Italian Explorations

By Fred Lynch, Boston, Massachusetts

It’s that time of year again when I share a bit of the work created last July by my college students in Italy. The group was amazing – pushing the possibilities of “urban sketching”. My co-teacher this year, Kelly Murphy and I couldn’t have been more pleased with the results – only a little which I share with you today.

What we see here, are selections from a few Final Projects – explorations of singular, narrow topics. 

The class also focuses on “voice, ” that is, by pushing students to celebrate how each artist has a different style of drawing – a different aesthetic – different interests.  In other words, we aim to make our point as well as make our mark through our drawings.

Ok, with all that in mind, here are some examples from last summer – series’ that address particular themes. Creating works as a series promotes deeper investigations and artistic advancements. I hope you like them as much as I do.

Ashley Caswell, a Maryland Institute College of Art student from Needham, Massachusetts, made lists comparing characteristic features of the city.

Chrissy Dreyer, a Dual Degree student of both Brown University and RISD, from Maryland, explored the passages of light, space, and color, through the city’s narrow roads using acrylics.

Angela Hsieh, a student at RISD from Pennsylvania, explored the feeling of being lost in a foreign city.

Taylor Pendelton, from RISD and Massachusetts, explored bright colors and texture, creating an incredible collection of images in a short period of time.

Edward Yang, a RISD student from California, using each drawing as part of a cafe review, incorporating a great deal of writing.

Many more great works from other students can be found on the course’s blog: Drawing Viterbo.