The artist’s way

A building site on a barren hill was not what my parents had in mind when they decided to raise a family in Tuscany. Arniano – the derelict farmhouse bought in 1989, in the then unfashionable southern region of Montalcino – had a roof and windows, but not much else. No electricity, no water, and certainly not the elegant loggias or rococo plasterwork they had hoped to find in their dream palazzo. There was not a single shrub or tree in the 30-odd acres of scrubland that fell away from the house on all sides, leaving it proud and exposed on the cross of its own hill. This was where I would spend the first 13 years of my life.

One day in 2014, in a pub in West London, my painter friend William Roper-Curzon and I came up with the idea of the painting course. We were both looking to spend time in Italy, and to support ourselves while we were there. It seemed the perfect solution – we would run painting weeks at Arniano. William would teach, and I would cook. It would be a chance to spend time at home and to emulate the house-party atmosphere my parents had created, as well as to share the beauty of our family home with others. We have now been running the courses for