Here, quickly, are some of the paintings from my first week here in Plyos, Russia.

Street in Plyos. 60 x 80 cm, oil on canvas.
I’m here as part of a cultural exchange, organized by the Landscape Museum in town, between Italy and Russia (I snuck in by living in Italy for 20 years). Past years have included Cyprus and France, and next year will be an exchange with Dutch landscape painters.

The Church of the Resurrection (sketch). 25 x 35 cm, oil on panel.

Church of the Resurrection in the Rain. 50 x 60 cm, oil on canvas.
Plyos is the small town on the Volga where Isaac Levitan lived and painted and it’s become something of a Russian Giverny for realist painters working today.

Birch Grove. 20 x 30 cm, oil on panel.
As Isaac Levitan is a favorite landscape painter of mine, it’s wonderful for me to come here and see where he worked.

Trinket Seller. 20 x 30 cm, oil on panel.

Above Plyos, 40 x 60 cm, oil on canvas.

The Church above Plyos. 20 x 30 cm, oil on panel.
This is just the work from the first week. I’ll post again when we’re finished. The weather has been terrible, and promises to be terrible the whole trip.
Edit: Below is a photograph of my working situation for the “Church of the Resurrection in the Rain”.

The joys of plein air painting.
Nice work, Marc. As I look at this online, however, Banks of the Volga is only partially downloaded. JHJ
I’m very excited to hear that you are painting in Russia. I’ve been living in Moscow for 9 months now and it’s great to see you show the place in paint. I’venot been to Plyos yet, but I think a trip there is now in order. I look forward to seeing what you produce on this trip.
-Carmel
Great stuff…particularly drawn to “Street in Plyos”. Thanks so much for posting your trip.
Hi
I too love to paint landscape .
Your paintings have a distinct style and brightness .
Keep it up.
Love from India
Hey Marc,
I do enjoy your moody work as well as you fair weather work. There is always something to peak my interest. And I am inspired by your simplification process and how you always seem to find something in a landscape I would ordinarily overlook. Living here in Buffalo, N.Y., we get our fair share of rough weather, summers and winters. So often I’ll look and at your work, keeping some idea in my head, grab my paints and set off. So thanks for regularly postings. The inspiration is appreciated.
Great stuff Marc. I appreciate as well seeing both the sketches and more finished takes on the same subject.
Walking in Levitan’s footsteps?
J` en suis ravie !
Je ne suis qu`an artlover et j`apprecie beaucoup.
Marc, I love your work and am wondering if you do any workshops in Europe, but especially Eastern Europe, perhaps in Croatia? I have relatives in Serajevo and it’d be nice to combine a trip.