This painting came to mind today, it’s of an old friend who has a birthday tomorrow. Painted after we met up for some lunch in the Piazza Santa Croce in Florence, while painting there in 1994.

I had an extraordinary studio in Borgo San Frediano at the time , which was part of Pasquale Romanelli’s studio for most of the 1800’s. When I arrived I discovered the studio was up a large marble staircase . In the poor light from a small window , taking the stairs, I passed to my right a large workshop, where life size sculptures of figures on horseback and other wonderful sculptures were crowded together gathering dust . At the top of the stairs was a big circular studio ,under a huge dome ceiling, this was to be my work space and base. I had a small bed in the corner, and gathered together an easel, chair and paints under a window by some old double doors which opened precariously ( without a balcony) to reveal the city and its people below .

By day I walked in search of the fresco’s, paintings and sculptures until then I had then only read about. In the evening when it was cooler I would paint, inspired by all I had seen.

I discovered that here oil paint would dry very fast, it meant I could experiment with some different methods of working, like glazing . In a Cornish winter it could take a week for a layer of oil paint to dry, here it was dry in a day .

I produced a lot of work while there and subsequently. In some I was thinking about home in others reflecting and learning from what I had seen . Here are just a few.

Italy, its culture and people remain in my heart, and always will .