Our stay in Lucca was much too short. I’d love to go back there some day and have more time to explore the town. It’s always a challenge choosing where to go and what to see when vacation time is limited. I want to go everywhere and see everything! But you have to pick and […]
Category: Sketches
Sketchbook Journeys – Italy: Day 13 (Lovely Lucca)
The wide city walls surrounding the Tuscan city of Lucca date to Renaissance times and are one of best reasons to visit. They’re perfect for walking a dog, riding a bike, or strolling hand-in-hand. When Suzy and I arrived in Lucca, it was late afternoon, and as soon as we dropped our bags at our […]
Sketchbook Journeys – Italy: Day 13 (Tuscan Wildflowers)
Springtime in Tuscany…what could be prettier? 10″ x 7″, ink & watercolor in Stillman & Birn Beta series sketchbook As we drove through the countryside on our way from San Gimignano to Lucca, the scenes we passed were enough to keep a constant smile on my face. Olive groves, vineyards, villas, and bright green hillsides […]
Sunday Sketches
I was feeling particularly happy this past Sunday as I bustled around the house, cleaning and cooking in preparation for a party that evening. 9″ x 12″, drawn with a Noodler’s Creaper Flex pen and Lexington Gray ink, with watercolor, in an Aquabee Super Deluxe sketchbook When I paused to eat breakfast and saw how […]
Sketchbook Journeys – Italy: Day 13 (San Gimignano)
On Day 13, we said goodbye to Siena and headed north toward Lucca, meandering through the countryside on narrow, two-lane roads, enjoying a perfect spring day in Tuscany. 10″ x 7″, ink, watercolor pencil, and watercolor in Stillman & Birn Beta series sketchbook Our first stop was the medieval walled city of San Gimignano, famous […]
Sketchbook Journeys – Italy: Day 12 (Siena & Casale Virgili)
Casale Virgili was the perfect place to use as a home base to explore Tuscany. The B & B owner, Roberto, was a sweetheart. He spoke English, gave us great advice on restaurants and sites to see, and even fixed my hair dryer for me! The seventeenth-century farmhouse and outbuildings were beautifully maintained and made […]
Sketchbook Journeys – Italy: Day 11 (Yummy Tuscan Food)
Every time I paint a page that I really like, I get all excited and think, “Oooooh! This one is my favorite!” But then a few days later, I finish up another one that turns out better than I ever expected it to, and I think, “No, really, I think this one is my favorite!” […]
Sketchbook Journeys – Italy: Day 11 (Tuscany…finally!)
Warm sunshine, rolling hills, olive groves, and cypress trees – where else could we be but Tuscany? Everywhere I looked, it was prettier than a calendar picture! I started sketching as soon as we checked into our B&B near Siena. Our villa overlooked the idyllic scene that I sketched on the upper half of this […]
Sketchbook Journeys – Italy: Day 10 (Last Evening in Northern Italy)
On our last evening in northern Italy, we headed to our favorite restaurant for one more yummy dinner and were seated in a private alcove with a balcony, overlooking the outdoor patio. We felt so-o-o-o special! 10″ x 7″, ink & watercolor in Stillman & Birn Beta series sketchbook Even though I had done several […]
Sketchbook Journeys – Italy: Day 10 (A Dreamy Little Lupia Landscape)
It was an overcast day in early spring when I did this page in my travel journal. Driving through the countryside near Lupia, we had turned off the main road onto a dirt track which led across the fields to an old farmhouse surrounded by outbuildings. Suzie and I sat snug in our little Fiat […]
