Connecticut, USA
2007 / 2010 / 2012 / 2015 / 2018
We met Sandra first and, together, we forged a long-standing collaboration comprising several artistic residencies and classes for numerous groups of professional painters and students from the United States. On Sandra's most recent stay, we met Susan. The twin sisters have devoted themselves to the two arts: painting for Sandra and sculpture for Susan; their father had encouraged their artistic education by being a painter himself.
Sandra's fondness for Il Palmerino began in 2007, before the association was even founded. Sandra's eye immediately caught the location's appeal, and her sensitivity shown through, in her plein air paintings. She would author numerous works in the flower garden, especially in autumn. Reddish leaves and late-blooming Japanese anemones or the re-flowering of roses sparked her imagination, as she created myriad scenes.
Sandra's knowledge of the area grew, during her frequent visits, and we would alternate moments of painting with those centred around learning about the Tuscan culture via visits and excursions to the region's most evocative sites, which we would help her access. She is always respectful of cultural differences and attentive to nuances, a characteristic evident in her art as well.
Susan had a easier road, having lived vicariously through her sister's stories and pre-existing connection with our day-to-day realities. Yet, she also has a keen ability to harmonise with this environment. In short, we simply doubled our affection and found with Susan, the same confidence and ease of interaction we have always had with her twin.