to get them in place.
If you paint here you my find a few of the local "artists" will come and chat to you about your work, or theirs, but you will not be bothered by too many tourists since there is not much in this area of Venice to attract them.

Overall rating: ***
Aesthetics: *****
Accessibility: *****
Tranquility: ***
Variety: ****
Shade: ***

Map: Castello, Venezia, Italy

This location contributed by:
Barry John Raybould

Giudecca, Venice, Italy

Giudecca island in Venice is off the beaten path for the tourists. It may not be as attractive overall as the other islands in Venice for plein air painting, but it does have some very beautiful spots for painting the water. It also has the advantage that it is relatively quiet and you get to meet the locals Venetians along the quay front where they do their shopping. (There’s a great fresh fish shop here too).
When I stayed there I had a third floor apartment that had views up towards Santa Maria della Salute, and the morning scenes on the water were stunning. I got up several times at five in the morning to paint the canal in the sunrise. The morning light sparkles on the water and the silhouette of San Giorgio Maggiore together with that of Santa Maria della Salute makes a backdrop. The effect lasts around only a half hour so you’ll need a couple of painting sessions to get it.
Be prepared however, if you stay next to the Giudecca canal, that all the large cruise ships come along this canal to the docks, and they completely dwarf the palaces, many of these ships being
twelve stories high. There is a tremendous amount of boat traffic on the Giudecca canal which is interesting to watch, although it does go on all night long if you have a room right next to the canal.
They are rebuilding the canals and renovating the promenades, and I found some unusual canal paintings formed by the construction equipment used. If you go down the back alleyways here though, you can really get away from the tourist traffic since only locals go there, and you can paint the calmer waters of the smaller canals. All in all I like Giudecca island as a base for Venice and have been back several times to paint.

Overall rating: ****
Aesthetics: ****
Accessibility: *****
Tranquility: *****
Variety: ***
Shade: ***

Map: Giudecca, Venezia, Italy

This location contributed by:
Barry John Raybould

Piazza San Marco, Venice, Italy

Venice has a unique character and, although packed with tourists, there are some good plein air painting spots off the beaten path that you can get to easily using the public water taxi system. There are several islands in the Venetian lagoon including the less visited Giudecca as well as the more well known islands of Murano and further afield, Burano.

No matter what time of day you go to Piazza San Marco, it is crowded with tourists waiting to get water taxis to other locations, or lining up to get into the Doge’s Palace. I tried to plein air paint along the waterfront a few times where there are lovely views across to San Giorgio Maggiore, and although the view was magnificent, you won’t be able to avoid the hordes of tourists. I like the evening view the best since the late light on the façade of San Giorgio is beautiful. It is best viewed from across the water from San Marco but you can also get a view of it from the promenade next to the Santa Maria della Salute.
I did this plein air painting of Santa Maria della Salute from Piazza San Marco on a rainy day so there were not too many tourists around to bother me. There is only one location where you can get a good view to Santa Maria della Salute without being on a private restaurant balcony or in a main thoroughfare and away from the tourists, but you need to explore the side alleys quite a lot to find it. When you find the right alleyway, it ends up in a small platform over the water in front of one of the palaces and has a great view over to Santa Maria della Salute. This particular alleyway is almost directly opposite the church. You won’t be bothered by tourists, just the occasional person using the boat moorings there to load supplies. I didn’t find any secluded places where you can get an interesting oblique view and I spent several hours trying. The only oblique view was from in front of the water taxi stop, but there was a lot of traffic there.

Money saving tip: if you are planning to stay in Venice for a week or so, buy one of the weekly passes on the water taxis. It’s much cheaper and you’ll have easy access to the whole of Venice.

Overall rating: **
Aesthetics: *****
Accessibility: *****
Tranquility: *
Variety: **
Shade: **

Map: Piazza San Marco, Venezia, Italy

This location contributed by:
Barry John Raybould