Greece – UK
Since 2009
We met Rea in the garden and the encounter had the brightness and intensity of the blooming rose. Rea had been a citizen of Florence for many years and she discovered us, just as her chapter as a resident of the city was coming to a close. Rea's relationship with Il Palmerino has become indissolubly interconnected with her affiliation with Florence, as she has often spent time in residence here, either as part of her own creative development or to organise outdoor watercolour workshops for English and Italian students.
Florence is one of Rea’s favourite places, cited along with Greece, as her special 'secret garden', to which she returns to draw inspiration and recharge her batteries, amidst re-found friendships and re-discovered emotions. Thanks to her deep passion for art and her commitment to the promotion of women's culture, she has written numerous articles dedicated to our setting, spotlighting exhibitions and events in which she has actively participated by staying with us and sharing their beginnings.
We are also linked through Advancing Women Artists, of which she has been a dedicated supporter. Rea’s love for the ephemeral gestures of a dancer or her attention to the perfume released by a blossoming flower find expression in her brushstrokes. They capture the moment and immortalise it, and this is especially true of her watercolour scrolls.
Rea was also in 2011 with us in Bulgaria as an invited artist for the Goat Milk Festival and her performance in one of the uninhabited houses in Bela Recka will remain dear in our shared memories.
In her own words:
"Il Palmerino is a welcoming place where I can develop my creativity in a Florentine
and Tuscan atmosphere that looks beyond and embraces the world."