Barbara Petit Lisy: Capturing Tuscanys Landscape

One of our September artist residents, Barbara came to Palmerino with the goal of capturing the beauty of the Tuscan landscape. Which she first discovered about twelve years ago during a romantic journey through a region she deeply loves. The artist admits to being enchanted by the typical rolling hills and vineyards, the local

vegetation, stone pines, cypresses, the ochre-toned villas with their elegant architecture, nestled into the greenery.

Barbara fell into, and in love with, the world of art after moving to Paris in her twenties. After seven years of studies in literature and publishing-journalism, Lisy went on to train in painting, clay modeling, and life drawing through courses, workshops, and residencies over the course of a decade. Today, she paints, sculpts, writes books about painting, contributes articles to art magazines, and occasionally performs in theater in Paris, where she lives and works.

During her residency, Barbara focused on oil painting, her preferred medium. A figurative painter and

plein air enthusiast, she now wishes to explore abstraction within landscape painting, increasingly

synthesizing natural elements into geometric forms, creating works that lie at the intersection of

figurative and abstract art. The picturesque Palmerino setting, with its gardens, vineyards, and olive

trees, proved to be an ideal subject of study for most of her canvases. Fascinated, Lisy set out to capture

the unique essence of the Tuscan panorama in her work.

The villa, quiet and welcoming, offered her the most suitable place to paint. Transporting the materials needed to create large oil paintings is no small task—especially in a bustling city like Florence. After a few outdoor attempts, Barbara chose to remain at Palmerino to work, where she found her rhythm. During her stay, she completed 13 paintings combining landscapes and architecture, her favorite themes

in plein air painting.

As she prepares to leave, Lisy reflects on this residency as a moment of introspection and growth. Here she found exactly what she was seeking: a space of peace, creation, reflection, and a slower pace of life. Barbara will present the works created at Palmerino during an exhibition in Paris, hosted by Marc Pleine Cassagne at the Librairie Chemin des Arts in the 18th arrondissement, from November 11 to 16. More information can be found on her website (barbaralisy.com) and Instagram (@barbaralisy).

By: Grace Lucas