Monte San Savino 2016

I always love to go to Monte. For me, this is not a contest at all. It's more like the "Annual Modelling Dinner". A place to share with other professionals and enthusiasts our impressions about how everything is going on.

And for sure this year was as good as any other one.
I lied! this year was just a bit different because we arrived Roma on Friday morning so for the first time in several years we had some time to stop for lunch in a small village called Castello di Porto where we tasted our first authentically Italian carbonara.

After that, we gave a walk around the small old streets to make a better digestion. It's a place full of fantastic small streets to get lost (or at least to do it in summer).

We arrived monte with time enough to do for first time our inscription the same Friday so we save the long waiting of Saturday morning. We could see some interesting pieces too even if less than a half of the hole contest were placed yet.

For sure our first dinner is always at Pendolino's where you can taste very good food and they always have for us their best face and a smile :)

Saturday is the day to take some beers, look at the minis, meet people, have lunch... it's more or less the community day

Also I want to make a break to say I let one of the print samples of my monograph Arsies' Painting Toolbox (3 days left to finish the Kickstarter, hurry up!) at the entrance so everyone that wanted to check it in live before pledge can do to decide if the quality is enough or not.

And as announced on the campaign (update #19) I choose 2 displays between Standard categories that showed me more intention than just paint a mini fine to give them a special prize:

Sunday was a funny day. Pepe Gallardo was ruling a fast painting contest in the side room and some of our group joined to have a good time. Luis Gomez Pradal, Daniel Lopez Bustos and Myself decided to spent one-hour painting a mini. One of those small and funny cows from cow contest.

And of course, Luis tried to Cheat me! Cris was also our speaker and was always pushing us talking about the great minis other were painting at the same time.

Here's the picture of the participants. I'm sorry for those who I don't know their names, every one of you did a great job!

At last Pradal & me placed so we were awarded a wine and some Fuet that.. well didn't survive enough to take a good picture....

After lunch, we went to Award's ceremony that is, as always, soooo long, but very kindly.

Winning an award is very hard here, if you look at the bronze names it's easy to think that you'll never win anything here. In Monte, we can see always the best of the best. But as I told at the beginning, for me this is more a meeting than a contest. Anyway, everyone always wants to win something (Advice: next year instead medals, more Fuet!).

From us, Ferramis took Bronze, Pradal was Gold (as always), Sergio Calvo was Silver on painting and Best of Fantasy in open with a scene with Thor & Hulk. I placed Silver in painting (a bit more than deserved, there were better pieces that were bronze) with a display done with old 30mm minis I had in my showcase as the big guy I painted is a Boxart and I couldn't enter into contest ;)

Now it's time to work again. See you next year?

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