Plein air painting an early evening street scene here in Florence. The light was perfect and it wouldn't be Italy without some scooters in there. Photo credit to my awesome roommate, Gabbi!
It also hit me today how important it is to not let too many things pass by. Just as an example: there's a pastry shop/cafe that I pass on my walk home and it always smells fantastic; I can't quite describe it, but the scent is almost nostalgic--like a classic, old bakery. So I've been passing by this little cafe and saying, "oh, I should go in there..." Today, I walked past it again, but this time I stopped and turned around and went in. I practiced my Italian by asking about a certain pastry. The older gentleman behind the counter said it was a "cornetto crema" (cream horn). I counted my money in Italian and enjoyed the pastry on my walk home. I feel this same way about any opportunities. I really want to be aware of the things that I actively miss out on. It's different if I'm unaware of something or don't want to do something. But, everything has its own time window of opportunity and I'm trying to be more aware of that as I continue traveling, exploring, painting and living.
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Today was a free museum and garden day in Florence so my roommate and I walked over to the Boboli Gardens and passed some iconic spots along the way. We walked past Dante's house and I got my first look at the Palazzo Vecchio before crossing the Ponte Vecchio--all of which was pretty amazing. Florence seems pretty compact so the walk wasn't very far. The terrain was very hilly which provided a great workout and a fantastic view of Florence. The gardens themselves were larger than I imagined and we really enjoyed exploring all the areas. Each area had its own beautiful and I'd love to spend more time in each. One of my favorite areas had beautiful aquatic plants and water lilies, which I wasn't expecting to see. As an artist and art historian, one of my main reasons to visit the Boboli Gardens was because John Singer Sargent's painted there. And now I can see why Sargent enjoyed painting in these beautiful gardens. The mixture of the garden and classical sculpture was visual stunning and made me want to paint. I did some sketching, but I'd love to go back with my watercolors. I would definitely go back to see these gardens again and I recommend anyone visiting Florence to also visit them! Palazzo Vecchio and the Ponte VecchioGiardino di Boboli
I'm delighted to announce that I'll be heading to Ireland in 2025 to instruct a weeklong painting workshop tour! This tour is being coordinated by Travel Fever Tours and will be located in Northern Ireland. Accommodations will be at the Ashbrooke House, a luxurious and historic manor house. I will post registration info when it's available! A small oil sketch of our taller irises. I've been working on some smaller studies which have been a lot of fun and it's been helping me to simplify and focus. I've included two close-ups to show the paint thickness. You'll notice some rain drops on it because it started to rain!
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