Watercolors of the Villa Cimbrone

Entrance to the hotel part of the Villa (urban sketches)


Ravello's Cattedrale in the main piazza at dusk


Gazebo in a little courtyard of the Villa


Main entrance gate to the Villa from the inside looking out

Watercolors (I like to call it "drive-by sketching")

I have reverted back to doing my watercolor journaling and have enjoyed making these quick "drive-bys" in the car as the countryside rolls by. OK, some of them are more like "stand-and-sketch" but you get the idea. I sketch quickly on site and then add washes later, at my leisure. They are much more like quick impressions than "paintings" and are just fun to do. (urban sketches)

Driving through the land of the trulli


Driving away from Ostuni, past the sea, through fields and farms

More of my watercolors in and around Ostuni

These Moleskin journals have the creamiest paper and I love using them. I hope the colors come across OK on your monitors, as the background color is kind of off-white. (urban sketches)

Ostuni's white walls


Impressions around Ostuni


Polignano a Mare


Impressions of trulli country

A few more watercolors in the handmade journal

This fruit is called "loti" in Italian and at this time of year the leaves are gone from the trees and only the fruit remains, dramatic, bright orange against the dark colored bark


Fresh figs painted earlier this year in Verona

Watercolors along the Amalfi Coast

Here are some of the watercolors I have done of Amalfi and Cetara, on the Amalfi Coast (urban sketches)

A view of Amalfi from the harbor


Cetara's seaside and duomo


Cetara, looking towards the castle tower, along the shore


Blue door and window in a courtyard, Cetara

A few more watercolors

A street corner in Salerno (urban sketches)


Red Pears in my hand-made watercolor journal

My Watercolor of Vietri sul Mare

Rosemary's Watercolors of Verona

The view from the Ponte Pietra, the old stone bridge


An old house in a courtyard in Verona


(Urban Sketches)

Watercolor journal from Florence

A few years ago when we were in Florence I had this leather-bound journal made for me by an artisan in Oltarno. I haven't had the courage to actually paint in it till now when I decided it was time. I wanted to record some of the little things, mostly fresh fruits and vegetables that we have enjoyed and to be able to keep these memories in this wonderful book.

This is the journal. The man who made it for me told me that it was in the style of the bibles carried by the scribes in ancient times under their robes. The books hung from their belts and could thereby be hidden against those who might persecute them for their faith. I'm not sure how that relates to me but I loved the look of this book and the fact that it was custom made for me by hand with leathers and papers I personally selected from the piles in his workshop. The paper is soft and gorgeous to paint on.


Here is a little sampling of what I've done in it.

Watercolor view of Brescia

Brescia (urban sketches)

My Watercolors of Sicilian Places

I haven't posted any of my watercolors in a long time so I thought I'd take this opportunity, since it is almost time to end this chapter, to do so. Following are just a few of the paintings I have done over the last six months. I'd love to know what you think of them. (urban sketches)

A house, in the city of Acate