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Italian Artisan Courses in Florence, Italy
Specialized Decorative Painting courses
 Courses
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 Schedule & fees |
 How to register
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 About the teachers
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These courses each have a specific focus for
decorative painters who wish to learn an historical style or
concentrate on a particular technique. They can be requested
as private lessons or
incorporated as part of a customized course. |
Ornamental Landscape
Level: 2 | Hours: 20
Duration: Monday to Friday | Time: 9:00-13:00
| Dates and prices
Example projects:
Practice how to make an ornamental landscape to insert into a
cartouche or decorative scheme
Course description:
Learn how to make quick yet effective and very expressive small
landscapes. These can be used as complements to a chiaroscuro
trompe l’eoil decorative scheme, on furniture, or as separate
small paintings in their own right.
Techniques covered:
• how to prepare grounds for painting
• how to construct a landscape, foreground, middle ground and
distance
• use of casein paints
• composition and use of colour
• study of 16th and 17th century Italian landscapes, 18th and
19th century French styles
• various finishing techniques with varnish or shellac
• antiquing, waxing and patina
The courses take place within the Florenceart studio, a
working art studio producing Florentine decoration for furniture
and walls for the international interior design industry.
Students can observe and learn from their surroundings as well
as from the teaching. See our work spaces.
All levels are welcome. Teaching is in English or Italian. The
group size is limited to a maximum of 8 participants per course.
Projects per student:
• 1 monochromatic small landscape on a wooden panel
• 1 full colour small landscape on primed canvas panel
• extra sample panels can be produced according to speed and
desire of individual students to explore new techniques under
the guidance of the teacher.
Instructor: Alison Woolley.
View Alison's
work. Read more about
Alison
Chinoiserie Panel
2 day weekend course | Level: 1,2 |
Hours: 1666
Duration: Saturday to Sunday | Time: 9:00-17:30
| Dates and prices
Example projects:
Course objectives:
• Become familiar with this elegant European style used for
furniture and wall coverings
• learn to work with materials for wooden panels and furniture
• learn important elements of composition for a decorative panel
• learn simple techniques for the use of gold leaf in
chinoiserie
• make two samples of chinoiserie ornament
About the course:
This course deals with the whimsical Chinoiserie style popular
in Europe since the 17th century. The style developed when
Europeans, intrigued by the exotic east, created imagery of an
imaginary China in this decorative style. We explore the rich
colours, shiny finished surfaces and gilt accents of this style
while creating two lovely panels as samples to take away from
the course. One sample is on a wooden board and the other is on
canvas.
Instructor: Alison Woolley.
View Alison's
work. Read more about
Alison
Italian Column or
Pilaster ornament
weekend course | Level: 1,2 |
Hours: 16
Duration: Friday 14:00-18:00, Saturday 9:00-17:30,
Sunday 9:00-13:00 (on request the course can be changed to
full days Saturday and Sunday) |
Dates and prices
Example projects:
Course objectives:
• Become familiar with Italian styles of painted decoration for
pilasters.
• Learn to work with materials for wall decoration
• Learn to create a harmonious scale of colours and shades
• Learn use of stencils in combination with hand painting
• Make a fabulous sample of pilaster ornament on easily
transportable canvas, which can then be installed in any
interior.
About the course:
This intensive course focuses on one aspect of applied
decoration: The decorated column or pilaster, a common motif for
the decorative artist’s portfolio. By creating an example piece,
students have a hands-on opportunity to understand the
historical aspects of creating this type of decoration , the
techniques involved in executing it and its many modern
applications.
Instructor: Alison Woolley.
View Alison's
work. Read more about
Alison
Composition of Ornament
Level: 2 |
Hours: 20
Duration: Monday to Friday | Time: 14:00-18:00 |
Dates and prices
Example projects:
Course objectives:
• Become well versed in historical styles of ornament
• learn to compose and adapt freehand ornament
• Train your eye to create balance and flow in decorative
schemes
• Use colour effectively within a composition
About the course:
The decorative painter is often called upon to create decorative
ornament that is site specific. Style, weight, colour,
composition and subject matter all must be considered. This
course deals very much with the planning stages involved in
effectively realizing freehand decoration within given
parameters.
The course consists in a carefully considered series of
exercises focusing on gaining a greater facility in working with
composition and adaptation of ornament. The course commences
with a presentation on historical styles of ornament. Students
can also take advantage of being in Florence to view and
document various famous historical decorative schemes in person.
The studio sessions are taught by Alison Woolley, experienced
decorative painter and teacher, owner of Florenceart.net.
The initial exercises involve charcoal drawing techniques. The
final exercises involve limited use of colour in painted
decoration.
Instructor: Alison Woolley.
View Alison's
work. Read more about
Alison
Florentine Panel
weekend course | Level: 1,2 |
Hours: 16
Duration: Friday 14:00-18:00, Saturday 9:00-17:30,
Sunday 9:00-13:00 (on request the course can be changed to
full days Saturday and Sunday) |
Dates and prices
Example projects:
Course objectives:
• create a beautifully decorated carved wooden wall plaque
• learn antique decorative techniques for wooden panels and
furniture
• learn to make gesso and gilders bole
• learn to apply gold leaf
• explore Florentine motifs and colour combinations
• learn techniques for creating an antique patina
About the course:
Starting with an unfinished carved wooden plaque we teach the
traditional procedures for applying a gesso base, gilders bole
and a small gilded border, then add a painted and antiqued
decorative motive in the center. There is much scope for
individual colour, finish and design choices within this
project.
