A Cross Through a Window . . .

After several days in the bustling city of Florence, we decided to head out into the Tuscan countryside and do a little sight-seeing.  Besides, my 17 year old son had seen enough Renaissance Art to last two lifetimes and I had to bribe him with a little field trip.  But first, one more shot of Florence . . .

Other than the Uffizzi Tower growing out of the top of my head--not a bad family shot!  My daughter was in classes that day and had to stay behind in the city but she was loving her study abroad program too much to miss us!

The famous and picturesque Ponte Vecchio bridge and River Arno . . .

. . . and the lovely Duomo one last time from across the River.  Did I mention I LOVE the Duomo (hehe)???

Oh, I could just stay here for months.  But as promised, a little trip to the countryside and our first stop was the darling fortress town of San Gimignano . . .  It was a quaint little town that could be walked in 30 minutes, full of charm and a little touristy but sometimes you need a little of the kitschy with the culture, no?

I wandered around all morning with my camera looking for good snapshots of things I could paint when I returned to the States.  The architecture was lovely, but I was looking for a pop of color amidst all the stone buildings and walkways. As I turned a corner into a lovely little piazza, I snapped this shot . . .

 Interesting wall of windows.  Hmmm, I can always paint the truck out of the pic, but a little boring.  I decided to zoom in a little and maybe focus on a couple of windows.  I love the idea of an open window.  To me it represents possibilities.  You know, "when God closes a door, he always opens a window."  An open window is also a metaphor for a glimpse into one's house, or soul.  Yes, I believe I will paint an open window.  So, I zoomed in . . .

A bit better, but still I am not feeling the whole "window" effect.  Besides, when I paint this, my focal point will be the lovely red flowers in the window box so I'll need a better shot of those . . .

















Holy Cow!  When I zoomed in, I couldn't believe what I saw in the window directly above the door.

Look inside.  There it is, the possibility that God is giving me--the window He left open.  In my search for art, I found something much more important.  It was a gift, a truth.  I need look no further than into the window to my soul where I will find Him waiting there for me.  Serendipity at its finest!

Sigh . . . Labor Day Already {or} What I Did on My Summer Vacation

Where did it go?  Summer was just here . . . it seems like we were just celebrating Memorial Day and now it's September and Labor Day Weekend is over and the kids are all heading back to school and {sigh} we will be looking at Christmas before we can blink again.

So just like my son, I will write about "What I Did On My Summer Vacation."

Well, {deep breath}. . .  I visited 9 countries and 27 cities.  I sailed the Mediterranean, the Adriatic, the Aegean and the Black Seas.  I cruised through the Dardanelles and the Bosphorous Straits.  I saw Art and Ancient ruins.  I walked in mythological places where pagan gods were worshiped and I visited Cathedrals and Basilicas and Chapels and Mosques.  I stood in places where miracles occurred and also succumbed to a few tourist traps.  I accidentally ended up on a nudist beach in Greece with my teenagers (YIKES)!!!  I took the trip of a lifetime and quickly ticked off item after item on my bucket list.

Even now as I revisit these places in my mind and in my photographs, I realize that there is no way to ever capture those moments again and to try and describe it is a futile effort.

But did I say that there was ART everywhere?  I mean EVERYWHERE!  So as I work on my goal to blog regularly, I will try to share a little art from my journeys and hopefully it will inspire others.  Did I say there was ART everywhere?????

So I'll leave you tonight with a few breathtaking shots of Firenze (or Florence, as us Americans call it) 

My first views of the Duomo--it literally took my breath away. . .

My first real Italian espresso!

Did I say ART is everywhere?  Street artists creating masterpieces - and then at night, they are sadly washed away, forever gone . . .

And what trip to Italy is complete without gelato?????

Just reading this post makes me long to be back there . . . some day, if you can, you must see this magical city!

Sketchbook Project 2012

What if you could submit your artwork to an organization to be exhibited and it would not be turned down?  What if you were told it would be displayed and it would travel and it would be SEEN and there would be no judge or jury--only people who would appreciate it and admire it?  What if you knew your art work would become a permanent part of an exhibit where generations to come could potentially see your talent?  If you knew all of that, wouldn't you submit your work?  Wouldn't you just put it out there?  Well, guess, what?  You CAN do all of the above and there is still a little time left to get your Sketchbook.  The Sketchbook Project is sponsored by The Art-House Co-op.  Check out their website and sign up so you can share your art with the world!

I've started mine--here are a few pictures of the process . . .