Sunflowers and A Winner!

Just back from a delightful couple of days with friends in Todi. Their house on the Umbrian hillside is surrounded by sunflowers. Something about sunflowers reminds me of people - happy people. These remind me of all the delightful people who support this blog with loyal and encouraging comments.

Today's the day I announce the winner of my Blog Birthday watercolour giveaway.

And the winner is........

Oh dear, I've mucked up the cut and paste of the number generator so please trust me when I say it was No.6 - and that means the winner is Dominique Eichi of Dancing Strokes. I'm about to send you an email requesting your snail mail address, Dominique and then I will send off your watercolour.

Thank you all so much for your greetings - and I'm so thankful it wasn't Dermott's number that came up!

Spring Beckons

Wildflowers in an Olive Grove - Nikon D40X

How can I justify sitting in my studio staring at my computer when it looks like this outside? Following a fine example by Making a Mark and Laurelines, this blog is going to take a short holiday - a week or two - hopefully to do some painting en plein air and some weeding in the garden.

Our art show is on for most of May and that is more demanding and tiring than I expected. A full report when it's all over.

Sketch & Some Tuscan Sun Photos

Watercolour & Lamy Pen with Sepia Ink - Moleskine WC Sketchbook

I packed my kit and head outside to sketch today. I'm a bit rusty and have a lot of trouble juggling a tin of watercolours outside and everything gets a bit wishy washy, using a water brush. Anyway Sketching Season has only just begun, there's always room for improvement. For the first time today I noticed that this little street is called Vicolo Buio - Dark Alley!

After I finished sketching, I took the long way home. Here are some photos for those of you who'd like to share my walk.

Castiglion Fiorentino is currently marking the anniversary of the passage of the liberating army that fought its way though the town during WWII. This photograph is hanging in the main square (above). Can you see the bomb crater in the road on the right side of the photo? That's the town , on the hill ahead.


And this last one is for Joan, who noted recently just how dead these little Italian villages are when all the shops shut and everyone goes home for a long lunch.

Sketching in Rome

Ponte Fabricio 62BC

We live two hours from Rome, this week I was there for the first time in two years! Shame on me. But what a treat. Dear friends, Jim and Philippa invited me to stay in their apartment near the Pantheon - what bliss. They totally indulged me with food, walks, art, wine, Bellini cocktails and precious time to sketch.

Bernini's delightful little Elephant balancing an Egyptian obelisk was just around the corner. It's a favourite of Philippa's, so while they went off to their Italian class, I attempted to sketch it for her.

The Piazza was deserted when I arrived and next to a pile of rubbish I found a cardboard carton full of junk to sit on. Bliss. Half an hour later the rubbish men arrived in their truck, grinned at me, examined my sketch, loaded the bags of rubbish and then did a double take. They had spotted my 'seat'. I bashfully stood up but they showed no pity. Off it went in the truck. I continued as long as I could sitting on the cobblestones. Ouch!

Pulcin della Minerva

7"x10" HP watercolour paper - ready to paint

Alas, HWEM was at home with the dogs so I headed off for a nostalgic cup of coffee at a favourite spot of ours in the square opposite the Pantheon.

Time,I decided, to attack the Mt. Everest of sketches - Benini's Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi . When I arrived in the Piazza Navona I found it covered in scaffolding. I wasn't really up to the task anyway. Besides it was blazing hot and there wasn't a scrap of shade, so I stood for a couple of minutes beside the Fontana del Moro and tried to capture a couple of details.

Fontana del Moro

Jim and Philippa also introduced me to what must be the best art shop in Rome (Ditta M. Poggi, via Pie' di Marmo 39). So, armed with my new Pitt artist pens, I headed back to the apartment to sketch a portion of the view from my bedroom.

Watercolour Moleskine

I took lots of photos in order to do a larger painting of the entire cluster of charming little Roman apartments.

It was a fantastic two days. The highlight? Standing in front of Caravaggio's Saint Matthew Cycle in San Luigi dei Francesi to see, for the first time, his Calling of Saint Matthew.

The Archers

Today was just the beginning of what I call May Madness in our town. Throughout May it seems that everyone dresses up in medieval costume and relives the past - this culminates in some wonderful street feasts, very much enjoyed by the meat eaters. Do you detect a slight resentment? I don't eat beef.


Today crossbowmen from as far away as Florence, marched into town for their annual tournament. I decided it was a great sketching opportunity. I took a very cheap sketchbook - I think I had a premonition. It was a great sketching opportunity but it was the quick and the dead. I was the dead - nobody would stay still and I had half the town peering over my shoulder.


The flag throwers were here in force as usual. They really earn their keep through the summer months.

I liked the style of this young girl who had an arrow tucked into her boot.

On the positive side. I did sketch in public. On the negative side. I've really gone off children. They won't stay still for two seconds!