Spannocchia
Painting Workshop in Italy
June 7 - 14, 2024
Many years ago, as an undergraduate studying fine art at the University of California at Santa Barbara, I spent a semester in Europe as part of a study abroad program that focused on art. Twenty students along with two professors took over a pensione in Florence for a month, immersing ourselves in the art and culture of the Rennaisance. It was a life-changing trip and the beginning of my love of all things Italian. So it is with great excitement that I am now returning to Tuscany each summer—this time as a teacher—for my week long painting workshop, and I hope you can join me!
+ pricing
$3,200 Private Accommodation / $2,900 Shared Accommodation / $1,200 Nonpainting Partner
This includes:
- Seven nights accommodation in one of the villa rooms
- Three meals a day of farm fresh Italian cuisine, including wine made on the property.
- All art materials
- Full use of painting studio and all other facilities of the estate
- Painting instruction, lectures, demos, and critiques
- A 3 hour guided tour of Siena
- Pickup and drop off in Florence. For convenience sake the Florence train station has worked great in the past.
What isn’t included:
- Airfare to Italy
- Optional Italian cooking class offered at Spannochia
Payment schedule:
- $500 nonrefundable deposit to hold your place
- 50% payment due by February 15 (less deposit)
- Full payment due by May 25
Cancellation:
- After February 15th, 50% refund
- After May 25th, no refund
Travel insurance is recommended; we’ve had good experiences with Matt Konold at AAA Carolinas. He can be reached at mtkonold@aaacarolinas.com.
For help with airfare, car rentals, and any additional travel plans, I’ve partnered with Nancy Little of QuintessenceTravel in Los Angeles to help with all of your needs. She can be reached at nancy@quintessencetravel.com.
For remaining balance, call me at (828) 774-8431 or email dpskinner@earthlink.net
+ location
Just 20 miles south of Siena, in the heart of Tuscany, the workshop will take place at an 1,100-acre tenuta (agricultural estate) called Spannochia, which has been in operation since the 12th century and is a working organic farm known for its wine, olive oil, and award-winning salumi. The farm has the quintessential feel of Tuscany with its array of rustic outbuildings dominated by a 58-foot stone tower overlooking the estate. Our studio will be housed in the Museo building, a beautiful sun-filled space that holds some important Etruscan artifacts and has vaulted ceilings. From its hilltop perch, Spannochia has views of the surrounding beautiful scenery, which can be enjoyed on the veranda with a glass of estate-produced wine and light snacks after a full day of painting. There’s also a lovely pool on the estate in case you’d like to take a refreshing dip after lunch or after a nice walk around the farm. Given Spannochia’s location in the heart of Tuscany, we will be making at least one group trip to nearby towns like San Gimignano, Pienza, Montepulciano, or Siena.
+ studio and art supplies
During our week of painting at Spannochia, we will primarily be working in a space called the Museo. It’s a wonderfully inspiring space full of old-world charm with plenty of room for our group to spread out and make some great paintings. For the most part we will be working from photographs I’ve taken of the area, though there is also the opportunity to take the easels outside and paint from life. I will have a full range of professional-grade acrylic paints, canvas panels, art paper, brushes, palettes, latex gloves, buckets, and easels. However, if you’d like to use another medium such as oil paints or watercolor, feel free to bring those. Even though I will provide brushes for your use, if you have any favorite brushes I would suggest bringing those as well.
+ food and lodging
One of my favorite times during the painting workshop at Spannocchia is mealtime. Not only is the food amazing, but of I enjoy the fellowship that develops during the week, and communal meals are always a great time for conversation and camaraderie.
Given that we will be staying at an organic farm, the meals prepared at Spannochia highlight fresh seasonal ingredients grown on the property (including their award-winning heritage pork). Dinner is an especially nice time for gathering on the terrace before our meal, with a glass of the estate-produced wine and an opportunity to talk about all the breakthroughs that are happening in the studio!
Accommodations will be in one of the charming rooms reserved for our group in Spannochia’s Villa building. The rooms are decorated with tile and marble floors and rustic antique furniture, and have lovely views. The workshop price is based on a shared double room, though for an extra cost a limited amount of single rooms are available on a first-come, first-served basis.
+ logistics and itinerary
Spannochia is located about 1 1/2 hours from the Florence airport, and I will be coordinating with everyone to schedule a pick up at the Florence train station parking lot where my hired driver will meet you. If you want to have some freedom to roam during the week, renting a car is a good option and will allow you to drive to Spannochia.
