Venice

There will be a lot more ... we arrived yesterday and woke up here. This is the view from our window early morning.

Florence

We were only in Florence for two nights...I took just a few pictures because looking at paintings and sculpture takes eyes not cameras. I thought my friend David Maxim's paintings of museum goers. Most people ran up took a picture of the painting and one of the label and didn't even look at the painting, just ran off to the next picture. Everywhere there were hordes taking selfies.

From the Academia:

The Ufizzi is doing a big renavation project...many works are in different places or not on view. There were so many wonderful pieces. I think I'll write more later.

Took this of the Domo early morning before the tourist lines and hawkers selling selfie sticks.

Roma

We have spent time caughting up on sleep but walked alot. Frist to the Estruscan museum.

Than on to classic Rome

Roman Forum

Capititoli Hill

Pantheon

And the Adventure begins!

After visiting with Kristin Kohl and seeing her print in the print show Dan and Kristin delivered us to airport. What a beautiful 90 degrees in Portland.

Not a lot of sleep on the plane to Charlotte. Arrived at 5:30 am leave for Rome at 6:30. Charolette, NC was inetesting. Went to the Harvey B. Gantt Center saw Art of the New Deal African American Artists in the WPA. Also a great park with books and poetry themed sculptures, sheets of brass throughout the park with poems! (Pictures to come next week!)

For the last several years, I have spent focused time in the studio on images of water: waterfalls, rain (gee, how come?) and water movement. Into these images kept creeping structures. They were mostly architecture of the Middle Ages and the Renaissance. These images were from out trip in 2000 to Portugal and Spain. I thought it was funny but I’m an artist and funny things show up. These seemed slightly out of place but I just kept them. I know from past experience that the work will make sense later.  Now, they seem prophetic as Dennis & I get ready for our trip to Italy and our month long art residency in Venice, the vulnerable city on water.

I have added a couple of the prints here.

                     Pond Reflections, oil monotype, 9 in x 12 in

                     Underwater, watercolor monotype, 14.5 in x 16.5 in

New cloud paintings

These are part of a group of paintings I have in the works: dura-lar attached canvas.12" x 24"

Morning light

Early Morning Storm Brew

Morning

Marcy Baker Monotype workshop

Here are Dennis and my prints from Marcy's two day workshop at Sitka. Dennis on the left, mine on the right.

Closeups of Dennis'

Closeups of Mine: