Gingerbread Village

<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">Last Friday was so fun to join the Friday sketchers at the Sheraton's annual Gingerbread Village in downtown Seattle. Sat up close to this amazing confectionary creation with my friend Beanne, feeling hungry looking at all the glittering candy...great way to ring in the season!</span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvgSNWafXYwNnbQ5a5OS1hWQGOSXPiDwHgvmIzvIICrPDJ9syTnWnPiSH0Qaw8TeFXGUS5HB5mQYDkDmB46EY9HeHohoauA8cliOLzz561qhDO1RbwMpSXb2stEjSa10TyCeyLmG0n4yY/s1600/GingerbreadVillage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvgSNWafXYwNnbQ5a5OS1hWQGOSXPiDwHgvmIzvIICrPDJ9syTnWnPiSH0Qaw8TeFXGUS5HB5mQYDkDmB46EY9HeHohoauA8cliOLzz561qhDO1RbwMpSXb2stEjSa10TyCeyLmG0n4yY/s1600/GingerbreadVillage.jpg" width="318" /></a></div><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;"><br /></span>

Gingerbread Village

Last Friday was so fun to join the Friday sketchers at the Sheraton's annual Gingerbread Village in downtown Seattle. Sat up close to th...

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Thinking ahead to 2015

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbc0I1tL869FfppBSA74Xw5Irlkld6IsRtbRFtHzo1ybYGGtZnh18yUU4XajQ7W3Poufqu0yI0iONnjUoqY5nOsDO2t5Ne_0WlLXCzVIaR138go_65sr_uAQbVibm-9BOOwNvGzVolmnM/s1600/DrawCivita+2015.Poster.card5.5x8.5.piazza.cropped.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="410" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbc0I1tL869FfppBSA74Xw5Irlkld6IsRtbRFtHzo1ybYGGtZnh18yUU4XajQ7W3Poufqu0yI0iONnjUoqY5nOsDO2t5Ne_0WlLXCzVIaR138go_65sr_uAQbVibm-9BOOwNvGzVolmnM/s1600/DrawCivita+2015.Poster.card5.5x8.5.piazza.cropped.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">When the gray and soggy days hit Seattle, I start thinking about escape in the coming year! </span><br /><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Been spending a lot of time of late setting up workshops for 2015, including DRAW CIVITA once again in the utterly amazing hill town of Civita di Bagnoregio, Italy, for only 7 participants.  </span><br /><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I'm also teaching more GOOD BONES workshops in Seattle starting in February, as well as giving a lecture, show and workshop at Washington State University in April!!</span><br /><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If you are interested in any of these workshops, a projected schedule is now up on my website, </span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">at <a href="http://www.stephaniebower.com/">www.stephaniebower.com</a> or email me at stbower@comcast.net</span><br /><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I can't wait!!</span>

Thinking ahead to 2015

When the gray and soggy days hit Seattle, I start thinking about escape in the coming year!  Been spending a lot of time of late setting up ...

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Korean Lunch

<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I have the great good fortune to get to work with the amazing firm of Olson Kundig Architects.  Today was a team lunch to do research for a project in Korea, so we defied the rain and traffic and headed up to Shoreline to Maru Grill, where we feasted on delicious Korean dishes!  It was hard to take a break to sketch and not keep eating!  The table was covered with food and bowls...</span><br /><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Thank you Marlene, Blair, Wonsik, and Alan...</span><br /><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7fBornGDZPn1dbv8RZK0YyRYHfhEsZEO6FSzUUP-bWsMH-Bdjd1og1aAsXf9L6fAaucK1ge3FHPtP08fwX9BVCdvQ77Ib5DtGYeqUSdn5tKNacOgKGUs-rb6uBudhipdOnVoLrTtl5oE/s1600/Korean+Lunch.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="198" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7fBornGDZPn1dbv8RZK0YyRYHfhEsZEO6FSzUUP-bWsMH-Bdjd1og1aAsXf9L6fAaucK1ge3FHPtP08fwX9BVCdvQ77Ib5DtGYeqUSdn5tKNacOgKGUs-rb6uBudhipdOnVoLrTtl5oE/s1600/Korean+Lunch.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />

Korean Lunch

I have the great good fortune to get to work with the amazing firm of Olson Kundig Architects.  Today was a team lunch to do research for a ...

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Sunday Sketches

<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Work has been SO busy, it's been a while since I've done much sketching.  I am sorry I am so behind in posts!!!</span><br /><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I was so happy to join the Seattle USk group to sketch again this past Sunday.  With near freezing temps, a motivated group of Seattle Sketchers showed up at the Pioneer Square underground bus tunnel!  This is part of what is so great about USk, the group motivation and support to venture out, even in the COLD, to see our world one sketch at a time.</span><br /><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">First was the bus tunnel...it was very hard to get the curves right, took longer than expected. The colors were also very gray, I still need to work on cranking up color for the sake of a sketch instead of being so literal. I started this sketch with the back half circle, had to erase and redraw a little smaller and higher on the page in order to get it all to fit.</span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDlP89wHiFRXz9EbipatmcKwqfNprOuT0xpDKzj-S6ANx_QiWgdy6KzhP4Ko7OuLy2rccQ-itIdoJsz9JLU3Ppiv-M3BE5cvNdhBhS8kuq8KARNvh9Pk2e_ZThRSztLYlyG0ts3990_lU/s1600/Sketch.Seattle.BusTunnel.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="318" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDlP89wHiFRXz9EbipatmcKwqfNprOuT0xpDKzj-S6ANx_QiWgdy6KzhP4Ko7OuLy2rccQ-itIdoJsz9JLU3Ppiv-M3BE5cvNdhBhS8kuq8KARNvh9Pk2e_ZThRSztLYlyG0ts3990_lU/s1600/Sketch.Seattle.BusTunnel.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Second, with frozen hands, I needed to feel some sun, so it was up to the sunny corner at 3rd Ave. and Yesler.  Here I started with the tall rectangular shape of the street space, starting with the vertical line in red brick on the left, down along the street, and up again on the right hand corner of the off-white building.</span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNepS3qHe-DRY-jjCf7hIvRZb1lhE1ZKsztBL1nN4xWr2IvxWY_wgIPf_SfXG7ngCe7XXZs9rhQLOKqmYKX108irFogFwXVrBCdmGxFaBILFnvBd1gF1VxediuVKWfaSc30PLVCYD65jw/s1600/Sketch.Seattle.3rdAve.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNepS3qHe-DRY-jjCf7hIvRZb1lhE1ZKsztBL1nN4xWr2IvxWY_wgIPf_SfXG7ngCe7XXZs9rhQLOKqmYKX108irFogFwXVrBCdmGxFaBILFnvBd1gF1VxediuVKWfaSc30PLVCYD65jw/s1600/Sketch.Seattle.3rdAve.jpg" width="394" /></a></div><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">After, I headed over to Zeitgeist cafe and sketched the entire interior.  I have been trying a limited color palette over pencil drawings in my work sketches lately, and I suppose this is a variation on that idea, with just ultramarine blue, burnt sienna, yellow ochre, and a touch of manganese blue in the glass. I was tired, so the perspective got a little wonky in places! I also probably need to draw into the gutter a bit more, maybe try pen...</span><br /><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">always learning...</span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNCazzh3ZNLIhg5smd-UCzJU3yx0mNitoF4Bx4Tg_AJ683Xw8imPWZW8gJNEvUk9jGreSbSph5pNnORaXlC3wREL9_6oLG54YJnIpINYXxisQ0cEFoyea-6ai1JtGmE8ivpBXRIhd4Hso/s1600/Sketch.Seattle.Zeitgeist.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="196" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNCazzh3ZNLIhg5smd-UCzJU3yx0mNitoF4Bx4Tg_AJ683Xw8imPWZW8gJNEvUk9jGreSbSph5pNnORaXlC3wREL9_6oLG54YJnIpINYXxisQ0cEFoyea-6ai1JtGmE8ivpBXRIhd4Hso/s1600/Sketch.Seattle.Zeitgeist.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>

Sunday Sketches

Work has been SO busy, it's been a while since I've done much sketching.  I am sorry I am so behind in posts!!! I was so happy to jo...

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Last Full Day of the 2.5 month Trip

<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Yesterday was a really wonderful day on the hill of Santa Teresa in Rio de Janeiro. I met Suhita Shirodkar, Lynne Chapman, Beliza Mendes, Marc Taro Holmes and Laurel Holmes, and so many other wonderful sketchers early in the morning, and it was a non-stop sketching marathon all day into the the evening as we listened to Samba music, watching some very serious, lovely samba-dancing couples.</span><br /><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What an utter priveledge to have had these TWO incredible opportunities...I have learned so much. I will do post-trip posts of the trip!</span><br /><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I'll finish my NIAUSI walking guide to Civita once back in Seattle, and the symposium--well, what a whirlwind of meeting people, sketching, workshops!!  It was truly an honor to get to be here as an instructor, truly an honor to get to sketch with and watch some of the most amazing sketchers in the world (who are also very nice people) in action...soooooo great to be part of the USk community.</span><br /><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Back to Seattle tonight, and as great as this has been, I will be so very happy to see my family and friends.  Obrigada...</span><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj01NXZaNUTmlFlgM_NdSBWzaS2p1gRMjUMNt_NlLY23DVnK8g1j_xobdHTpM54XgJ3P6ggcBT8q1cnms8HQf7asgVoGvOPwa36RLAcIV1nuF2nu4Bkir-pVqQbPSSXzZb8l2j-wpDz60w/s1600/10389693_683991911691152_3548396373635694814_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj01NXZaNUTmlFlgM_NdSBWzaS2p1gRMjUMNt_NlLY23DVnK8g1j_xobdHTpM54XgJ3P6ggcBT8q1cnms8HQf7asgVoGvOPwa36RLAcIV1nuF2nu4Bkir-pVqQbPSSXzZb8l2j-wpDz60w/s1600/10389693_683991911691152_3548396373635694814_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #666666;">First 180 Degrees Workshop waiting out the rain...we had to move to 4 different spots as the rain stopped and started,<br />making things very challenging for all--thanks workshop folks, for your patience and understanding!  Thanks Fred Lecomte<br />for this great photo.</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhofoT4QLTBTq1xSD54WiCsc4MGpG_tF2X1tjXhaBcStcwlaoFY33CyVf22CFl1RLyb5PrmQ8HuKt2tuqYhImqX8D-vzhUn0fK1_UhsFdqsUPLXpOBPEAteEMGG0b32s5QKNSpbqIs714E/s1600/10617684_10154494402620244_2104594466_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhofoT4QLTBTq1xSD54WiCsc4MGpG_tF2X1tjXhaBcStcwlaoFY33CyVf22CFl1RLyb5PrmQ8HuKt2tuqYhImqX8D-vzhUn0fK1_UhsFdqsUPLXpOBPEAteEMGG0b32s5QKNSpbqIs714E/s1600/10617684_10154494402620244_2104594466_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Tia Boon Sim's selfie--one of many--of our group traveling by van from Sao Paulo to Paraty.  With Tia's Husband, Ch'ng Kiah Kiean, Jason Das, Joni Vallon, Genine Carvalheira-Gehman</span><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">, Keesung Song, and our happy driver.</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKjVy7LY9vCads_KgFX4DC3pl2dVzcf43eICNkBe37wFN62QGVIzLA6SFOdAIa87ZaGt6NQ5KfZ1woWsDCNT8faGZWri7PYEGVJuYoWGcmY9rq2oGW5Dk2xHONZ8Yxis7-FjEP1mqLSRA/s1600/10660742_10154513093450244_186903622_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKjVy7LY9vCads_KgFX4DC3pl2dVzcf43eICNkBe37wFN62QGVIzLA6SFOdAIa87ZaGt6NQ5KfZ1woWsDCNT8faGZWri7PYEGVJuYoWGcmY9rq2oGW5Dk2xHONZ8Yxis7-FjEP1mqLSRA/s1600/10660742_10154513093450244_186903622_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #666666;">Another Tia selfie, this time with also with Richard Almodovar and Gabi Campanario, at the end of the symposium.</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkjCXRk1UXjt-afR6Z8MaXER7XI2Jl5sQgi3L87iWo8D0096YcCP3_TXFZcGiug6HfAedTOeOTZqkpC9pGzPWJY2NdUxiZJ6Rd26L2FjoTTxkrleNbb0GlUzk-cbxnymrrBKfxYQsNp2Y/s1600/IMG_0931.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkjCXRk1UXjt-afR6Z8MaXER7XI2Jl5sQgi3L87iWo8D0096YcCP3_TXFZcGiug6HfAedTOeOTZqkpC9pGzPWJY2NdUxiZJ6Rd26L2FjoTTxkrleNbb0GlUzk-cbxnymrrBKfxYQsNp2Y/s1600/IMG_0931.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #666666;">Sketching in Rio de Janeiro after the symposium, a group including Suhita, Marc Taro Holmes and his wife Laurel, Lynne Chapman, Beliza Mendes and others...all amazing and wonderful sketchers--</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcyg48DTpD8pwgFaeqXmDL0iNj6TTW2O8_FatRGREzLF-0kw1qSyH6ThEXyD37Y7IX0LRCBhbIV2682NrUOek34JCcJOalreQlF4GOL5kEB_OoNkcMSazrZn4MPXPOVLbb18HNJMw0eYQ/s1600/IMG_0790.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcyg48DTpD8pwgFaeqXmDL0iNj6TTW2O8_FatRGREzLF-0kw1qSyH6ThEXyD37Y7IX0LRCBhbIV2682NrUOek34JCcJOalreQlF4GOL5kEB_OoNkcMSazrZn4MPXPOVLbb18HNJMw0eYQ/s1600/IMG_0790.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #666666;">Overcast evening along Copacabana beach, not too far from my hotel.  Roberto Burle Marx designed this boardwalk.</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJPFUS2DHmQMKRrc4yhTSYYuV6_rYGeQ5sjqNirWubuW5W4LzkG4hL_6y7szj-lGavwt9R4KUAsTk24ApJXbNVYVPW2lNAV2MdNhAZHvuygcjJvg7JQfKScaXtbVa8h3Aj_A-WKaVIx98/s1600/IMG_0852.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #666666;">Happy sketchers along the Santa Teresa steps in Rio.</span></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJPFUS2DHmQMKRrc4yhTSYYuV6_rYGeQ5sjqNirWubuW5W4LzkG4hL_6y7szj-lGavwt9R4KUAsTk24ApJXbNVYVPW2lNAV2MdNhAZHvuygcjJvg7JQfKScaXtbVa8h3Aj_A-WKaVIx98/s1600/IMG_0852.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #666666;"></span></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7aagsw_Un7IXutaTWCN9LUnZtME9BJqBy9CLjuq1upUeAtJZOjtv9IHN9oVkYA9h__wyzjOKA7Xu4JQpHcGDn28lOd1tXUTjlj7sFXuBufHrLFwZuqhuIUlE0ns4dzn46zj2jef2gDC0/s1600/IMG_0866.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #666666;">My only view of Sugar Loaf on this trip...</span></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7aagsw_Un7IXutaTWCN9LUnZtME9BJqBy9CLjuq1upUeAtJZOjtv9IHN9oVkYA9h__wyzjOKA7Xu4JQpHcGDn28lOd1tXUTjlj7sFXuBufHrLFwZuqhuIUlE0ns4dzn46zj2jef2gDC0/s1600/IMG_0866.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #666666;"></span></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjoBQtXFIpMt0kzQaknhvjUU77V5AXZRGhR1HiCZ5DYOtShLGbuSxrB5lZaLH7lBcVeMU2rE85DfEyf-b49YS7tkeKdV0s8hMZSXlf89svnYheAEVqR4f30HeyWtXlT7iUb2a9-H6oUAk/s1600/IMG_0914.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjoBQtXFIpMt0kzQaknhvjUU77V5AXZRGhR1HiCZ5DYOtShLGbuSxrB5lZaLH7lBcVeMU2rE85DfEyf-b49YS7tkeKdV0s8hMZSXlf89svnYheAEVqR4f30HeyWtXlT7iUb2a9-H6oUAk/s1600/IMG_0914.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #666666;">Sketch of the hillside while descending Santa Teresa hill in Rio...dust and wind were blowing hard,<br />my watercolor palette is literally full of dirt, twigs, flowers, as was my hair...</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgygaH0ZZ6-3hIzTMWfpcYsoPZRIFxymucAQzX43F0tVJDkRrWAdSN-bvcdhSR78JfsJWCOJsZ4Oz3-qylXZCqYpG6FhtM6ZJrFfrDsnwzcFZHUBAebV_bvLr7qk0eln_vQv-_j2Gf0erU/s1600/IMG_0529.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #666666;">One really good day of sun, and it was the perfect day, as a group of us went out on a boat around Paraty and had<br />fish lunch on the beach, toes in the sand.  With a big group (I'm sorry I don't remember all the names!), including Suhita Shirodkar, Jason Das, Geninie, Mona, Jenny, Jessie Chapman, Beliza Mendes...what a great day, ending in a huge wind storm that knocked out power in the entire area for 13 hours the next day...</span></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgygaH0ZZ6-3hIzTMWfpcYsoPZRIFxymucAQzX43F0tVJDkRrWAdSN-bvcdhSR78JfsJWCOJsZ4Oz3-qylXZCqYpG6FhtM6ZJrFfrDsnwzcFZHUBAebV_bvLr7qk0eln_vQv-_j2Gf0erU/s1600/IMG_0529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #666666;"></span></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnOQjh44_lQKzUFwJpjBEjKoAZ5JnUNntXV-yzl_mi_3lNZAv5ibTo_4k3ysqWKIhhzs4b72rmisUJ0YOBTibAoapiw3LAbDhRORY01zxD4cEvDb9aQC1yA-MGeXVd5sk4sk_e1yUoN9k/s1600/IMG_0474.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnOQjh44_lQKzUFwJpjBEjKoAZ5JnUNntXV-yzl_mi_3lNZAv5ibTo_4k3ysqWKIhhzs4b72rmisUJ0YOBTibAoapiw3LAbDhRORY01zxD4cEvDb9aQC1yA-MGeXVd5sk4sk_e1yUoN9k/s1600/IMG_0474.jpg" width="360" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #666666;">My donation to the end of symposium auction--thanks to the <br />person who bought it and made a contribution to Urban Sketchers!<br />This was at the start of the auction, the price went UP!  :)</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br />

Last Full Day of the 2.5 month Trip

Yesterday was a really wonderful day on the hill of Santa Teresa in Rio de Janeiro. I met Suhita Shirodkar, Lynne Chapman, Beliza Mendes, Ma...

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What Adventures!!!!!

<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">OK, long time since I could write...I left Rome on August 24, flew to London, then to New York JFK where my 10:00pm flight to Sao Paulo was CANCELLED...they put us up in a raunchy hotel outside the airport, and I didn't get to bed until 5:30am Italy time.</span><br /><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Got the flight at 11:30am the next day, flew to Sao Paulo, arrived in Sao Paulo, got the van to Paraty which took us over 5 hours (travelling in VERY good and talented company)...arrived in Paraty, AT LAST it took about 2.5 days of travel!!</span><br /><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Arriving a day late, I had little to no time to scope out the town--which is lovely--and meet people before the symposium started the next day!  Lots of people here, amazing energy and SO MUCH TALENT!!!!  Really inspiring and intimidating all at once.  Really full and busy days, lots to see and do.  The event, as usual, was so well-organized...USk is pretty darn amazing.</span><br /><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The weather was mostly cloudy and very cool, and it even poured during my first and largest workshop.</span><br /><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I woke up every morning on Italy time, around 4:30am here, so was sleep deprived, as were lots of others.  Kumi flew from Japan just for this event, a 12 hour time difference!  Internet bad...and yesterday afternoon, the day after the symposium ended, a huge and very unusual windstorm came in, blowing down trees and power lines...so no power since last night!  Electricity just came on now, about 14 hours later...so I can finally access the internet again.</span><br /><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Anyway, the symposium was amazing, I feel so honored and privileged privileged privileged be here and be a part of it.  Thank you, Urban Sketchers!</span><br /><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Tomorrow, I go to Rio de Janeiro with three others (hardworking USk president Jason Das, sketcher Joni Vallon, and our default translator from Luxembourg who speaks maybe 7 languages and sketches too--Beliza Mendes), we're going as a group which is super nice.  I will post photos and sketches of the week, working backwards a little bit.</span><br /><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I got this photo from Facebook, I think--shows most of the sketchers at the finale of the symposium in the main town square! You'll never find me, as my head is turned, looking at Gabi Campanario behind me to make sure I wasn't blocking his view.</span><br /><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">OBRIGADA!</span><br /><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkCeFsbfERjTg76eXC7emRuF0oMeZUSAch0yrEWheCc-OUZJUN0W9EUpDEipeEA8Zhw1wiR48y6wtpdXCZ2Vip_zXUKgclBg_hK0gRJKOndjG3QV4bNquxb9DsLGkpDaJQYR7d7UDbV-U/s1600/10665726_10152335587871546_590225742032651679_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkCeFsbfERjTg76eXC7emRuF0oMeZUSAch0yrEWheCc-OUZJUN0W9EUpDEipeEA8Zhw1wiR48y6wtpdXCZ2Vip_zXUKgclBg_hK0gRJKOndjG3QV4bNquxb9DsLGkpDaJQYR7d7UDbV-U/s1600/10665726_10152335587871546_590225742032651679_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #666666;">Last group photo of the Urban Sketchers Symposium 2014 in Paraty, Brazil!!</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>

What Adventures!!!!!

OK, long time since I could write...I left Rome on August 24, flew to London, then to New York JFK where my 10:00pm flight to Sao Paulo was ...

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Last Day in Italy, Tomorrow to Brazil!!

<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Yesterday I made the trek from Civita to Orvieto to Rome, sad to leave but eager to go to the Urban Sketcher's Symposium in Brazil, and then eager to get home to Seattle!  Last night, Ben and Francesca, who work for Rick Steves, were kind enough to take me to dinner... and Ben hand delivered from Seattle my new camera!!!!!!!!  THANK YOU, Ben!</span><br /><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Today I mostly spent a lot of time sitting around the Pantheon, which was packed with tourists. Eventually, I got to this sketch--my last of this two months in Italy.  I also got to see Kelly Medford here, who since the workshop in Civita, has been turning out beautiful watercolors!!!  It was great to get to see her.  So I started this trip with a sketch of the Pantheon, and end this trip with an image of the Pantheon...</span><br /><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8btu81_rEleR9rsTTneVm-XuKfGiCgUJWwyp0Ms09t5qAzR6trDODm_k7NTnkS9cJFEvioUHniBhrLj7Xhpd26sGw9CCmOI0QkrQ6azhvhgbvN_btJROOhxY_igk-6Y6TF0rDZlOELC0/s1600/Rome.Pantheon.Interior.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8btu81_rEleR9rsTTneVm-XuKfGiCgUJWwyp0Ms09t5qAzR6trDODm_k7NTnkS9cJFEvioUHniBhrLj7Xhpd26sGw9CCmOI0QkrQ6azhvhgbvN_btJROOhxY_igk-6Y6TF0rDZlOELC0/s1600/Rome.Pantheon.Interior.jpg" width="360" /></a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">After this post, it's packing the suitcases for Brazil, as I head to the airport tomorrow morning~~</span><div><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Thanks so much </span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">to all who have been following these posts during my two month NIAUSI fellowship here.  I have many sketches I have not yet posted, so I'll keep them coming for while...and from BRAZIL too!!</span><br /><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Ciao tutti...</span></div>

Last Day in Italy, Tomorrow to Brazil!!

Yesterday I made the trek from Civita to Orvieto to Rome, sad to leave but eager to go to the Urban Sketcher's Symposium in Brazil, and ...

