A View in Florence

A View in Florence
Acrylic on Canvas Panel
6 x 8 in/15.2 x 20.3 cm
Copyright 2013

Today's image is a small acrylic painted from a photo gifted to me by an artist friend. She had recently visited Italy and returned with dozens and dozens of photos, many of which will make beautiful paintings of Italian land-, sea-, and cityscapes. Although not my original composed photo, I am so glad she allowed me to paint from this.

Some painters and/or art leagues frown upon using another's artistic vision (photo) as a motif, as if it were somehow immoral.

The act of rendering a painting is difficult enough--the inspiration, the imagination, the execution, not to mention the angst many painters feel in making that first brushstroke--without invoking some provincial code of what is or isn't acceptable.

Please. To those I would say, life is too short, and there should be no place in painting for such pettiness.