Dumfriesshire, Scotland, 2011

Home of the Maxwell Clan for generations, this red sandstone castle of innovative triangular design is a moat-rimmed ruin that remains formidable despite the beauty of the soft green berms of its surroundings…can’t help but feel some connection to this place and to history…

Acrylic Gouache on Paper, 2011
Image Size: 14" x 26" on Larger Sheet
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Cinque Terre, Italia

… a palette of brilliant colors in my chair as well as in the fishing boats below… is there such a thing as too much color? I don’t think so… it was beautiful.

Acrylic Gouache on Paper, 2011
Image Size: 14" x 26" on Larger Sheet
Not Available

Monumento Nazionale a Vittorio Emanuele II

…Rome is one of those cities that seems to overflow with visual stimuli and simply cannot be labeled, as tourists often do, as having been fully seen.  Its history, grandeur and artistic tradition is such that wherever one looks there seems to appear an unexpected treasure... thus, this angel and horses high above the city is but one.

Acrylic Gouache on Paper, 2011
Image Size: 14" x 26" on Larger Sheet
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This rugged coastline, warmed by bright sunlight and cooled by the crystal azure waters, soothes my soul unlike any other place … this day’s last light shines like gold upon the stone edges before being gently erased away by the night ahead…  

Acrylic Gouache on Paper, 2008
Image Size: 14" x 26" on Larger Sheet
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Chiesa Di San Martino Alla Palma, Italy

…spent the warm afternoon with our watercolors in the hills and the olive tree groves, but the cold winds came up and a downpour soon followed. However, sheltering the storm under the colonnade became its own sweet memory…

Acrylic Gouache on Paper, 2008
Image Size: 14" x 26" on Larger Sheet
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Rochester, UK

… framed by the glass of the fast moving train to Dover,  history flashes by as the clouds open a window to the sun… Moments like this are never forgotten. I need to return to this place some day.

Acrylic Gouache on Paper, 2011
Image Size: 14" x 26" on Larger Sheet
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Volterra, Toscano, Italia

…a splash of azure among the warm stones of Volterra… can’t help but be struck once more by the sheer loveliness of these old streets and their constant surprises..

Acrylic Gouache on Paper, 2010
Image Size: 14" x 26" on Larger Sheet
Available: Reflection Gallery, Santa Fe

Stonehenge, Wiltshire, England

…these timeless stones stand silent and uninterested in the swarming activities and momentary trivia of these colorful tourists out on a rainy day… I painted until my paints were dripping from their palette… a truly incredible day “playing” in the rain.  

Acrylic Gouache on Paper, 2010
Image Size: 14" x 26" on Larger Sheet
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Woodstock, Oxfordshire, 2011

… the pink-eared youngster sought the comfort of his mother as we approached … the huge waxy leafed trees seemed to provide the flock with a sense of security and myself a wonderful peace at the sight…

Acrylic Gouache on Paper, 2011
Image Size: 14" x 26" on Larger Sheet
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Firenze, Italia

…exquisite Always beguiling, this Tuscan delight of a city is at its most beautiful just before dark when the skies rival the architecture for sheer beauty… from the hills above on the steps of San Miniato al Monte I can think of no view of any city that that can rival it.

Acrylic Gouache on Paper, 2010
Image Size: 14" x 26" on Larger Sheet
Not Available

Dover, England

…Leaning out the small pub hotel’s second story window and enjoying the cool Channel air and the aromas of fresh fish and chips, the dark town streets rest under the guardianship of the old castle as they have for centuries.

Acrylic Gouache on Paper, 2010
Image Size: 14" x 26" on Larger Sheet
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Cotswolds, Oxfordshire, UK

…the gentle lumbering giants greeted us along the field path to the ruins of Minster Lovell.  So beautiful and so powerful, yet wanting nothing more than a pat on the flanks or a scratch of the muzzle…

Acrylic Gouache on Paper, 2010
Image Size: 14" x 26" on Larger Sheet
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Firenze, Italia

… silently perched above the street, the saint’s visage seems to be reflecting without comment upon the business of the city below… 

Acrylic Gouache on Paper, 2010
Image Size: 14" x 26" on Larger Sheet
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Tenby, Pembrokeshire, Wales, UK

…pastel painted structures welcome us to this gracious seaside village with a naturally Welsh friendliness…. What exquisite light is found here… absolutely breathtaking.