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Last Evening in Civita

<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Today, I spent a lot of the day cleaning, packing, and going around saying good bye to people and delivering a few sketches as gifts.</span><br /><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Tonight, Tony Costa Heywood (without Tony and his wife Astra, NIAUSI would not exist and I wouldn't be here), I enjoyed an amazing dinner at the wonderful restaurant under my Civita house, Alma Civita...</span><br /><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Maurizio cooked tonight, he learned from his mother Maria who also cooks here, in a tiny kitchen with a real wood fireplace where many of their dishes are prepared.</span><br /><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Pasta was spaghetti with figs, pancetta, and fennel...next course was fire grilled fresh tomatoes (which were out of this world) and this beautiful dessert was a pear cake...all super fresh, seasonal, local (a lot of it from Maurizio's family farm) ingredients.</span><br /><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This afternoon, I gave Maurizio and his girlfriend Roberta a sketch I had done of their new house here in Civita, and he promised to do his artistry at dinner...little did I know, he was literally meant ARTistry!!</span><br /><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What a wonderful send off...</span><br /><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDhT9dgtp7QbhSy0r4Mx2ZYy7hcHoRZmKKCUMp09_EtVxOYBHYgGtyosMbInqBH4RMyftRrsLdDuBQiiqBmn6aQSEZ4swG8wb4_p8WmJloJXCqpvLiQcCv13lb6ys9cqoYMi3DID5_mSE/s1600/IMG_1266.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDhT9dgtp7QbhSy0r4Mx2ZYy7hcHoRZmKKCUMp09_EtVxOYBHYgGtyosMbInqBH4RMyftRrsLdDuBQiiqBmn6aQSEZ4swG8wb4_p8WmJloJXCqpvLiQcCv13lb6ys9cqoYMi3DID5_mSE/s1600/IMG_1266.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>

Last Evening in Civita

Today, I spent a lot of the day cleaning, packing, and going around saying good bye to people and delivering a few sketches as gifts. Tonigh...

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Debating Piazza San Pietro

<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I'm actually starting to pack up some of things, as I leave Civita the day after tomorrow.  The crowds have settled down to a dull roar, so today I actually sketched outside quite a bit.  This sketch, however, </span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">is one I finished a little while ago.  It's of the piazza just inside the main entry gate, the Porta Santa Maria.</span><br /><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As part of my NIAUSI project, I've walked around and tried to talk with local folks about the names of things, ask them what was what, how long has such and such been here, etc...so asking about this piazza was pretty typical of the responses I'd get.</span><br /><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I have books that call this piazza "Piazza Colesanti", and some of the people do indeed call it that for the palazzo once owned by the Colesanti family on this square...but the sign in the piazza calls it "San Pietro" for the St. Peter's church that once stood in the gap on the left that was lost to the valley in an earthquake and landslide. So after some heated debate, it was determined that it is indeed "Piazza San Pietro", known as "Piazza Colesanti".  Mama mia!</span><br /><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Whatever the name, it was likely once the site of a thriving market place, being just inside the gate.  The exterior stair is called a profferlo and is typical in Civita (I go up one to get to my casa) and in this region.</span><br /><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This view is literally ear to ear, a pretty true 180 degrees...</span><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNf14UhLYL-6aVvL7pWeTUcMebNeYoH247fgMTqmSx_XjEt-uapbicGrJrpGhzpSY7_UT6UNllNnDkyjy5mMTfiWaYSoYtLyhLQQ1wu-CDekXf0cWajPfnqQVTJ2T2jc_HeHZr1ajBdeg/s1600/Civita.180.PiazzaSanPietro.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="318" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNf14UhLYL-6aVvL7pWeTUcMebNeYoH247fgMTqmSx_XjEt-uapbicGrJrpGhzpSY7_UT6UNllNnDkyjy5mMTfiWaYSoYtLyhLQQ1wu-CDekXf0cWajPfnqQVTJ2T2jc_HeHZr1ajBdeg/s1600/Civita.180.PiazzaSanPietro.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #666666;">Piazza San Pietro in Civita, glowing a bit yellow due to the fact I took the photo with the last ray of sun<br />for the day...note the blue sky in the door and windows near the center--the building collapsed into the valley, but the facade remains, windows open to the sky!!</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>

Debating Piazza San Pietro

I'm actually starting to pack up some of things, as I leave Civita the day after tomorrow.  The crowds have settled down to a dull roar,...

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Still Working Inside... because the streets are so crowded!

<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The streets of Civita have been PACKED with tourists--really, it's like the streets of Manhattan here.  There were a mind-boggling 2800 visitors (not counting kids) last Friday on the holiday for the Ascension of Mary.</span><br /><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And I think people believe they are in Disneyland or a movie set, as they walk through town and into any open door or up any stair, maybe not realizing that people live and work here!  I am really eager to get my walking guide done and available on the internet, as people really have no idea what they are seeing here.</span><br /><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So since it really has been too crowded to draw outside, I've continued to do some work inside...here are a few examples.  The work at my desk is really different--much more careful, layered washes, etc.</span><br /><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Also, these are on real Arches watercolor paper, so it is taking the pencil and color very differently from my other sketches on a less expensive paper (I'm finding I like the cheaper paper better!)</span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7fSwY42lguF7NyoHl_954ObaSvjiZeFPQZYFNdsrryNRFQAeZ01FGtnttMLwgRHz-os7bFCNK-5hFgT3OWySMrQVt3cOiDLgZeIoYiGuqA_JrpCI0JFMRyoONVJzH60dgHXymy3gdziY/s1600/Civita.sketch.campenille.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7fSwY42lguF7NyoHl_954ObaSvjiZeFPQZYFNdsrryNRFQAeZ01FGtnttMLwgRHz-os7bFCNK-5hFgT3OWySMrQVt3cOiDLgZeIoYiGuqA_JrpCI0JFMRyoONVJzH60dgHXymy3gdziY/s1600/Civita.sketch.campenille.jpg" width="298" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu3y0g87ovNeQB8MwK28FR9HxlcgvjG7ZIPaw5kF0DAHlDhnbq-goxfksBpyi57YH4UsG2nmVxnBA1bJGd75RWW1BqJsI7tJfCv0tJ0L8v2t7HKkUez9xGX9qyvi3Gs5b7rV_APuA7oRY/s1600/Civita.LaurasMothersHouse.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="418" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu3y0g87ovNeQB8MwK28FR9HxlcgvjG7ZIPaw5kF0DAHlDhnbq-goxfksBpyi57YH4UsG2nmVxnBA1bJGd75RWW1BqJsI7tJfCv0tJ0L8v2t7HKkUez9xGX9qyvi3Gs5b7rV_APuA7oRY/s1600/Civita.LaurasMothersHouse.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #666666;">The house where Laura's mother grew up, right be the calanchi cliffs!</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I leave Civita in only a few days--this is Monday night, and I leave for Rome on Friday...then Sunday, I fly to Brazil.  I'm in many ways sad to leave this place that I've gotten to know so well, but SOOOO excited about Brazil, and of course, I'll be VERY HAPPY to see my family and friends in Seattle.</span>

Still Working Inside... because the streets are so crowded!

The streets of Civita have been PACKED with tourists--really, it's like the streets of Manhattan here.  There were a mind-boggling 2800 ...

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Working Inside

<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Today the morning broke cool, thank goodness!  Italy is having the "worst" summer anyone can remember with much more rain than normal (I heard the exact same thing in Paris last year too and am starting to get paranoid, because both summers, it seems Seattle has experienced the sunniest summers on record),  but I was very grateful for today's break in the temps.  So while it poured outside, I was cozy inside working on 5 images, which I may try to sell here in a local shop!  I particularly liked these two, they are small and simple, but I really like how the colors and composition worked out.</span><br /><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What colors am I using?  I use Ultramarine Blue with Burnt Sienna and touch of Alizarin Crimson (a mix I learned from Stephen from Vermont who took my workshop in July--thank you for this great mix, I am using it constantly!), yellow ochre and raw umber, and for glow, I'm really liking Daniel Smith's Quinacridone Burnt Orange, similar to Burnt Sienna but doesn't get muddy when I drop it into wet paint.</span><br /><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Tomorrow is a holiday in Italy, Ferragosto or the Day of the Assumption of Mary, so Civita will likely be packed with visitors...yesterday, there were 1,200 tourists...</span><br /><br /><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtVo8sk-yjwefWWlvp04KGYy9AgH9eNl9ol7QQHCsD-wU5mPrE6Sn2TUFOYGvFKlBJ4cGQBQGCasWlL9Kkjt4kBREnD3sm0ZTwDly882BGXBprTVLFy76PtgwsvgS7gJLjPQkao8KF7OI/s1600/Civita.StreetFramed.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtVo8sk-yjwefWWlvp04KGYy9AgH9eNl9ol7QQHCsD-wU5mPrE6Sn2TUFOYGvFKlBJ4cGQBQGCasWlL9Kkjt4kBREnD3sm0ZTwDly882BGXBprTVLFy76PtgwsvgS7gJLjPQkao8KF7OI/s1600/Civita.StreetFramed.jpg" width="385" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijdf3n7uJyAHQqRP_YGozRSHxgf0YbyfbbTO9oCQCrqHPk4WpMqMhlSx9F1Eciakx-U1Xkdj0r7sL_x-NGTzoWoiVLyPVQy5o9QLD_xgqQCCv_P11-4PVM7EAErioZY9I9Isci_m63Jyw/s1600/Civita.FramedChiesa.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijdf3n7uJyAHQqRP_YGozRSHxgf0YbyfbbTO9oCQCrqHPk4WpMqMhlSx9F1Eciakx-U1Xkdj0r7sL_x-NGTzoWoiVLyPVQy5o9QLD_xgqQCCv_P11-4PVM7EAErioZY9I9Isci_m63Jyw/s1600/Civita.FramedChiesa.jpg" width="221" /></a></div>

Working Inside

Today the morning broke cool, thank goodness!  Italy is having the "worst" summer anyone can remember with much more rain than nor...

