The Perfect Pairing: Art and Travel!

Naples Art District member Arturo Samaniego happily shares his artistic talents with many students throughout the year by offering small group lessons in oils, acrylics and drawing in his local studio.

Left: Barolo wine tour, photo by Arturo Samaniego.

In addition to his local classes, an exciting extension of his business has been to conduct art workshops abroad, the most recent one spent exploring the wine country of the Barolo region in northern Italy. Lodgings were in a small agrotourism hotel nestled in a vineyard. Each day started with a wonderful breakfast, followed by a journey into the hilly countryside with Plein Air gear in tow. Finding a spot to paint was easy as everywhere you looked there were breathtaking views of the Italian landscape. Painting onsite was from 10-2, with late afternoons spent on excursions to the underground vaults where spumante wines are made, truffle hunting with dogs, and visits to medieval castles around Canelli. Dinners in local restaurants enjoying the specialties of the region brought the days to a wonderful close.

Canelli, Italy, photo by
Arturo Samaniego.

Italy was such a success Arturo is now planning a trip in September of 2021 to Seville, Spain. Hopeful that the pandemic will be under control enough to allow this kind of travel, he is excited to share this type of experience with a group of artists again. To contact Arturo about this upcoming trip or art classes in general visit his website at www.samaniegoabstract.com.

Cynthia and Steve Adams, longtime Art District members, are venturing down a similar path conducting workshops overseas, but to locales not typically part of the normal art abroad program. In July they head to Tanzania, East Africa, to begin scouting locations for their Art Safaris which they plan to launch towards the end of 2021.

Their goal is to create a unique experience for artists in a setting that provides a different kind of adventure. These trips will be a chance to experience the beauty of Tanzania while artistically

Silk, newspaper and paint, by Cynthia and Steve Adams.

documenting one’s travels. They call these works of art ‘Painted Stories’ and the art safaris will focus on how to creatively capture these moments. Workshops will be held while exploring the Serengeti, Ngorongoro Crater, Lake Manyara and Tarangire National Parks. Mornings will be spent on game drives out into the bush, followed by afternoons at the lodges translating those experiences onto canvas or paper.

Tribal Journey, by Cynthia and Steve Adams.

A stop at a local market or Maasai village along the way might include purchasing fabrics or beads to use in one’s painting. A paper menu from a restaurant visited, the stub from the flight ticket, or a photocopy of one’s visa could also appear as part of the painted story. The colors of the African earth and sky, wildlife and birds, will complete the inspirational palette for your art.

A new website launches soon that will focus on this next adventure. Meanwhile you can contact them or sign up for their newsletter to stay in the loop for details on upcoming art safaris at www.casaartstudio.com.

Cynthia Adams is the past president of the Naples Art District, and artist owner with her husband Steve, of casa | art | studio on Shirley Street.

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