Acrylic Gouache on Paper, 2010
Image Size: 14" x 26" on Larger Sheet
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York Minster Cathedral, York, UK

…washed fresh and clean by a recent shower and now bathed in warm sunlight, the ancient cathedral peeks through the red bricked old town of York like an old mentor overseeing his young students.

Acrylic Gouache on Paper, 2011
Image Size: 14" x 26" on Larger Sheet
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North Yorkshire, England

…the ancient stone wall, upon which I sat drawing, seemed to separate the security of our hostel from the wildness of imagination... as the twilight unfolded, this place appeared increasingly well suited to Bram Stoker’s dark creature of the night.

Acrylic Gouache on Paper, 2011
Image Size: 14" x 26" on Larger Sheet
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Port Meadow, Oxford

… While sitting on the river bank and painting the a distant church spire across the meadow, I was suddenly startled by the sound of clambering hooves close behind me… then, just as unexpectedly, I heard the ringing of the young herder’s bicycle bell.

Acrylic Gouache on Paper, 2011
Image Size: 14" x 26" on Larger Sheet
Available

Firenze, Italia

…the fragility of this early 20th century glass-arched theatre contrasts with the strength and permanence of the ageless stone piazza that surrounds it…stones that don’t change with the next “feature”…

Acrylic Gouache on Paper, 2011
Image Size: 14" x 26" on Larger Sheet
Not available

Whitby, North Yorkshire, England

…the old guard seems to be momentarily softened by the fleeting presence of life, the white feathers will live on past these stones, the weak are somehow strong in His hands…

Acrylic Gouache on Paper, 2011
Image Size: 14" x 26" on Larger Sheet
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Portovenere, Italia

… wet and cold we traversed the steeply stepped alleys and narrow stone streets of this medieval coastal town. We did find welcome refuge from the drizzle for a few minutes in the peaceful interior of this hillside church but upon leaving we were soon drenched to the bone by a torrential downpour…just hoping the painting stayed dry.

Acrylic Gouache on Paper, 2010
Image Size: 14" x 26" on Larger Sheet
Available

Venezia, Italia

… From the large upper-story windows of the opulent palace, I gazed in awe at the exquisite stonework and architectural detail that overwhelmed my senses. Is there a more romantic and magical place in the world than Venice? I have yet to find one.

Acrylic Gouache on Paper, 2011
Image Size: 14" x 26" on Larger Sheet
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Tuscany, Italia

…This gem of a village where my wife and I spent our thirtieth anniversary, is one of my favorites… This distant view reminds me of city skyscrapers in the early light of a new day.

Acrylic Gouache on Paper, 2011
Image Size: 14" x 26" on Larger Sheet
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Lago di Garda, Italia

…. Gelato, cappuccino and puddled rain reflected the late evening skies in that magical time just before dusk… and all in the shadows of the foreboding Italian castle that guards this Lago di Garda peninsula.

Acrylic Gouache on Paper, 2010
Image Size: 14" x 26" on Larger Sheet
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Stonehenge, Wiltshire, UK

…timeless stones are washed clean by the blue morning drizzle and reveal an unexpected range of colors from golden ochres to deep violets… to think, I thought they would be only monochromatic shades of gray.

Acrylic Gouache on Paper, 2008
Image Size: 14" x 26" on Larger Sheet
Available

Oxford, UK

…vibrant yellow fields create a brilliant background to this medieval city of such romance and charm… Painting most of the day here, I was the last of the group to leave on a perfect day.

Acrylic Gouache on Paper, 2010
Image Size: 14" x 26" on Larger Sheet
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Italia, Roma

…What a setting for a wedding in this masterpiece of a church by Michelangelo… just want to tell the man with the little girl to cherish such moments; she won’t be a little girl for long…

Acrylic Gouache on Paper, 2010
Image Size: 14" x 26" on Larger Sheet
Not Available

Chartres Cathedral, Chartres, France

…Time waits for no one, even in the grasp of an angel… How many times has this angelic being witnessed the sun’s cast shadow move before him… sometimes I feel very insignificant.

Acrylic Gouache on Paper, 2008
Image Size: 14" x 26" on Larger Sheet
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Pembrokeshire, Wales

… tethered and silent, these boats seemed to yearn for their places in the rough waves of the incoming tide…sometimes I can relate to that feeling…

Acrylic Gouache on Paper, 2010
Image Size: 14" x 26" on Larger Sheet
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La Palamos, Costa Brava, Catalonia, Spain

…frolicking on the beach, unconcerned and free, the children play undisturbed… how many of us long for such a time again?