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Valley of Calanchi at the end of the Road

<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I have one week left to work here in Civita...</span><br /><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So as I go through the drawings and paintings I've done so far, I'm trying to figure out what I need to do here for my NIAUSI fellowship project, while I still can!</span><br /><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Yesterday afternoon, I walked to the end of the road in Civita.  Below is the Giardino del Poeta where an monestary once stood, a hairpin turn, then just below the road is closed off.  There are caves carved into the cliff wall below, one turned into a little chapel with an image of the Virgin Mary.  Then beyond is the entrance to the tunnel that crosses underneat the entire town and opens out to the chestnut groves on the other side, also closed off for now.</span><br /><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Really this sketch is about the calanchi, what you see in white in the middle of the image. These are stark, dramatic looking peaks and narrow ridges of eroded earth--once sand and clay under the sea.  The valley of calanchi only addes to the surreal feel of this place...</span><br /><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjai64lqFqeMd_-cVqddXtnD2oOL0_Xxzodk7pGcB9hgDdXe3da4IytI7Uf8IjPyLh-aC4z8sVe8WVJqrfBbYjOH1kTC3ESNGI633cfQxB7z8QKYGM8F_PrtQeGaiU9sfURGkTecHsUN7A/s1600/Civita.Calanchi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="314" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjai64lqFqeMd_-cVqddXtnD2oOL0_Xxzodk7pGcB9hgDdXe3da4IytI7Uf8IjPyLh-aC4z8sVe8WVJqrfBbYjOH1kTC3ESNGI633cfQxB7z8QKYGM8F_PrtQeGaiU9sfURGkTecHsUN7A/s1600/Civita.Calanchi.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>

Valley of Calanchi at the end of the Road

I have one week left to work here in Civita... So as I go through the drawings and paintings I've done so far, I'm trying to figure ...

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Etruscan Caves of Antica Civitas

<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">(Using my ipad mini for photos), here is the sketch done yesterday while sitting on the dusty floor of Felice and Maragarita's Antica Civitas, a small museum they created in the Etruscan caves below their house in Civita.  </span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">These caves were carved by the Etruscans around 3000 years ago, and the Romans added or converted a cave here to a water collecting cistern.</span><br /><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It's full of interesting things--the bed of an ancient olive oil mill, two niches with olive oil presses (where the paste goes after the olives are ground on the stone mill by a small donkey that walks around the circle--see on the right of the sketch), along with lots of other pots, jars, and remnants of so many things. </span><br /><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">On the left, the caves open up to the side of the cliff, from where you get a great view of the valley to the South of Civita and of the dramatic Calanchi spikes...</span><br /><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Well worth the admission price of one euro, and Felice and Margarita are so very nice too.</span><br /><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl9CVBCbXPi0ChPrcHNpD-GlZixXvBG1r72VRrgo6GMT4QCbTovK4JOwZ4g00oLun4v30VABNoaNjpjzncCtPQ3pwTb01GvQgLcv4OlEStUeTmHZYUVpAA_TwIbDqHRUEzvFOikjKIR-A/s1600/Civita.AnticaCivitasGrotta.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="324" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl9CVBCbXPi0ChPrcHNpD-GlZixXvBG1r72VRrgo6GMT4QCbTovK4JOwZ4g00oLun4v30VABNoaNjpjzncCtPQ3pwTb01GvQgLcv4OlEStUeTmHZYUVpAA_TwIbDqHRUEzvFOikjKIR-A/s1600/Civita.AnticaCivitasGrotta.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #666666;">Inside the Etruscan cave of Antica Civitas.</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>

Etruscan Caves of Antica Civitas

(Using my ipad mini for photos), here is the sketch done yesterday while sitting on the dusty floor of Felice and Maragarita's Antica Ci...

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R.I.P. My Canon G11

<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">{Cue the violins...}  I'm still in shock...a few days ago, an object that sometimes never left my right hand (like when I was in India, or Civita for that matter), simply stopped working.  My trusty Canon G11 camera lens is extended and won't retract, camera doesn't work.  This is quite the dilemma...not only am I sad to lose this trusted friend that's accompanied me faithfully to many continents, </span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">but I REALLY need a camera here for posting and in Brazil. </span><br /><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">SO, I'm not sure what I'm going to do, especially since my iphone also is dead and stopped working (both stopped working while I was taking pictures from the bus going from Orvieto to Civita--is there a message here?)  Nearest Apple store is in Rome, and really hard to get to in a suburban shopping mall accessed by car.</span><br /><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Condolences, please.</span><br /><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span> <span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Here is the last photo my dear camera took, taken as I was leaving Orvieto...</span><br /><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2nv0b6S98xXFgseLRvXNGY6NO0gSChOKXcYDUsDnpmQd4NOUlEfRwFLuKNtihwMjrYjOVePW9NYEfavUgLLYZeFg0TGqS48MfYA3_uBhYc2U10SuM1v7ZxF2lKvfhHhTPsNUZjGcRmWM/s1600/IMG_0960.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2nv0b6S98xXFgseLRvXNGY6NO0gSChOKXcYDUsDnpmQd4NOUlEfRwFLuKNtihwMjrYjOVePW9NYEfavUgLLYZeFg0TGqS48MfYA3_uBhYc2U10SuM1v7ZxF2lKvfhHhTPsNUZjGcRmWM/s1600/IMG_0960.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>

R.I.P. My Canon G11

{Cue the violins...}  I'm still in shock...a few days ago, an object that sometimes never left my right hand (like when I was in India, ...

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Roasting, Sweating, Sketching

<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It's roasting hot here in Civita. All this stone heats up like a big pizza oven.</span><br /><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But being a true crazy sketching person, the light on my subject was just right midday, so like a mad dog or an Englishman, there I sat sketching and sweating.  I finally couldn't take it any more, put the last touches on the watercolor inside at my desk.</span><br /><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I love this sink in Tony's Garden...</span><br /><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnEO-FXx8k9pjs8i7zQ_A39FiytFT6S8wqo4Hj7gLAjRGddKLzkW3eg-cGkzbnCD0A9Z2uQaUNRm39xbw0peiN2v60aGDzOiouAJPHpo43duQBbq5rpiPDz9dSyNwEFf7uhayc2K9YYYk/s1600/Civita.Tony's+Garden+Sink.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnEO-FXx8k9pjs8i7zQ_A39FiytFT6S8wqo4Hj7gLAjRGddKLzkW3eg-cGkzbnCD0A9Z2uQaUNRm39xbw0peiN2v60aGDzOiouAJPHpo43duQBbq5rpiPDz9dSyNwEFf7uhayc2K9YYYk/s1600/Civita.Tony's+Garden+Sink.jpg" width="388" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And this is what I do to get images of my sketches to post, pulled into photoshop as the photos are very washed out.  I thought this would be funny to see...</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGI33LHcIqOPUkvjG9DPqDfUiMnP8j5ABtRg24FaIp0aFvNKPfboSHDqSx_q1ZUeMSsLwLH2NK_b4zLq0be8hETbrTaIkOtLQwigHjdvsxDAfH-QMVYgY5wH72B5orL5KNmJwQXV-ZHzM/s1600/feetandsketchbook.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGI33LHcIqOPUkvjG9DPqDfUiMnP8j5ABtRg24FaIp0aFvNKPfboSHDqSx_q1ZUeMSsLwLH2NK_b4zLq0be8hETbrTaIkOtLQwigHjdvsxDAfH-QMVYgY5wH72B5orL5KNmJwQXV-ZHzM/s1600/feetandsketchbook.jpg" width="298" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>

Roasting, Sweating, Sketching

It's roasting hot here in Civita. All this stone heats up like a big pizza oven. But being a true crazy sketching person, the light on m...

