Gianfranco understands Firenze light. He has captured it successfully for years from his home terrace in Florence, Italy.
Walking into his studio on Borgo Pinti, you are transported into his world...paintings hang on every available space and lean on the walls, vintage woven wool rugs cover the floors and just enough period furniture made me think of Gertrude Stein's atelier. It was no surprise that opera music flowed through the high vaulted ceilings.
He never tires of capturing the light on the Duomo which is easily painted from his terrace. If these images seem blurry, it is due to the fact he works with a mixed technique on canvas. To see one in person is a privilege. The layers are grainy and textural against the canvas. His colors are vibrant and he understands encaustic and paint in a way I never knew was possible.
I first visited his studio three years ago but did not meet the artist until this trip. I took Lynne Rutter to see his work and we were both surprised to be there when he was in the studio. It is moments such as this that draw me back again and again to wander the streets of Florence and discover another layer it has to offer.
