Painting Lago di Garda

   The water of Lago di Garda is quite clear and pleasant to swim in and perhaps for that reason filled with bathers along the beaches of the towns. Finding a quiet, empty place can be a challenge although by no means impossible. We left Desenzano, following the coast road to the west and found a lovely stretch of beach in Padeghe. It was virtually empty and we were able to swim for about an hour and a half. The water of Lago di Garda is a beautiful turquoise green and always makes me want to paint it- This is the only painting I was able to do this time. The beaches are comprised of interesting multiple colored stones made of various marbles. In the water they shine green, pink, yellow, and black. We collected quite a few of these which turned grey when dry. I am planning on varnishing them to bring back their color.
   The lake itself is so large that is takes hours to drive from one end to the other and there are a number of ferries crossing it in zigzags all day long. In the north the hills come almost straight down to the sea  resulting in numerous panoramic tunnels along the coast road. As a result of the mediteranean microclimate the hillsides were historically used to grow lemons (hence the name of the town, Limone), and the structures can still be seen today. Once valuable and rare these lemons were wrapped and shipped with great care, and at great cost to the surrounding areas to the north. The rise of cost effective transportation from Sicily and southern Italy has made the expensive lemons of Lago di Garda less sought after and exotic. Today there are many lemon products such as lemon flavored olive oil, sweets, and of course limoncello produced in the towns surrounding the lake. And they serve as one of the local motives on everything from dishes to tableclothes, and small ceramic items. One day I hope to take one of these ferries and paint or at least take photos for painting later these hills from the center of the lake.



   Do you have a favorite theme in art? For me it is water- I love paintings of lakes, rivers, waterfalls and the sea. What are you instinctively drawn to? Let me know in the comments.
 

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