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Being filmed in Civita this Morning

<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This morning, Giovanni, Urban Planning professor in Rome and Civita home owner, made a film of me while sketching!  I felt like a rock star, as when people saw him filming me with a large camera and tripod, then THEY started taking photos as well...so funny. I tried not to think about the fact I was being filmed.</span><br /><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As always, the light changes in these narrow streets so quickly, and by the time I finished the sketch, the light was different for painting...and it was so HOT, the paint dried immediately, making it difficult to work the large wall in shade.  Ah, complain, complain.  People often ask (and so many people stop and take a look, ask questions, nice ones say "brava" or "complimenti", etc.), "is it difficult to do this?" at which point I respond with an emphatic "YES"--it's <u>really</u> hard!  So now I'm wondering, does it LOOK easy???</span><br /><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Thank you to Giovanni for filming, in fact, he collects a lot of information on the history of Civita, also interviews with people here...including me in about 10 days. where I will get to talk aobut my project.</span><br /><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Next sketch, I think I'll beat the heat by going back to sketch in Felice's Etruscan caves...</span><br /><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibuLAhtbc88wLNagaCJT2CXRB2l_jsBiPJoTfnKlxZGWJcOuUsYejrafKPyyIF2Hm-_lCAmyB77rEku-WdtVUtL19HYmDCuK-T2GG8COVQ2sfitdNPjBBEd33VQA9HxhXUAQdiJqzXP2g/s1600/CivitaViaMaesta.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="316" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibuLAhtbc88wLNagaCJT2CXRB2l_jsBiPJoTfnKlxZGWJcOuUsYejrafKPyyIF2Hm-_lCAmyB77rEku-WdtVUtL19HYmDCuK-T2GG8COVQ2sfitdNPjBBEd33VQA9HxhXUAQdiJqzXP2g/s1600/CivitaViaMaesta.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>

Being filmed in Civita this Morning

This morning, Giovanni, Urban Planning professor in Rome and Civita home owner, made a film of me while sketching!  I felt like a rock star,...

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Morning Sketch, Evening Sketch

<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It's super hot here in Orvieto, and today I wasn't feeling well...I don't think the heat helped. But I came to Orvieto on a Wednesday to be here to see the Thursday market--which sells everything!  Lots of locals, some tourists, and they sell cheap clothing, to pots and pans, paper towells and finger nail polish, and also amazing looking fruits (so many peaches!), vegetables, meats, and incredible cheeses (which honestly, I smelled before I saw them...) </span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Found a spot in the shade before I keeled over and did this sketch.</span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8aAQr4oygW0pHSBKF3HT80J22QzirV1E3RdJGimq3McxWMXlPfoOEpECumaAtgYxDaCoFad-NS9dfH00pdoG42bbUF2FNJt23zLUW2kjU8p2SoTSz9wNDtJFBMnpviwbC0pn5LRd7M-w/s1600/Orvieto.Market.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8aAQr4oygW0pHSBKF3HT80J22QzirV1E3RdJGimq3McxWMXlPfoOEpECumaAtgYxDaCoFad-NS9dfH00pdoG42bbUF2FNJt23zLUW2kjU8p2SoTSz9wNDtJFBMnpviwbC0pn5LRd7M-w/s1600/Orvieto.Market.jpg" width="417" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #666666;">Orvieto Thursday Market, the guy with the cane was waiting for his super<br />friendly very young grandson to run up the steps (where I was sitting) <br />and come back down.</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAAZ-HKYJlTr8enKCrLpB0LH9EMHoWiOZFfjCjUFZF1iX2hbqQm18K2AkkGgAq1SG4R3GdY_3ZaU64UrH-nxaT5sZbgTzoFBlKOiVhugKDfePGr07xmIEm7B9FhKmMlYepwj6WL4V5_H4/s1600/Orvieto.PiazzadellaRepublicana.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAAZ-HKYJlTr8enKCrLpB0LH9EMHoWiOZFfjCjUFZF1iX2hbqQm18K2AkkGgAq1SG4R3GdY_3ZaU64UrH-nxaT5sZbgTzoFBlKOiVhugKDfePGr07xmIEm7B9FhKmMlYepwj6WL4V5_H4/s1600/Orvieto.PiazzadellaRepublicana.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #666666;">Finished the Piazza della Republica sketch with the old guys <br />descretely looking over my shoulder.</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Later in the day, I saw the Orvieto Underground, 2 archeology museums, and another amazing underground cave museum.  Then it was back to the piazza to paint the drawing I started yesterday--listening to the old guys hanging out in the square arguing the entire time!</span>

Morning Sketch, Evening Sketch

It's super hot here in Orvieto, and today I wasn't feeling well...I don't think the heat helped. But I came to Orvieto on a Wedn...

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Orvieto Today...

<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This morning, I arrived in the hilltown of Orvieto by car, thanks to a happy coincidence that Felice, Margarita, and their grandaughter Chiara (from Seattle) were heading to the same place--grazie!</span><br /><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv0fXKzGMzZzMJaMrOLMH36wbYuBbSm5NrtRs6jCEvBGgQs0-P_NESZx-r8nyG96uJWu7CX819ftAAavuI5kUf6-qZws_BvEyM2PWIqoK3UCIrrMXakU4WtxJrWfUDwYm0LweOlSmHQwM/s1600/OrvietoDuomo.SB.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv0fXKzGMzZzMJaMrOLMH36wbYuBbSm5NrtRs6jCEvBGgQs0-P_NESZx-r8nyG96uJWu7CX819ftAAavuI5kUf6-qZws_BvEyM2PWIqoK3UCIrrMXakU4WtxJrWfUDwYm0LweOlSmHQwM/s1600/OrvietoDuomo.SB.jpg" width="186" /></a><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Orvieto is a lovely town, and its crowning glory is the Duomo, famous for its striped stone sides (enough to give me a migraine...), and it's glittering mosaic facade.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I sat and did 3 sketches of it today, two in color--cheating, as most of the church is cropped by a street! When I started, the facade was backlit, and when I needed to paint, there was already light hitting the front...so, it gets a little heavy as I try to add shadows, then adjust the value of the street in front. I think I'll try this again tomorrow.</span><br /><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">When I was just about finished, I looked down at my sketch and decided it would be nice to get a picture of me and the sketch in place, heard some english nearby, looked up, and asked the closest person if they would take my photo--amazingly, it happened to be the lovely actress Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio (I had just seen her in a movie with Kevin Costner about two months ago, but did not let on that I recognized her), who very kindly took several shots from different angles, even retaking some after I tied back my wild, crazy-looking-woman-in-Italian-heat hair. If she ever reads this blog, grazie mille!</span><br /><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip3iEoK-Vaw0XR4GlHxaTiskgnTrP1PabRM1-RpCkTk79bSx6Bk9Ao0-P4HN6zky0N5W7UucgSlgQc6okGOz1CmeVYydWO4e0jXPFHy7UcsPmJ9BqFlpO_Qan5niMIgSFATZaWQVmrdq4/s1600/OrvietoDuomo.Street.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip3iEoK-Vaw0XR4GlHxaTiskgnTrP1PabRM1-RpCkTk79bSx6Bk9Ao0-P4HN6zky0N5W7UucgSlgQc6okGOz1CmeVYydWO4e0jXPFHy7UcsPmJ9BqFlpO_Qan5niMIgSFATZaWQVmrdq4/s1600/OrvietoDuomo.Street.jpg" width="401" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQqP42Ch3RaCDwDAAsC5EHmhmDixuRgAxzKX-DVrLqaUHNmQDEgxBDIDeabtAKmUqfyfGC66QT2626WDWb5bjt8ZuPm8wFpS5wbeSd5F9I7qrV1S6plobU0xmNNFgl8Hbp9gx8CC8RvRA/s1600/OrvietoDuomo.Street.smallsketch.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQqP42Ch3RaCDwDAAsC5EHmhmDixuRgAxzKX-DVrLqaUHNmQDEgxBDIDeabtAKmUqfyfGC66QT2626WDWb5bjt8ZuPm8wFpS5wbeSd5F9I7qrV1S6plobU0xmNNFgl8Hbp9gx8CC8RvRA/s1600/OrvietoDuomo.Street.smallsketch.jpg" width="240" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzGHL5WaPIq0rAxQbnDQz29IgcqTCeMh9BVszJe-1RPP90_MhC5QviJHzyf7LnjUCc-kC29hDzw3OMCziioonCcnfsSDshe8jhioG-fx-pS2vFFhDIRXxSmOoThP3yNwjxBqAN0eLmeD0/s1600/OrvietoDuomo.Street.SBphoto.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzGHL5WaPIq0rAxQbnDQz29IgcqTCeMh9BVszJe-1RPP90_MhC5QviJHzyf7LnjUCc-kC29hDzw3OMCziioonCcnfsSDshe8jhioG-fx-pS2vFFhDIRXxSmOoThP3yNwjxBqAN0eLmeD0/s1600/OrvietoDuomo.Street.SBphoto.jpg" width="203" /></a></div><br /><br /><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd6b5cVEoLxht03Ol3Ru7qDuXLwlRXQjRrhSu6CzXEx8GorSscd3scD6StJdJ0KMt_ttXFwPpq1pxqhMyH2ta6JnF4zMAJLNrcr00Y8AETnulAgpgDzq6amz8KzI2tmCe3D6CeMJ5yY0g/s1600/OrvietoPiazzaRepublica.line.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd6b5cVEoLxht03Ol3Ru7qDuXLwlRXQjRrhSu6CzXEx8GorSscd3scD6StJdJ0KMt_ttXFwPpq1pxqhMyH2ta6JnF4zMAJLNrcr00Y8AETnulAgpgDzq6amz8KzI2tmCe3D6CeMJ5yY0g/s1600/OrvietoPiazzaRepublica.line.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">By late in the day, I sat in the Piazza Republica, ate a slice of pizza, and did a line drawing--I'll have to go back tomorrow evening to paint it, as the light was already gone when I was ready to paint!</span><br /><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Tomorrow, the museums and caves thanks to an all-museum pass from Ben Cameron!</span><br /><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Ciao--</span>