The first day of your arrival will be a time to get settled into your room, rest up from your long flight, and take a stroll around the farm to get the lay of the land. Our first proper day of painting will begin with breakfast followed by a tour of Spannochia by one of the staff, and then we’ll set up in the studio. During the rest of the week, I’ll give morning lectures and demos, followed by one-on-one guidance throughout the day. We’ll break for lunch midday, and then go back into the studio for more painting. If you feel like taking a break, there’s the pool and farm to explore. Also during the week will be taking a trip to Siena where I've arranged a guided tour for our group which is included in the workshop pricing.
+ Optional Cooking Class
If you would like to take a break from painting and explore the world of Italian cooking, Spannocchia offers a wonderful cooking class. The class meets at 9 a.m. and will begin with a tour of the garden then on to the kitchen where you will prepare a three-course meal for lunch. You’ll enjoy the pleasure of eating your creation and drinking a nice glass of wine. The class ends at 2:30, and cost is $110. Let me know in advance if you’d like to take the class so I can reserve a space for you.
+ what to pack
The workshop takes place during a warm time of the year in Tuscany, with an average temperature of around 75 degrees, which means packing light will be a lot easier. As with any trip, I recommend checking the weather forecast before you leave and adding any items like raincoats or sweaters if that seems necessary.
I’m assuming all of you will have phones for taking pictures. You’ll want to check into getting an international calling plan or SIM card for your phone.
As I mentioned earlier, all art supplies are provided, but feel free to bring favorite brushes and any paints other than acrylics since that’s what we’ll work with.
Testimonials from former workshop participants
“In June of 2022, I had the good fortune of attending David Skinner’s Landscape Painting Workshop at the enchanting 12th Century Tuscan farm and estate, Spannocchia. David is a master painter with decades of experience. Most importantly in this case, he also knows how to teach. I see the subject I’m painting more simply now. If I try to capture every detail the painting starts to lose its vitality. In the studio, when that happened, David intuited how to help me revive it. He’d make one small suggestion and it would almost instantly enliven the painting. I love the way he poetically describes the act of painting. His facility with words is remarkable and that was a wonderful part of his gift of mentoring. Since I returned home, I find myself reflecting on things he demonstrated and said, both about painting and about life. But then, the best paintings are about and full of life. Take his workshop in Asheville and/or abroad. You will come home richer.
”
“The workshop in Italy was all that I’d hoped for and more. The serenity of Spannocchia, and the easy, timeless feel of life there made it even easier to focus on learning to see better and therefore paint better. David is a superb teacher; I found that out at a workshop in Asheville, which I did to test him before Italy. He is able to bring out your best, never superimposing his own vision, yet moving your work to a higher level. My classmates were delightful, kind and interesting.”
“First of all I would like to express my most gracious thank-you for a truly memorable week at Spannocchia. It turned out to be so much more than just painting. I came believing that I was just a watercolor artist and you opened a whole new approach to what I was capable of. My mind is just spinning with ideas of future possibilities. I have promised my watercolor group that I would share what I learned from your instruction. They were all quite amazed at how many paintings I finished in such a short time! I was quite impressed with your instruction and encouragement as our group came with quite the assortment of skill levels. The days went by so quickly that I regret it wasn’t longer!
It was a wonderful experience with a group of marvelous, talented, new friends. Thank you so very much! ”
“I recently had the opportunity to take David Skinner’s workshop and all I can say is WOW! I couldn’t stop thinking about all we learned and couldn’t wait to get back in the studio each day. David is an excellent teacher. He was able to go to each workshop participant and work with them directly based on their level of experience and what he/she wanted to achieve. ”
“As someone who can barely draw a straight line, not to mention or even think about painting a landscape, I thought this experience was a blast. My partner has some talent, and she enjoyed learning some techniques from David. While I slopped around on my canvas, David would come over and turn my mess into a work of art. David is an amazing artist, but more importantly, he is a kind and patient artist who loves what he does and loves sharing it with us. At the end of it all, my partner painted a beautiful landscape, and somehow, despite my best efforts, I actually ended with a painting signed by me that I would put up on the wall. A great experience for beginners or those with some talent. Highly recommended.”
“David’s class was exceptional. I was able to walk away with some new skills and insights. As a teacher he was very present and informative as well as hands on. David’s painting style is colorful and loose, which I admire and was trying for years to head in that direction with my own painting. I was never able to find a teacher with both his level of experience and style who was teaching. It was a pure joy for me to experience his class. Some teachers talk, some teachers underwhelm, some teachers are not at the top of their own game: David is a master of his style, at the top of his game, and a fabulous teacher. A sure bet for any level of artist to take their art to a new level or just plain have fun losing themselves to the moment in a myriad of colors!”