Painting start up and a shiny day of great rewards

Shiny day today! This morning we started up with painting. I made an oil demo in the quite yard of the hotel. We painted the roof top line and the light lavender facade of the hotel -- wich is a 700's villa, now elegantly restored. The combination of ochre stone walls and the the facade, was pretty inspiring. I however focused the session on tonal underpainting structure.
Jerry -- who's an almost absolute begenner -- made a good job as well as his wife Janet, who's an advanced painter. Patricia, sculptor and oil painter, tried several watercolor sketches. Claudio rested in his room with his laptop and books.
The afternoon tour to the old town of Modica, included the visit the cathedrals of San Giorgio and San Pietro, both built in the Sicilian baroque style. At the end of the walk, how couldn't we stop and shop at the Cioccolatteria Bonajuto? They are the oldest chocolat makers in Sicily, founded in 1880.
To reward ourselves for this sacrifice, I drove the group to Pozzallo on the ocean, for a dinner based on spaghetti with fresh sea food and grilled fish. Excellent prize!

Sicily Painting Workshop countdown

Getting ready to fly to Catania, for my first workshop in Sicily -- Monday 4th to Sunday 10th, May 2009. I am excited to meet this group of Americans willing to visit and paint outdoor in the Noto valley. I've travelled in this area a few years ago and felt in love with the wildness of the territory and nonetheless the stunning richness of its Baroque heritage. So I guess I am a bit afraid I would have to find my way to the several locations I planned to show to these new friends. As an expat Sicilian (but from the western coast) -- I am confident that my people and home land won't let me down. So I hope the Gps navigator!