Orvieto Today...

This morning, I arrived in the hilltown of Orvieto by car, thanks to a happy coincidence that Felice, Margarita, and their grandaughter Chia...

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Lots of detail

<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Today I colored the Chiesa San Donato interior sketch--most before lunch, a bit after lunch. Well, I probably went overboard with the detail, but the original actually looks OK.  I compare it to the one I did last year (on the banner at the top of this page), which in many ways I like better because it's sketchier, but this one will work well for my walking guide project, as it shows more detail. The color is much nicer in the original, softer, this looks a little garish digitally from my camera photo.</span><br /><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Tomorrow, I'm taking a break and heading to Orvieto--I'm hoping they'll let me sketch inside the famous Duomo!</span><br /><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ8CR6JlfYmSG38e1QGGzP1tKa0dQOfj5HGHxbfDWXHYQihjrFobLqzVur8JHzqEkRyZ8Sphg8K23bBSkUzbHCiwa99uey_IQSJ68ZwZ1APm2cCvhjBos-h6Jikxev_VdzPHg8bZzmb7s/s1600/CivitaChiesaInterior.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ8CR6JlfYmSG38e1QGGzP1tKa0dQOfj5HGHxbfDWXHYQihjrFobLqzVur8JHzqEkRyZ8Sphg8K23bBSkUzbHCiwa99uey_IQSJ68ZwZ1APm2cCvhjBos-h6Jikxev_VdzPHg8bZzmb7s/s1600/CivitaChiesaInterior.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #666666;">Detailed interior of the Chiesa San Donato in Civita. August 4-5, 2014</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>

Lots of detail

Today I colored the Chiesa San Donato interior sketch--most before lunch, a bit after lunch. Well, I probably went overboard with the detail...

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Inside the Chiesa San Donato on a hot day

<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Today, it felt like summer in Italy again.  So in the heat of the day, I wandered over to the dark Chiesa San Donato, to attempt a second version of the sketch I did last year which I loved and will probably never surpass.  But this time, different proportions and paper (part of my project series), and I wanted to talk more about some of the detail in the church, of which there is much. I also want to use the finished sketch as part of my walking guide, so it would be useful to show more of the church content. But looking at it now, I think I probably went overboard with the detail and should have left it sketchier. We'll see once it gets color!!</span><br /><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I really like this church...it is most likely built atop an Etruscan or Roman temple (note the remnants of columns on the exterior), probably built by the Longobardi (Lombards from the north who were in this part of Italy roughly 500-700AD--thank you, Wikipedia), then renovated various times, especially on the exterior facade.  </span><br /><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And the church is full of stuff, a lot of interesting stuff.  I really like the basic white Romanesque layout and simple arches, then in various spots one finds an explosion of detail, gilt, history. Not fussy, but rather casual, a little dusty, like a real church and not for show. Also inside are the relics (as in preserved remains) of two saints--Santa Vittoria who was martyred in 251AD and St. Hildebrand who died in 873AD.  San Donato himself was from Arezzo and was martyred during the 300's.  Then there are the Roman, Medieval, and maybe even Etruscan remants either incorporated into the building or lying around in some corner.  Well worth a close look to see this profusion and history.</span><br /><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Tomorrow, the color version...</span><br /><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTDFWrhyZ-qzNRX85HAX1ksBwSqFliygmjV1kEkcduY9LlT3bAPbHnJ4_ZAHKfVNQJLdZ9qLgEXN0fGrTTrhIwgbNW7YuHw59R64hV-8PokVdCjjCgUMGfewJ2C2tCQ3wabuVGoPoxlaY/s1600/CivitaChiesa.Line.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="324" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTDFWrhyZ-qzNRX85HAX1ksBwSqFliygmjV1kEkcduY9LlT3bAPbHnJ4_ZAHKfVNQJLdZ9qLgEXN0fGrTTrhIwgbNW7YuHw59R64hV-8PokVdCjjCgUMGfewJ2C2tCQ3wabuVGoPoxlaY/s1600/CivitaChiesa.Line.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />

Inside the Chiesa San Donato on a hot day

Today, it felt like summer in Italy again.  So in the heat of the day, I wandered over to the dark Chiesa San Donato, to attempt a second ve...

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Painting in the dark?! Evening concert in Civita.

<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Last night, I was dead tired, but it was the night of a big event here in Civita... a concert in the piazza by jazz singer Rosanna Casale, and the entire town plus a whole lot more would be there. so I really couldn't miss it.  I hopped in the shower, put on fresh clothes, grabbed my sketchbook and stool, and headed for the piazza a little after 9:30pm.</span><br /><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Sitting way at the back, I pulled out my book and pencil and started to sketch, barely able to see in the dark.  Luckily, I had already drawn this church facade many times, so I had a picture in my mind to make up for what I couldn't see with my eyes.  OK...pencil sketch done...then I sat there for a few minutes while the music played on, debating whether or not to pull out the paints.  Aw heck, it was a JAZZ concert--given the music, I HAD to improvise paint it on site, even if I couldn't see!!  So, I poured the water, propped everything up in my lap, and started to paint...IN THE DARK!</span><br /><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Luckily, I knew what color was where on my palette, as I literally could only see darks and lights, and those only barely. I was laughing the entire time, curious to see what this would actually looked like in the light!  The sand of the piazza blew, and now that the sketch is done, I can feel the grit embedded in the paint on the paper. Amazingly, the sketch actually captures the feel of the event pretty well!  </span><br /><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">After sketching, holding my book open so the paint might dry, I walked around and saw the warm and wonderful people I have come to know a bit here--Alessandro and Giovanni who had Jim Corey and me to a lovely lunch in their absolutely stunning home in Civita--their bedroom and bathroom are literally built in the Etruscan caves on the cliff, Paolo and Cristiana who live in another exquisite home and garden here--Cristiana urging Paolo to bring me what turned out to be a delicious tiny cup of local grappa, an exhausted Gustavo sitting outside Manuella's restaurant kitchen having his own private table with the best view of the piazza, and a brief glimpse of NIAUSI's president and my new fratello, Giacomo Corey...</span><br /><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">it was so very worth it to be there, to see and feel this evening in the heart of Civita and to even capture it in a sketch...</span><br /><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDuPBww5bMVyQfW5myOQsCf2qazDYRmNKNM0gr4MusQ-sznkv8Rh8BrMd2VFjIGEH5ktxKx_wvNhO2AWuJU0ZQAoGGuZi0eFqHNDR07OMctbnIwBO2WSdOvGUElv3OFYJtdqNjn0o1xWE/s1600/CivitaPiazza.Concert.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="202" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDuPBww5bMVyQfW5myOQsCf2qazDYRmNKNM0gr4MusQ-sznkv8Rh8BrMd2VFjIGEH5ktxKx_wvNhO2AWuJU0ZQAoGGuZi0eFqHNDR07OMctbnIwBO2WSdOvGUElv3OFYJtdqNjn0o1xWE/s1600/CivitaPiazza.Concert.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #666666;">Drawn and Painted in the dark, during an evening jazz concert in Civita' piazza. August 2</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_mHqoWTvGSP-GJoxBNkH0zdWbjHMjwM1NsbAyYGKiP7BReVIS2ZFg4nm2lkv_jsIIzst5vjNmFtBGBta7TWKLyvsrUzNL7aiAjQr6Cav7yQwa0wI2H3QsrRzfX3T7q3gq242SMPhQ4tA/s1600/CivitaPiazza.Concert.Photo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_mHqoWTvGSP-GJoxBNkH0zdWbjHMjwM1NsbAyYGKiP7BReVIS2ZFg4nm2lkv_jsIIzst5vjNmFtBGBta7TWKLyvsrUzNL7aiAjQr6Cav7yQwa0wI2H3QsrRzfX3T7q3gq242SMPhQ4tA/s1600/CivitaPiazza.Concert.Photo.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #666666;">What it really looked like!!</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>

