Uncovering Umbria:
A Portfolio of Visual Stories
Dates: This Trip was held in 2011.
Click here for Jill's upcoming 2013 trip.
Instructor/Leader: Jill Berry
Cost -
Trip Description
Some say that Umbria is the Italian goddess
of shadows and things which are hidden or
secret. Umbria is also the name of the region
that surrounds us in the medieval hill town of
Orvieto. In this class you will find the secret,
hidden stories of this place and create your
own portfolio of pages filled with enchantment.
First you will develop a palette for the new
world you are in, an assortment of earth colors
that exemplify the Italian landscape, through
which the winds of history and mythology blow.
Time will be spent hunting for stories
throughout town, and through the practice of
noticing small hints in letters carved in stone,
in the art and architecture, sounds, sights and
smells. The Orvieto air is rich with narratives
told and yet to be told. You will find the stories
meant for you.
Through wax rubbing, painting, journaling,
sketching, and mapmaking, you will gather the
fodder for your tales. You will compose the
stories on a series of watercolor pages that will
stack inside the leather portfolio provided to
every participant. Each page can be composed
of whatever you choose, out of what you gather
along the way.
Jill will share with you luscious Italian words, stories of the gods and goddesses, some history of Orvieto and the artists who worked here making their own stories long before we arrived. Each participant will receive a “cast of characters” and other imagery that can be traced, transferred or collaged onto the pages. No drawing or painting experience is required.
Jill's graduate year in Florence studying the Renaissance and the Italian language were one of life’s greatest gifts to her. Now, through this trip, she will share her passion for the culture and history of Italy. She will have you on the streets of Orvieto, exploring, gathering, and creating an unforgettable memory.
Itinerary
Sept 18 - Arrive Orvieto, introductions, tour of our B&B, group dinner
Sept 19 - Morning Studio:
• Introduction to the mythology, history and language of
Italy; how to incorporate these things into the art you
will make
Afternoon Exploration:
• Introduction to Italian culture, olive oil and wine tasting
in an Etruscan setting
• Walking tour of Orvieto - scouting inspiration
Sept 20 - Morning Studio:
• Sketching and finding stories, ideas and inspiration
Afternoon Exploration:
• Cooking class - learn to make pasta and other dishes,
and then taste the fruits of your labor!
Sept 21 - Morning Studio:
• Developing drawings, rubbings and other content ideas
as fodder for our "tales"
Afternoon Exploration:
• Tour of the Cathedral's famous San Brizio Chapel
• Etruscan cave tour
Sept 22 - Morning Studio:
• Market day: Visit the market adding fodder to the story
pages
Picnic lunch with food from the market.
Afternoon Exploration
• Vineyard tour - visit a local vineyard, learn the vintner’s
passion for wine. Sample several wines, including
Orvieto Classico.
Sept 23 - Morning Studio:
• Knit your pages together, metaphorically speaking
Group lunch at favorite pizzeria
Afternoon Studio:
• Finishing pages
• Show and share
Sept 24 - Depart Orvieto
Details
This trip was held in 2011. Click here for a description of her next trip to take place in May 2013. For Jill's blog about the 2011 tip Click here.
A Portfolio of Visual Stories
Dates: This Trip was held in 2011.
Click here for Jill's upcoming 2013 trip.
Instructor/Leader: Jill Berry
Cost -
Trip Description
Some say that Umbria is the Italian goddess
of shadows and things which are hidden or
secret. Umbria is also the name of the region
that surrounds us in the medieval hill town of
Orvieto. In this class you will find the secret,
hidden stories of this place and create your
own portfolio of pages filled with enchantment.
First you will develop a palette for the new
world you are in, an assortment of earth colors
that exemplify the Italian landscape, through
which the winds of history and mythology blow.
Time will be spent hunting for stories
throughout town, and through the practice of
noticing small hints in letters carved in stone,
in the art and architecture, sounds, sights and
smells. The Orvieto air is rich with narratives
told and yet to be told. You will find the stories
meant for you.
Through wax rubbing, painting, journaling,
sketching, and mapmaking, you will gather the
fodder for your tales. You will compose the
stories on a series of watercolor pages that will
stack inside the leather portfolio provided to
every participant. Each page can be composed
of whatever you choose, out of what you gather
along the way.
Jill will share with you luscious Italian words, stories of the gods and goddesses, some history of Orvieto and the artists who worked here making their own stories long before we arrived. Each participant will receive a “cast of characters” and other imagery that can be traced, transferred or collaged onto the pages. No drawing or painting experience is required.
Jill's graduate year in Florence studying the Renaissance and the Italian language were one of life’s greatest gifts to her. Now, through this trip, she will share her passion for the culture and history of Italy. She will have you on the streets of Orvieto, exploring, gathering, and creating an unforgettable memory.
