The Art Quilt workshop - no sewing machines needed, short supply list

With Tuscan architecture, landscape and the villa as your inspiration, you will create a memorable piece in this week, four days of which are workshops. If you’re a beginner, you’ll be guided through the art quilt process in a clear and easy-to-understand manner. If you’re an advanced quilter, you will get the kind of guidance you request. It’s your workshop, so you let Esterita know what you need, and she will do her best to accommodate you. She will give you a selection of patterns which are inspired by nearby Tuscan cities, as well as the villa’s immediate surroundings. One of the patterns is of the courtyard looking out from the quilt studio window and beyond to the rolling hlls. Or, if you prefer, you may bring your own design, and Esterita will work with you, via email, to prepare for the class. Using Esterita’s techniques, you’ll create not only a fused art quilt but also a warm and cherished memento of your stay in Tuscany—and you’ll learn how to enhance your piece with textile paint to create a three-dimensional effect. Paint, brushes and fuse are included in the cost of the workshop and trip. This is a rare opportunity to enjoy the beauty of Tuscany and capture that beauty in your own art piece.

The Instructor: Esterita Austin

Quilt maker, designer and teacher, Esterita Austin created "The Well," a prize-winning piece in the American Museum of Folk Art’s 2001 international competition "Quilted Constructions: The Spirit of Design." Her pieces have been published in the periodicals Quilting Arts, The Quilters Companion, American Quilter, Quilter’s Newsletter, American Style and Distinction Magazine and Folk Art, as well as the books Contemporary Art Quilts and Fiber Arts 7. As an entrepreneur, Esterita has been featured on The Sally Jesse Raphael Show and in the "Threads" section of Newsday. Her work has appeared on the covers of the Indiana Gazette leisure section and the Arts and Lifestyles section of the Times Beacon and Times Record newspapers of Long Island, NY. You can see Esterita give a demonstration of her techniques on HGTV’s Simply Quilts with Alex Anderson, segment 1134.

Esterita currently teaches, lectures and shows her work internationally. To see her full calendar and view her work, please visit her Web site at www.esteritaaustin.com

Painting workshop:

Our painting workshop day starts with a demonstration and lesson in watercolor or acrylic paint. Your instructor will make sure you have the foundation you’ll need to build your work. The subjects for your studies include the vineyards and olive groves of the beautiful Chianti valley, along with its 13th-Century buildings and the lush gardens of the villa where we’ll be staying. Painting classes will be taught “en plein air”, but some lectures may take place indoors. There will be critiques in the late afternoon.

The Instructor: Orazio Salati

Orazio Salati is an internationally known American painter and instructor who has taught painting for more than 30 years. He recently had a major show at the Firenze Biennale Internazionale Dell' Arte Contemporanea in Florence, Italy.

Born in the small town of Arnara, Italy, just southwest of Rome, Orazio was a child when he came with his family to the United States. During his 34-year career as a teacher, he made numerous trips back to his homeland as head of student-tour and exchange programs. He has won numerous awards, and his art is included in many collections across the United States. In addition to showing nationally in internationally, Orazio has had 13 solo exhibitions in numerous New York City galleries. His paintings have appeared on the cover of Venture magazine and have illustrated numerous periodicals. He has been guest artist at the Standing Indian Reservation Mission School in Fort Yates, ND. While in Italy several years ago, he observed the restoration of the Sistine Chapel and spoke with many of the restorers. Orazio owns and operates the Orazio Salati Art Gallery in Binghamton, NY.

Gourmet Cooking: Tuscan Style

Cooking Classes

During your stay, you will find yourself in a culinary paradise. A Tuscan chef conducts this three-morning class in the villa's kitchen where he uses the freshest organic ingredients from the garden to create regional cuisine. Working under his guidance, you will create authentic Tuscan specialties, including antipasti, homemade pastas and accompanying sauces, open fire-grilled meat specialties, rustic salads and such dessert favorites as tiramisù. The best part is you get to enjoy your creation. The choice of menu depends solely on seasonal ingredients. You’ll use herbs and vegetables gathered from the villa’s gardens, as well as local cheeses and meats.

