Raised in Huntington Beach, CA, Mary Lehner grew up with great passion for art. Inspired by such artists as Claude Monet, John Singer Sargent, Wayne Thiebaud and Vincent Van Gogh, Mary developed her own style of Interpretive Realism, portraying a richness and depth of color in luminous watercolors and acrylics. While working purely in water media, Mary enjoys painting primarily from life, either on location or in studio, and plays on the magic of light to develop her subjects in her own style.

Mary has won numerous awards in juried exhibitions and has shown her work in private and public shows, galleries and restaurants. She's a talented and enthusiastic teacher. Here's what some of her students have to say:

"What I like about Mary's teaching style are the fun atmosphere, encouragement and positive feedback along with her constructive suggestions."

In Mary's classes I learned to use color in an exciting and expressive style that gives my paintings a boost of energy!"

"Mary has been a patient teacher and has helped me push the envelope to develop a better feel of color and bold movement in my work."

Tuscany . . . a painter's dream

Tuscany offers incomparable painting opportunities whether you're looking for an expansive landscape or a small study depicting the "essence" of your surroundings and experiences. There's also plenty of time to enjoy wine tours and tastings, cooking courses, visits to Renaissance and Baroque gardens, excursions to markets, touring the jewel town of Lucca, a Puccini concert, watching the shepherdess make pecorino cheese and ricotta and more. And after a day of painting and touring, you can relax in a lawn chair with a glass of wine contemplating the majesty of a cypress tree or choose a book to read from our library. Most evenings will include time with Mary and your fellow artists to share your day's work and discuss techniques and tactics.

Your time in Tuscany will be a mixture of at home, painting around the farmhouse and the estate, and away days, on excursions to hilltowns, gardens, the architectural wonder of Lucca and a special trip to the stunning Cinque Terre coastal region.

“At Home”

Your home for the week, the farmhouse Selva, is set among olive groves, vineyards and forests, with buildings that go back hundreds of years in various phases of refurbishing. The rose garden, wildflowers, lemon trees in terra cotta pots, bits of mortar crumbling away in a nook, majestic cypress trees . . . all offer more inspiration. On your walks, you’ll meet Edo the shepherd and his sheep, perhaps startle a wild pheasant or watch the doves playing in the valley.

“Away”

Your excursions away from home include stunning landscapes, quiet corners and places where you can define your own essence of Tuscany. A few highlights: