Italian Men

Morning Chat
by Jane McElvany Coonce

I love Italian men.  Especially ones that sit on a park bench and don't move, even when they know you are painting them.  I started this painting the first morning that we painted in Italy.  It was a little hill town called San Gemini.  These 3 men sat on the park bench and chatted with each other.  Then a group of 16 artists descended on the town and began setting up to paint.  I set up across the piazza from them, and they knew I was painting them.  They didn't seem to care.  They just chatted away the whole morning and seemed oblivious to us.  Maybe they are used to artists setting up in their town.  But they were great models.  Because I was teaching, I had to stop what I was doing and go around and help the other artists.  So I ended up finishing this one at home.  I finished it last night and when I look at it, I smile with fond memories of painting in Umbria.