Montepulciano — Jamie Davis Art

Abstract painting by Jamie Davis, Montepulciano

Oil on paper · 20 × 28 in · 2011

The Story

This piece was influenced by what I saw of the Tuscan countryside when I studied and taught in Italy. I was out for a 100 kilometer ride to Montepulciano and back. On the resulting painting, I chose a deep blue palette because of the heavy rain. At first it began with a mist but quickly turned into a full-on rainstorm. All the convenience stores that I counted on frequenting to replenish myself from the nearly 3,000 calories I burned were closed for the Sabbath and I had one bottle full of a powdered drink mix. I had been battling flat tires the previous week, and that Sunday was no exception. Upon getting a flat tire, I changed it, only to be struck by a second. I feared that I would not make it back to our dorm at Castiglion Fiorentino without my fingers freezing and my feeling of starvation. The mind creates fears when challenged, but I decided to overcome those fears by breaking the ride down into 10 kilometer sections. I would ride as fast as I could for 10 minutes, allow myself a small drink, then do it again, until finally I safely reached Castiglion Fiorentino, just in time to get my third flat tire. Montepulciano, the city and the painting, represent an experience in a foreign land, where I overcame obstacles and will use the experience when I battle hard times in the future to remind myself that I can do anything I set my mind to.