Portrait of Cassandra

Sara Calcagno — Fri, 23 Oct 2020 19:30:22 +0000

I painted this portrait in 2017, after a painting workshop in Tuscany, that I organized with the wonderful American painter Michelle Dunaway

We were in Val d’Orcia, exactly in the property in which some of the most beautiful scenes of the movie “The Gladiator” were filmed. Do you remember the movie the Gladiator by Ridley Scott and starred by Russel Crowe?

We were in the Elysian fields of the movie, walking through the same secular alley of Cypressus trees and looking at the same fields where Maximus’ wife and son waited for him.

Cassandra, a splendid local girl that was modeling for us that day, playing the role of the Mediterranean and beautiful wife of Maximus Decimus Meridius.

An unforgettable demo by Michelle

I will never forget the morning of Michelle’s demo, and the atmosphere of the moment. The location was gorgeous, we were outside in the fields down under the alley of secular cypressus trees. Everything was simply astonishing and magic. The location was stunning, Michelle’s demo was great, the soundtrack of the movie was on, the dramatic light and the sky were fantastic, with the clouds moving fast in the sky and making the scene appear gorgeous as if we were on a stage with a gigantic bull’s eye lighning up now this hill now that one.

All this while Cassandra was standing proud and fierce looking faraway at the horizon, playing the rule better than a movie star.

That morning everything was breathtaking, wonderful and exciting and we were all very much inspired by the location, by the weather and by Cassandra. We made so many photoshoots and videos!!

Portrait after photos

One of these many photos became afterwards this particular portrait.

Normally I like very much to paint portraits by photos but only if I took personally the photos and if I spent some time with the model of the portrait. This is because, if I took personally the photos, when I make the portrait from those photos, I can feel the same emotions and vibrations I felt while shooting them. Emotions and vibrations are essential in painting.

Of course we cannot paint well if we don’t communicate emotions and we cannot communicate emotions if we don’t feel them ourselves..

Thank you

Thanks to Cassandra for beeing such an inspiring model. Since that day I asked Cassi to model for me many times and in many different occasions and she will be also present in the paintings I’m preparing right in this period.

And thanks to my dear friend and gorgeous artist Michelle Dunaway for being such a wonderful, inspiring and poetic painter always looking for beauty.

That was really an unforgettable workshop..

If you are interested in one of my paintings or you wish to receive more information about commissioning me a portrait, don’t hesitate to contact me by email or phone. Email: sara.calcagno@gmail.com Phone/WhatsApp ph. no. +39 348 9136889

Workshop di pittura di Michelle Dunaway nel mio Studio

Sara Calcagno — Mon, 06 Feb 2017 07:48:06 +0000

La fantastica pittrice americana Michelle Dunaway farà un workshop di pittura nel mio studio in Toscana, vicino a Montalcino. Sarà un workshop intenso, bellissimo ed intimo, che alternerà pose con modella in studio e all’aperto.. Il titolo è:

Painting the figure & portrait in the landscape and in the studio

ovvero “dipingere la figura umana e il ritratto nel paesaggio ed in studio”.

Sarà un workshop di pittura limitato a soli 10 studenti. Passeremo 6 giorni a dipingere il ritratto e la figura con modella dal vivo nel bellissimo paesaggio toscano e nel mio studio di pittura a Tavernelle, vicino a Montalcino (Siena).

Dopo le lezioni, faremo anche viaggi di gruppo. Vedremo alcuni stupendi castelli, abbazie ed affascinanti cantine della zona. Fotograferemo, faremo insieme cene di gruppo, discuteremo di arte e di bellezza immersi nello spettacolare paesaggio senese e nei borghi medievali del territorio.

Il periodo del workshop è dall’11 settembre al 16 settembre 2017. Il costo del workshop è 850 dollari + 150 euro per le modella e le spese di trasporto locale da e verso le postazioni di pittura, le escursioni serali e da e per le stazioni del treno di Siena-Pisa e Firenze e gli aeroporti di Pisa e Firenze. Dunque non ci sarà bisogno di avere o affittare la macchina.

Per quanto riguarda l’alloggio per gli studenti, abbiamo trovato soluzioni abitative per tutte le tasche, dagli hotel ai B&B e anche le camere private in case private di abitanti della zona.

Questo sarà uno straordinario workshop di pittura, coinvolgente ed intimo, immersi nella bellezza di un paesaggio straordinario.