William Patterson was an excellent teacher and organizer He infused each day with his enthusiasm and knowledge for the country and of the Italian Renaissance. I learned a lot . . . it was a taste of Italy that I will not forget.
Neil, Michigan
This trip has been incredible. The excitement and feeling I experienced from so much of the art and culture of Italy is enormous. Assisi, for example, is one huge Mosaic-from the cobblestone streets to the stonewalls and the tiled roofs. There were so many discoveries like this one made each day. I am very fortunate to have gone on this wonderful trip.
Peggy, Boston
Great experience! A good opportunity to work independently with a good deal of freedom to choose subject matter, medium, composition etc. The surrounding landscape is very beautiful and interesting with an abundance of artistic subject matter readily available. Wonderful hospitality on the part of our host and hostess. Delicious meals! New friendships! A delightful experience I will always remember.
Carol, Connecticut
The trip to Italy was the most exiting time in my life. Everything went so well and there were so many unexpected surprises. Assisi was beautiful. The view was breathtaking. The views from Tuscany were also overwhelming. It was and incredible trip. I would like to extend my thanks and appreciation to Bill and Carolyn for their generosity and inventive approach to travel.
Caitlin, Massachusetts
The landscape workshop in Italy is one of the best art experiences that I have had. I learned a great deal about seeing and absorbing nature. William Patterson has an exceptional gift, passion and artistic zeal that penetrate through the hearts of his students. Through him I have come to love the old masters and refer often. He says, "Painting is not just about recording, but also conveys the artist’s depth of soul". “Pencil Painting” is a term he coined which will stay with me through all my years as an artist. I enjoyed the hard knowledge that I acquired on this workshop. Patterson pushed me to develop sound work habits. Every time we went into the field to sketch I always ended up doing more than I thought. His emphasis on preparatory work in doing major paintings is compelling. It reflects the progressive trend of thought processes that the artist goes through. Endless sketches show the intense wrestling process to make an astounding discovery. There so much more that could write.
Pam, Ohio
I could say all kinds of good things about the program in Italy—about the advance preparation, the careful handling of organizational details, the selection of accommodations and arrangements for transportation, the scheduling of excursions. I could speak of the extreme concern shown by the leaders for each and every member of the group. That’s the travel bureau aspect of the program, and it was very good indeed.
But what I’d like to write about is the program as liberal arts education. We were there to learn about Renaissance art. Of course the Renaissance meant the renewed appreciation of the glory of the human being in all his/her aspects—intellectual, spiritual, physical, aesthetic. In this workshop we participants did not merely learn about these glories---we lived them. Of course we looked at wonderful paintings, seeing what no slide collection could ever have brought to us. We saw most of them, not in museums but in the basilicas and churches for which they were painted. Anyone who is exposed to the Giotto frescoes in the Franciscan Basilica in Assisi is offered the opportunity for spiritual experiences as well as aesthetic and an intellectual one, especially if there’s a concert or service going on. And to visit the recently- discovered tiny underground room in the Medici tomb where Michelangelo scrawled on the wall with charcoal was to come as close as one could to knowing the workings of his brain. We encountered Renaissance sculpture and architecture in the same way. And Bill--- over the years acquired a collection of favorite churches, chapels, tombs and ruins that may escape the less knowledgeable visitor. Bill’s walking tours of Rome helped us see it as the ancient Romans did, but even more richly as those living in the Renaissance times did. We could almost feel that we were back in the fifteenth century.
But there was more. There was the sensual component to this trip that was an integrated part of the whole Renaissance experience. We were awakened not only to the glories of painting and sculpture and architecture and music, but also to those of the table. One of the curricular offerings provided by our leaders was an educatiojnal wine tasting, complete with foods appropriate to each of the wines offered. As an educator I was especially impressed by this--- Something about the whole human being was being learned that afternoon---.
I should have traveled in Italy much earlier in my life, but since I didn’t, I feel really fortunate that my first exposure was in such a context . . .
VLS, Ph.D
Professor Emerita
Framingham State College, MA
Professor Patterson combines his expertise as a painter, historical and aesthetic knowledge about art and speaks with clarity and focus. He generously makes his vast knowledge and skills available in an enjoyable manner.
Robert, Maine