Here is a sample of the menus you may prepare:

• Pappa al Pomodoro: bread and tomato soup
• Zuppa di Fagioli: white bean Tuscan soup
• Panzanella: bread and vegetable salad with red-wine vinegar
• Alla Brace: grilled herbed meat delicacies
• Carpaccio: paper-thin slices of raw beef or fish served with Parmigiano-Reggiano and drizzled with olive oil
• Cantucci di Prato: Traditional biscotti (twice-cooked) dessert biscuits
• Tiramisù: favorite recipe with custard, pan di Spagna and liquori (not Tuscan by origin)

Our Excursions in Tuscany

In addition to the glorious days and nights at the villa, we will take two excursions by bus.

Florence

In Florence we will see the famous Ponte Vecchio, Pitti Palace and Piazza della Signoria and the Duomo. We also will visit the medieval city of Siena, where Orazio and I spent a glorious spring in 1970 as a students at the University. In Florence we will spend a morning at The Uffizzi Gallery, where we will walk through the most important rooms and learn about the evolution of Italian art from the 12th Century to the 16th Century. After a leisurely lunch at any of Florence's great restaurants or perhaps a neighborhood trattoria, you are free to explore the great shopping treasures of this wonderful city, which include leather goods, jewelry and clothing. And, of course, a visit to Florence wouldn’t be complete without a stop at an outdoor café for an afternoon gelato or a double shot of espresso.

Siena

We will start off our tour of Siena at the Tower of the city hall where we will view the wonderful frescoes and relief work that have survived for centuries. We then will go to the Cathedral, or Duomo, as the Sienese refer to it, that dominates the profile of the Siena skyline. The Duomo took more than 300 years to complete and is famous for its black and white striated marble. Siena is a glorious medieval city, centered around the famous Piazza del Campo, where the Palio, the famous horse race, is run twice a year, in July and August. The Palio, which means “flag” or “banner,” is a race in horses and jockeys from the 17 contradas, or sections of the city, compete in a treacherous three-minute race around the ancient square. Each contrada has a special identity, flag and song.In the afternoon, you may sit in the middle of the Piazza del Campo at the Bar Il Palio with a cafè and just people watch, or perhaps you will want to shop at some of the finer stores in town. The Sienese feel that they’re dialect is true Italian. The people are elegant,both in dress and demeanor. Siena is a truly romantic medieval city, a real fantasy.Make sure you bring along comfortable shoes for all of our walking tours, because the streets are paved with cobblestones and many are hilly.

The Villa
www.villabarberino.it

We will stay at a 13th--Century villa used in the 15th Century by wealthy families from Siena and Florence as a summer residence. The villa sits on top of a hill overlooking vineyards, the valley and a lake. You can enjoy this vista clearly from the quilting studio and the grounds while you work. The villa is on a working farm, where olive oil, wine, Pecorino cheese, fresh vegetables and herbs are grown and harvested. Although it’s been updated and modernized, the villa retains its old-world charm. Some apartments have a communal kitchen area, and all rooms are double-occupancy with a private bathroom.

Breakfast is at 8:00-9:00 and includes a varied menu of freshly baked breads, croissants, cereals, juice, yogurt and fresh eggs from the farm--and of course, cappuccino or espresso is included with breakfast.

Lunch is served buffet style in the dining room. Dinner is continental, served at 8 PM. We will spend our leisurely evenings dining by candlelight in the inner courtyard of the villa, weather permitting, or in the medieval dining hall.

You will enjoy homemade pasta, brick-oven bread, regional cheeses and antipasti, Tuscan meat and vegetable specialties and the world-renowned chianti wines. There is a crystal-clear swimming pool, which you’re free to enjoy at any time. Wine and all beverages are additional at lunch and dinner. The villa is half an hour by train from Florence and from Arezzo.

• Seven nights at the villa, double occupancy.
• Six continental breakfasts and seven four-course gourmet dinners.
• Daily morning and afternoon group workshop instruction, lecture and demonstration.
• Lunch on days of workshop
• Land transfers from Rome Fiumicino airport to Meleto and return
• All day excursions by motorcoach/bus to Siena and Florence.
• Supply lists for all workshops will be provided to all registrants.
  

• Airfare to-Rome and return to USA
• Basic workshop supplies (list provided)
• Lunch on days away from the villa.
• Bottled beverages of any kind; wine, beer, soda, mineral water ,etc
• Telephone calls, either local or abroad
• Laundry services (linens are changed weekly)
• Additional optional gratuities
• Admission to Museums and Churches