Cortona, one of the twelve jewels in the Etruscan crown, sits high on a hillside in Tuscany, overlooking an expansive valley. From this vantage point, the ancient hilltop town witnessed some of the most momentous events of human history; Hannibal's defeat of the Roman legion by the shores of Lake Trasimeno and centuries later, the devastating clash between the Allied and Axis Forces in World War II along the Gothic Line. The ghosts of history are embedded in every wall and winding alley of Cortona.

I love my Cortona summers when I teach painting in a deconsecrated chapel of an old convent. On the weekends, I hop on the train down in the valley and head off to Arezzo, Florence, Pisa, Lucca, looking for the open-air markets as inspiration for my paintings. I’m on the hunt for table after table of cast-off objects and antiques, fascinated by the artistry of the shopkeepers as they choreograph the placement of each collectable. I recall that one Saturday, after a long day searching and coming up empty handed, I headed back up the steep, switchback road to Cortona. I slowly ambled past the Piazza Repubblica to the Piazza Signorelli for a gelato. To my delight, laid out before me was a glorious sight of the local Cortonese antique market. One table, in particular, was spread with eclectic objects and animal figurines that sparkled and glinted under the bright Tuscan sunlight. I finally found my inspiration, back where I had started, in beautiful Cortona.

Antique Paintings