Every plein air painter dreams or loves painting Venice, the magical city built entirely on the water.Normally when I think of paintings from Venice I think of foggy views of churches and boats seen across the water or grand sweeping scapes of The Grand Canal.Last
This park called Colle Oppio or the Oppian Hill in English, has a special place in my heart. The first day I set foot in Italy almost 10 years ago now (almost impossible to believe, but it's true), I stumbled upon this park which is
A rush to the finish line is what NOT to say to yourself when headed out to paint in a 1-day plein air painting competition. Instead, the best strategy I've found is to search until I find the exact thing I want to paint, no matter
I already said that Umbria is a wonderful place to paint.Not only that, but it's full of hidden gems.One of them is a 13th century Franciscan monastery founded by St. Francis of Assisi called La Scarzuola. Now, it's not just a monastery anymore, it's waaay
Now when most plein air painters pack their gear and head to Italy, they're most likely going to paint Tuscany. Why? Because it's beautiful and well manicured, but it's not the only place to paint gorgeous landscapes in Italy. In fact Umbria is one of my favorite places
Every summer in some of the most wonderful villages around Rome painters are invited to come and participate in local 1-day painting competitions. One of my favorites is in a town called Subiaco, nestled in the foothills of the Apennine mountians.This year the theme was
Last month in Venice I was hunting and not just painting. I was hunting empty spots, light effects and non your typical scenes. Mostly I was hunting for the best painting in each of Venice's distinct neighborhoods called sestiere in local dialect. Afternoon Light at the End
Now even if you live in Rome, you may never have visited this off-the-beaten-track neighborhood: Pigneto. I just love the name, it suggests those towering pines in abundance that Rome is so famous for. In fact the name does come from the row of pines
In this part of town called Garbatella, you won't find any tourists and even more rare are painters. The Red Arch, Garbatella Oil on Paper (mounted) 12 x 10" SOLD This is a place for working class people and they seem to all know that they've got a special place