Instructor: Alison Woolley.
View Alison's
work. Read more about
Alison
Grottesca (grotesque) Ornament
Level: 2,3 |
Hours: 20
Duration: Monday to Friday | Time: 9:00-13:00 or 14:00-18:00 |
Dates and prices
Example projects:
Course objectives:
• Become familiar with famous Italian style of "Grottesca (grotesque)"
ornament and learn its history.
• learn to work with materials for wall decoration and for
wooden panels.
• create a rich and harmonious colour palette
• make a two or three sample panels of Grottesca (grotesque) ornament for
your portfolio
About the course:
This intensive course focuses on one aspect of painted
decoration: The decorative style called "Grottesca (grotesque)" that
characterizes many famous interiors in Florence and Rome. Grottesca (grotesque) decoration is a renaissance style which takes its name
from the grottos, or archaeological digs, which took place in
renaissance times. These excavations unearthed richly decorated
antique Roman interiors, specifically the villa of Nerone, The
Domus Aurea, excavated in Rome in 1480. The artists of the day
were so taken by this lively and versatile decorative style that
they incorporated it immediately in their commissioned works.
Raphael decorated the Logge of the Vatican in this style and
later in Florence, Vasari's workshop decorated the Palazzo
Vecchio with Grottesca (grotesque) motifs. The style is infinitely adaptable
and is fun for artists because it is fresh, colourful, and
contains many unexpected amusing elements.
Florence Museum itinerary for Grottesca (grotesque) decoration:
Palazzo Vecchio Firenze:
http://www.museicivicifiorentini.it/palazzovecchio/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palazzo_Vecchio
The seat of civic power in Florence since the 13th century, this
palace is an important stop on a Grottesca (grotesque)-viewing tour. The
museum on the first floor allows visitors an up-close view of
the Grottesca (grotesque) decorations executed by Vasari’s workshop in the
16th century. The courtyard is also a good place to view
Grottesca (grotesque) ornamentation, though the work is badly worn due to
exposure to the elements.
Uffizi Gallery:
http://www.polomuseale.firenze.it/english/uffizi/
Never mind the masterpieces in the gallery rooms, you can spend
your time in the hallways looking up at the decorated ceilings,
viewing more of Vasari’s rich and varied Grottesca (grotesque)
ornamentation.
Instructor: Alison Woolley.
View Alison's
work. Read more about
Alison
Floral and Polychrome Ornament
Level: 2,3 | Hours: 20 to 30
Duration: Monday to Friday |
Dates and prices
Example projects:
Course description:
This course focuses on the effective use of a varied colour
palette and confident, free flowing decorative painting when
composing and executing floral motifs and ornament. During the
course we focus on completing two sample panels, either on a
wooden or canvas base, depending on the preference of the
student. The ornamental motifs are based on historical models
and we try to maintain a fresh and spontaneous quality in the
painting. Paints and grounds are water based.
Subjects covered:
• Making grounds
• Casein paints, tempera paints
• Choosing a colour palette, blending colours
• Historical polychrome ornament
• Historical botanical illustration
• Simple composition of ornament
• Transferring the design
• Brushstroke and shading
• Finishes and Patinas
Projects per student:
• 1 polychromatic rinceaux ornamental panel
• 1 full colour floral ornament
• extra sample panels can be produced according to speed and
desire of individual students to explore new techniques under
the guidance of the teacher.
Instructor: Alison Woolley.
View Alison's
work.
Painting and Incising on Gold Leafed Grounds Level: 2
| Hours: 20
Duration: Monday to Friday | Time: 14:30-18:30|
Dates and prices
Example projects:
Make beautiful glittering works of art incised in gold.
Course description:
This course teaches you several truly beautiful and historically
correct methods for decorating gilded surfaces. The techniques
learned are useful to create exquisite quality decoration for
furniture, frames and panels, and as a starting point to learn
techniques useful in antique restoration.
Techniques covered:
• traditional preparation of
gesso and bole for gold leafed surfaces
• water gilding with real gold
leaf
• burnishing and punch work or
"bulinatura" as seen on Italian altar panels and museum frames
• scratched pattern or "sgraffito"
work common on renaissance frames
• use of casein paints and egg
tempera for painting on gilded surfaces
• composition and use of
colour
• study of 16th and 17th
century Italian landscapes, 18th and 19th century French style
• antiquing, waxing and patina
Projects per student:
• 1 small gilded, incised and
decorated panel
• 1 small frame, gilded and
decorated according to the taste of the individual participant.
• extra sample panels can be
produced according to speed and desire of individual students to
explore new techniques under the guidance of the teacher.
Instructor: Alison Woolley.
View Alison's
work. Read more about Alison
Courses
listt |
Schedule & fees
|
How to register
|
About the teachers
|
Accommodation
For more information and registration please write to
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