Last week, Barga Vecchia’s narrow alleyways and sunny piazzas became the painting locations for members of the Driffield Art Club, UK – a group of artists from East Yorkshire (Peter and Eilish Compton, Mimi Claughton, Kay Jones, Mary Medforth and Jean Balarkas), who were on an art course run by Richard Clare, a Barga-based artist from England. The aim of the course was to inspire rather than teach any specific painting techniques, and to inject some vibrant colour – a major feature of Richard’s paintings – into their work. Over 50 paintings were produced over the week, and the course ended with an impromptu open-air exhibition in the beautiful garden of the Casa Fontana B &B where the group had been staying.
Richard Clare has a studio/gallery at Via di Mezzo in Barga Vecchia. A selection of his work can be found on his site here
The Driffield Art Club has a membership of 100 artists of varying ability and meets monthly in the Driffield Community Centre UK when demonstrations by visiting artists take place. An annual exhibition is held in the town centre during October where the members can display their pictures.