Itinerary
Sept 18 - Arrive Orvieto, introductions, tour of our B&B, group dinner
Sept 19 - Morning Studio:
• Introduction to the mythology, history and language of
Italy; how to incorporate these things into the art you
will make
Afternoon Exploration:
• Introduction to Italian culture, olive oil and wine tasting
in an Etruscan setting
• Walking tour of Orvieto - scouting inspiration
Sept 20 - Morning Studio:
• Sketching and finding stories, ideas and inspiration
Afternoon Exploration:
• Cooking class - learn to make pasta and other dishes,
and then taste the fruits of your labor!
Sept 21 - Morning Studio:
• Developing drawings, rubbings and other content ideas
as fodder for our "tales"
Afternoon Exploration:
• Tour of the Cathedral's famous San Brizio Chapel
• Etruscan cave tour
Sept 22 - Morning Studio:
• Market day: Visit the market adding fodder to the story
pages
Picnic lunch with food from the market.
Afternoon Exploration
• Vineyard tour - visit a local vineyard, learn the vintner’s
passion for wine. Sample several wines, including
Orvieto Classico.
Sept 23 - Morning Studio:
• Knit your pages together, metaphorically speaking
Group lunch at favorite pizzeria
Afternoon Studio:
• Finishing pages
• Show and share
Sept 24 - Depart Orvieto
Details
This trip was held in 2011. Click here for a description of her next trip to take place in May 2013. For Jill's blog about the 2011 tip Click here.
Meet Jill
Jill is a mixed-
media artist,
teacher, and
mom in the
foothills of the
Rocky Mountains, who makes books, paintings, and other story-telling structures. After graduating from San Diego State University with a degree in Design, she spent a year of graduate studies in Italy, where she learned to see a bigger picture of both art and the world. She focuses her work on text, color and social issues, often involving maps, symbols, houses, housewives, and the mystique of charisma.
You can see it in Somerset Studio, Letter Arts Review and Cloth, Paper Scissors, Art Journaling magazine, Drawing Lab (by Carla Sonheim), Interactive Art Workshop: Set Your Mixed Media in Motion (Kim Rae Nugent) and various other publications by Quarry and North Light Books. She is currently working on her own book Personal Geographies: Explorations in Mixed-Media Map Making due November 2011 with North Light Books.
Her handmade books are in the permanent collections of the Newberry Library in Chicago and the Denver Public Library. Her paintings and artists books have been shown in national invitational and juried shows and can be found in public and private collections across the country. She has taught at three universities in Colorado and various other institutions nationally including the National Museum of Women in the Arts and the Taos Institute of Art. She has also taught at She has taught at Artfest, Art & Soul, Artful Living, Artunraveled and Valley Ridge Art Studio.
Perhaps most importantly for us here at Adventures in Italy is Jill believes art is necessary and accessible to everyone, and her approach to teaching is based heavily on appreciating the now. She loves history, stories, poetry, painting and how they all spin together. This is clear in the trip she has constructed as described at left. She loves working with every level of experience.
See what participants in her classes have to say on her blog. Learn more at
jillberrydesign.com and
jillberrydesign.com/blog
Jill is a mixed-
media artist,
teacher, and
mom in the
foothills of the
Rocky Mountains, who makes books, paintings, and other story-telling structures. After graduating from San Diego State University with a degree in Design, she spent a year of graduate studies in Italy, where she learned to see a bigger picture of both art and the world. She focuses her work on text, color and social issues, often involving maps, symbols, houses, housewives, and the mystique of charisma.
You can see it in Somerset Studio, Letter Arts Review and Cloth, Paper Scissors, Art Journaling magazine, Drawing Lab (by Carla Sonheim), Interactive Art Workshop: Set Your Mixed Media in Motion (Kim Rae Nugent) and various other publications by Quarry and North Light Books. She is currently working on her own book Personal Geographies: Explorations in Mixed-Media Map Making due November 2011 with North Light Books.
Her handmade books are in the permanent collections of the Newberry Library in Chicago and the Denver Public Library. Her paintings and artists books have been shown in national invitational and juried shows and can be found in public and private collections across the country. She has taught at three universities in Colorado and various other institutions nationally including the National Museum of Women in the Arts and the Taos Institute of Art. She has also taught at She has taught at Artfest, Art & Soul, Artful Living, Artunraveled and Valley Ridge Art Studio.
Perhaps most importantly for us here at Adventures in Italy is Jill believes art is necessary and accessible to everyone, and her approach to teaching is based heavily on appreciating the now. She loves history, stories, poetry, painting and how they all spin together. This is clear in the trip she has constructed as described at left. She loves working with every level of experience.
See what participants in her classes have to say on her blog. Learn more at
jillberrydesign.com and
jillberrydesign.com/blog
Have a friend or spouse who would like to join you but not this workshop? Check out Discover Orvieto. To explore other trips go to Trips. To learn more visit About Us. View Photos of Orvieto.
Adventures in Italy, 221 Forest Hill St., Morganton, NC 28655, 828.221.2322, info@AdventuresInItaly.net
Copyright © Steiner Studio LLC. All rights reserved.
Copyright © Steiner Studio LLC. All rights reserved.
