What’s In Store for the New Year?

What’s In Store for the New Year?

Happy 2018!
The first month of the year has already come and gone and so we are off and running.

For those of you who use Instagram, this is a snapshot of my previous year, though it hardly captures the many wonderful experiences of painting throughout 2017.

In thinking about continuing this blog I have asked myself the question, “what is this blog for and really about?”

Mine is not a technical blog sharing nerdy painting tips (though I follow many of those religiously), it is not about a history and documentation of Italy and Rome, rather it is simply a shared journey through writing about paintings  reflecting on what I have seen and learned while painting.

This year I would like to continue to share with you my recent works and reflections on them- the failures, successes and the unknown road that lies ahead.

Over the years I have given myself projects and challenges such as a painting a day and countless fast studies in order to improve my ability to see and paint quickly. While I will always continue to hone these skills, this year I will be focusing on creating larger works which involve more thought and consideration, using these quick studies towards larger and more finished completed works.

Honestly I focused quite a bit on my Sketching Rome Tours in 2017, my pet project teaching travel sketchbook techniques to people visiting Rome which I began in 2012. This past year was a huge success having expanded immensely and gave me great joy meeting and sketching with hundreds of people from around the world.

This coming year I will continue to expand the sketching tours and will also be travelling back to Marrakech in April to paint and teach, teaching a workshop on a boat while gliding down the Canal du Midi in France in May and offering shorter watercolor workshops in Rome through Urban Sketchers while focusing on painting mostly in Rome this year.

I look forward to sharing the year ahead with you and wish you a new, exciting and creative filled 2018!