"Piazza Santo Spirito" an Original Oil Painting by Matthew Holden Bates
"Piazza Santo Spirito" Oil on Canvas - 100cm x 125cm ©Matthew Holden Bates, Firenze, All Rights Reserved
Back in the 90's I lived in the Oltrarno neighborhood of Firenze. We had this amazing apartment, on Via Santo Spirito 6, Rooftop terrace with 360 degree views of all of the historical center of Firenze. The best view we had was of the Church of Santo Spirito designed by Brunelleschi himself. We lived there for a year, and I went up to the terrace every day that I could, rain or shine. Living there, in the Oltrarno, was a dream. I didn't have a car, I never went to the supermarket, just local bottegas, the butcher, the general store, the fruttivendolo, il giornalaio, the bar to get "un caffé". Good times.
Needless to say, Piazza Santo Spirito has remained in my heart, and I have painted the iconic tower many times.
"Piazza Santo Spirito" Tower Detail
In this painting I wanted to take the tower to a "next level". If you look closely you can see that I added my signature to the tower, under the bell. You would never notice it, but once you see it you can't unsee it.
"Piazza Santo Spirito" Fountain Detail
The centerpiece of the Piazza is an absolutly gorgeous fountain, and it became the centerpiece of my painting as well.
"Piazza Santo Spirito" Dog Detail
This painting was so personal, I decide to add myself to the mix, but not an actual self portrait, more like an alternative reality portrait. I don't have a dog, but this guy does.
Matthew Holden Bates painting "Piazza Santo Spirito"
In previous posts I have talked about how I use the Fibonacci Series to create my designs. Here is a diagram showing just how well the Fibonacci Spirall fits into the overall design of the painting.
Here is a short video highlighting the process of how this painting was made.
I am sure that you can tell that I put a lot of myself into my artwork. I try not to make, "just a pretty picture"! These paintings take a long time to make, kind of like anything that is worth our time to see, I add whatever it takes to get to the end of the project. I am here at Steemit to share my experiences, and I hope that you have enjoyed this post. If you like what you see, feel free to share the post, upvote and follow me on Steemit @matteopaints
You can see my online portfolio at:
http://www.mattbates.net
Great job @matteopaints. You can tell that you find peace in this place. To me the is the emotion I feel from this piece. Beautifully done.
You were featured in week 36 of @pifc's Pay It Forward Curation Challenge by @trincowski.
Thank you!!!!! I appreciate your comment, it is true, I do relate very strongly to Piazza Santo Spirito. When I am there it feels like going home.❤️🇮🇹❤️
It really shows. I am going to have to visit more often
I love this @matteopaints! especially because I too have sat at that fountain and love love love this city :) I get the joy of not stepping into a supermarket as well, but simply enjoying all the local food fare! So delicious there!! I love your signature on the tower too ... very clever :)
I found your post because @trincowski featured you in his Pay it Forward Contest entry :) Cheers!
Thanks for stopping by, I am glad that you have fond memories of my adopted city! 🇮🇹❤️
You're welcome! It was my favorite city; I can totally see why you adopted it :)
Dear Artzonian, thanks for using the #ArtzOne hashtag. Your work is valuable to the @ArtzOne community. Quote of the week: Art, freedom and creativity will change society faster than politics. -Victor Pinchuk
Thanks for stopping by. I am happy to be part of the community!! :)
really cool @matteopaints.. I saw the remarks, who is Matthew Bates.. LOL..I think that Matthew is having a good time with her dog and that dog helps him to talk to sbeautiful stranger too... I really love the painting! This is so real and so happy when I see this paint! Thanks for sharing and I should thanks to @trincowski who has featured you in the pay it forward contest this week.
Thank you!!!!! :)
@matteopaints congratulations on all of the attention you’re getting around here, your craft deserves it.
I, personally, am surprised this Duomo Box Isn’t gaining more traction. I don’t want to put my opinion on concrete just yet but I think it’s safe to say it’s one of my favorites thus far and that’s difficult, all of your work is top shelf.
Have you familiarized yourself with steemworld.org? Happy Monday, sir.
I know! right? well,what are you going to do?:) I've been loving Steemworld, what an amazing application!
Wow! It is a privilege to get to see this masterpiece being created! What a beautiful painting, and I love all the personal insights that you shared. I never would have noticed your signature if you had not told us!
Thank you, I am really glad you like the painting! Steemit seems to be the perfect place for me to share my journey as an artist. I really appreciate your comment, and everyone else who has posted here as well. 😃
I am so happy to hear that you are having a positive experience here on Steem! I love it here and want everyone else to love it, too! With the quality of your posts, I predict that you will be quite successful here 😊
Well thank you for your enthusiasm, and stay tuned for more content to come in the near future!
Beautiful painting, as usual, @matteopaints ! I love how your compositions :) Again, it's amazing how you are utilizing the Fibonacci principles here also :)
The richness of your colours and brush strokes is as mesmerizing as usual <3 Love this very much !
Thanks again!!!! I am glad you mentioned the painting techniques, I didn’t mention it yet but the greatest challenge in this painting was the tree. I tried to captor as many of the actual leaves as possible. Just the tree alone took about a month to finish!
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Thanks c-squared!!!!!😀
What a beautiful and full of detail artwork, @matteopaints! Thanks for sharing!
Thank you!! I am glad you like it!! :)
Your post was featured in an entry into @pifc's Curation Contest:Week 36. Posts are selected because the entrant felt you are producing great content and deserve more attention (& rewards) on your post. As such your post has been upvoted and will be visited by other members of the PIFC Community.
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Wow!!!! Thank you so much for your support. Steemit is a really great place, and it is so refreshing to take part in a community of people that “focuses on helping one another”. I will definitely check out you links and also the Discord channel.🎈🎉⚡️👍