I’m not sure why it took us a whole week to get around to venturing into Vicenza. It was only a few miles from where we were staying, and the drive, although challenging for tourists like us, was manageable. We didn’t even get lost! The city is famous for the work of Andrea Palladio, who designed many of the public buildings in Vicenza, as well as a number of villas in the nearby countryside. The buildings were awe-inspiring and amazingly beautiful, but a little overwhelming to paint, so I focused on smaller vignettes of things we saw as we explored Vicenza on foot.
 |
| 10″ x 7″, ink & watercolor, Stillman & Birn Beta series sketchbook |
The shop windows in the city were so gorgeous! I couldn’t get over the beauty of some of the displays – they were works of art in and of themselves. Like this hat shop on the main square…
Wow! To think that there is actually a market for those beautiful handmade fabric confections! Wish I could have seen some stylish Italian women wearing them!
We watched the greedy pigeons competing for crumbs as we sipped our cappuccinos and nibbled biscotti.
This sweet display of herbs stood outside the bakery…
Any time I sat down, I pulled out my sketchbook. Waiting for my lunch, I drew the condiments on the table (two kinds of olive oil, two kinds of vinegar, salt & pepper) as we conversed with an American soldier and his wife at the next table who told us what the don’t-miss highlights of our day in town should be.
After lunch, we hiked up to the top of Mount Berico to see the 15th century Church of St. Mary. Along the way, I paused to sketch this vine-covered gate. Can you tell I was in a hurry? Everything is a little wonky and doesn’t line up right. It had started to drizzle, and I was trying to hold my umbrella over my head while balancing my sketchbook in one hand and holding my pen in the other. The sketch is technically all wrong, but there’s something about it that I just love.
The view looking out over the city is spectacular…
…but I think I prefer sketching scenes that are less about the big picture and more about small beauties…
4 Comments
Great post!
Leslie, I'm so glad I came to your blog just now — your work is always a delight and makes me want to sit down with my sketchbook, a rare event, but I have recently tried to do some drawing (nothing I'd dare share though!)
I came here b/c I wanted to tell you I just made your Strawberry Pretzel Salad. After we moved to Freeport, we all had dinner here and you brought this dish and shared your recipe with me. Thought it would be perfect for the 4th of July tomorrow, and wanted to say thank you and Happy 4th of July.
Alison, I love hearing that I've had a hand in getting you to try sketching again! I hope you'll keep at it. It definitely becomes easier the more you do it.
I remember that dinner at your house. Samantha was still such a little tyke! And that "salad" is something I still make when we have family get-togethers. It always tastes so good!
You get a lot of detail in these tiny sketches! Nice!!!