Painting in the dark?! Evening concert in Civita.

Last night, I was dead tired, but it was the night of a big event here in Civita... a concert in the piazza by jazz singer Rosanna Casale, a...

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Four Views of the Piazza San Donato

<div class="p1"><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I've been spending lots of time in Civita trying to learn about its architectural history. Lots of books, including some I stumble through in Italian, lots of walking around, and a fair amount of sketching (although I need to do more). </span></div><div class="p2"><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="p1"><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The main piazza here was an Etruscan then Roman forum nearly 3000 years ago, and it is still the heart </span><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">of all the activity in this tiny town.  Tonight, there is a jazz concert here, and the entire town and visitors will turn out in the piazza.</span></div><div class="p2"><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="p1"><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I decided to do a series of wide angle drawings of this ancient space, with notes that would describe some of the buildings whose history I was learning about.  Here are four images of the Piazza San Donato, one view in each direction, turning counter clock-wise. My favorite is the last one.  I hope to do more project drawings in this same format.</span></div><div class="p1"><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="p1"><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And you can see how I eventually figured out the color palette, including shadows and shade-- a lot more gray than I expected! And I switched from Burnt Sienna </span><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">to Quinacridone Burnt Orange for the glow...</span></div><div class="p1"><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVefw6zTIN5KR0MlYFBQqlvB-f04aQH5GjN8KHgNSqCNOT-4mIL-LHyyCidEx9_ABh7ko1UzOIRQakK04S2ZSXl-qlVbXKEmRpmY0cdGM8ZG1iGFReLou8onE4f57HdlF8pwI-wEPohTk/s1600/CivitaPiazza.East.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="330" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVefw6zTIN5KR0MlYFBQqlvB-f04aQH5GjN8KHgNSqCNOT-4mIL-LHyyCidEx9_ABh7ko1UzOIRQakK04S2ZSXl-qlVbXKEmRpmY0cdGM8ZG1iGFReLou8onE4f57HdlF8pwI-wEPohTk/s1600/CivitaPiazza.East.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #666666;">Looking East toward the Chiesa San Donato</span></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPW3PZFhUPidBO6v5cpVQuIIbw6jd0p_6lsVMtRxeWe2dXf_uZOLpt-_wj514I5ZNxgyvX94HTYQqNmBwJgJFjNPUva2mkJ6MVdmuj-H4Pv-8soxXLSCn8rhIIXtfBXebAutHBDmTPzfw/s1600/CivitaPiazza.North.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="316" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPW3PZFhUPidBO6v5cpVQuIIbw6jd0p_6lsVMtRxeWe2dXf_uZOLpt-_wj514I5ZNxgyvX94HTYQqNmBwJgJFjNPUva2mkJ6MVdmuj-H4Pv-8soxXLSCn8rhIIXtfBXebAutHBDmTPzfw/s1600/CivitaPiazza.North.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #666666;">Looking North toward the medieval Priest's House and prison</span></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiauemmvKYFuU0ecCjUxZWUlnTdRy48ZRbmZlQhKIH8vPNPqOcm6uTtRrGEsdJBf88-O3q09Kkbnu8AU-IQAbRym-0ORdEARlNte4ShC6QhrIFYyzHvTjbtqgAIn2en91NJVAMzpfhigMM/s1600/CivitaPiazza.West.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiauemmvKYFuU0ecCjUxZWUlnTdRy48ZRbmZlQhKIH8vPNPqOcm6uTtRrGEsdJBf88-O3q09Kkbnu8AU-IQAbRym-0ORdEARlNte4ShC6QhrIFYyzHvTjbtqgAIn2en91NJVAMzpfhigMM/s1600/CivitaPiazza.West.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #666666;">Looking West toward the medieval house turned Town Hall in the Renaissance.</span></td></tr></tbody></table><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1ML4u12RqeGLN1e7UI0hXj5S5ZbiQ5JlDi81bghHNUY457cuQhwCg9sH_TpnXlH722IQdhkWUgw6LTSQSI-7GX8G45aFTHoc_x4VJ90GNtlfxSGXVdPlaPsTvbKLpe60M-mdXOwLJHyk/s1600/CivitaPiazza.South.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="326" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1ML4u12RqeGLN1e7UI0hXj5S5ZbiQ5JlDi81bghHNUY457cuQhwCg9sH_TpnXlH722IQdhkWUgw6LTSQSI-7GX8G45aFTHoc_x4VJ90GNtlfxSGXVdPlaPsTvbKLpe60M-mdXOwLJHyk/s1600/CivitaPiazza.South.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #666666;">Looking South toward the grand Palazzo Alemanni</span></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="p2"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>

Four Views of the Piazza San Donato

I've been spending lots of time in Civita trying to learn about its architectural history. Lots of books, including some I stumble throu...

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A little slice of heaven...

<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My beautiful apartment here in Civita happens to be directly over a wonderful restaurant, Alma Civita, and under that, are Etruscan caves.  I wish I could eat there every day, but on Sunday, I heard about an amazing dessert, so the next day, I went downstairs, sat at a table, and had nothing but dessert and caffe latte.  Pure heaven, I was literally in a trance as I savored every morsel.</span><br /><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The next day, as I called down from my window to say hello, Maria the amazing chef of this family business (they must be the hardest working people in Italy) who works wonders in a tiny kitchen with a real, wood burning fireplace stove, offered me another piece, saying it had been made fresh that day.  Made with fresh eggs from their farm, etc.  She disappeared, then a few minutes later, I heard a knock on my door, and her lovely smiling face held out a plate with yet another slice of heaven.  I had to document it for posterity, and here it is in my window, the one I leaned out to say buon giurno...</span><br /><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">~~Alma Civita's Orange and Rosemary Tiramisu...dessert of the gods.</span><br /><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT0ifV-EQfPBhQsW-mQX7H0ubO8hi2zm84j3aqlg_tjCqcJkkLt5TdBHPEYsL5cl8hKD-7Hwi_pdrdTmdyZKnVOs3lTXwRi0_Un2SAa0iYnyY4mAIhRRomybKRlh47KKj4NxLJv03bTQU/s1600/Tiramisu.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT0ifV-EQfPBhQsW-mQX7H0ubO8hi2zm84j3aqlg_tjCqcJkkLt5TdBHPEYsL5cl8hKD-7Hwi_pdrdTmdyZKnVOs3lTXwRi0_Un2SAa0iYnyY4mAIhRRomybKRlh47KKj4NxLJv03bTQU/s1600/Tiramisu.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Caffe Latte with Maria's heavenly <br />orange and rosemary Tiramisu.</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>

A little slice of heaven...

My beautiful apartment here in Civita happens to be directly over a wonderful restaurant, Alma Civita, and under that, are Etruscan caves.  ...

Read more »