“16:30 Garda Impressions”

by Robert Leedy, 2002,
watercolor on Arches Hot Press paper,
12.375 x 11.25 in. / 31.4 x 28.6 cm.
Collection of the Artist

The Garda Impressions series is a group of three abstract watercolors painted sequentially over a period of several hours.

During our first few days in Gargnano, the local town on Lake Garda, the weather was quite hazy and foggy – so much so that we were not able to see the spectacular mountain vista across the lake. But these atmospheric conditions posed interesting problems to painting and I saw it as an opportunity to experiment a bit. In this series, the sun was setting and the light through the fog was changing dramatically. These paintings represent more of an emotional response on my part. I wasn’t so concerned with capturing what was physically in front of me as I was with conveying the mood of that beautiful afternoon. I noted the time of day in each painting’s title.

This painting was completed during a week-long painting workshop with Louise Freshman Brown in Lake Garda, Italy. Louise is a good friend and very talented artist. She teaches art at The University of North Florida in Jacksonville and does several workshops – at various locations in the US and abroad – throughout the year related to painting, collage & drawing. You can see her work here – Louise Freshman Brown . iL Chiostro, a company run by Italianophiles, Michael Mele & Linda Mironti, host the majority of Louise’s workshops throughout Italy. iL Chiostro does many creative workshops in locations such as Florence, Tuscany, Rome, Lake Garda, and Venice. Their web site is here: il Chiostro .