Acrylic Gouache on Paper, 2010
Image Size: 14" x 26" on Larger Sheet
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Foro Romano, Roma, Italia

…breath-taking structures, now in skeletal ruin still speak of a culture’s ambition, power and lost dreams….there is a sadness and quietness about this place which must be in such contrast to its former grandeur.

Acrylic Gouache on Paper, 2010
Image Size: 14" x 26" on Larger Sheet
not available

Oxfordshire, England

…like three colorful friends visiting on the Thames in early summer…I wonder who the fourth visitor might be, perhaps a kayak… I guess I’ve been painting too long…just silly thinking.

Acrylic Gouache on Paper, 2010
Image Size: 14" x 26" on Larger Sheet
Available

Toscana, Italia

…This simple stone country church stands adorned with the bright Tuscan light and rich color of the surrounding orchards and vineyards … absolutely breathtaking. 

Acrylic Gouache on Paper, 2010
Image Size: 14" x 26" on Larger Sheet
Available

St Margaret of Antioch Church, Binsey, Oxfordshire, England

This 12th century church, a place of ancient pilgrimage, layered in history and embellished with stories of miraculous waters, sight regained and a girl named Alice … Alice in Wonderland… hearing the bleating of young goats, it rained on me twice as I painted here.

Acrylic Gouache on Paper, 2010
Image Size: 14" x 26" on Larger Sheet
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Outside Burford, Cotswolds, England 

… Fallen stone walls and a babbling brook to accompany my painting…what an incredible morning in these emerald fields…

Acrylic Gouache on Paper, 2010
Image Size: 14" x 26" on Larger Sheet
Available

Costa Brava, Catalonia, Spain

…the purity of the Mediterranean light and the brilliance of the color is difficult to describe or to paint…even the whites appear whiter than they should, if that’s possible… could spend all day her if I could. 

Acrylic Gouache on Paper, 2010
Image Size: 14" x 26" on Larger Sheet
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Pulcino della Minerva, Roma, Italia

… the maze of Roma, a city of grand monuments and enchanting surprises to be discovered at each bend in its narrow roads, but an elephant topped by an Egyptian obelisk framed by a gothic church and the cylindrical bricked walls of the Pantheon. Somehow Bernini and this incredible city make it work.

Acrylic Gouache on Paper, 2010
Image Size: 14" x 26" on Larger Sheet
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Portovenere, Italia

…the rain cascades down the outer marble walls of this sanctuary clutching the rocks above crashing seas while Jesus, tucked away in a niche, is silently warmed by candles…. Petitions and personal pleas surrounded him in life as they still do in effigy… Our God is merciful.

Acrylic Gouache on Paper, 2010
Image Size: 14" x 26" on Larger Sheet
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Cinque Terre, Italia

… simply leaning from a window to hang one’s laundry becomes a thing of beauty in such  an enchanted place… she reminded me of my grandmother who always sat on her big front porch and watched the world go by… 

Acrylic Gouache on Paper, 2010
Image Size: 14" x 26" on Larger Sheet
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St Mary's Church Cemetery, Whitby, North Yorkshire, England

…We all eventually find rest in and from this world, whether on a bench or under a stone, life finds its equilibrium. This place is so peaceful and the sea like death is an open door…

Acrylic Gouache on Paper, 2010
Image Size: 14" x 26" on Larger Sheet
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Volterra Street Niche, Volterra, Italia

…as we passed, we witnessed local after local showing reverence and honor for the Virgin with a humble glance or gentle touch in passing… it’s nice to see how reminders of faith and the day to day activities of life are so little separated… I can learn from that.

Acrylic Gouache on Paper, 2010
Image Size: 14" x 26" on Larger Sheet
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Vatican Museums, Roma

Postured before this masterpiece, transfixed in her stance of total absorption in this great mystery of death and of hope and life for so many.

Acrylic Gouache on Paper, 2010
Image Size: 14" x 26" on Larger Sheet
Not Available

Whitby Abbey, North Yorkshire, England

…this gathering of ducks prompted a discussion of chanting monks as Jill and I sat in the thick damp grass and painted the abbey…what a magical place.

Acrylic Gouache on Paper, 2010
Image Size: 14" x 26" on Larger Sheet
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Cinque Terre, Italia

…perhaps these colorful friends among colorful boats gather each evening to converse about the weather or the local politics…can’t help but envy such a life…

Acrylic Gouache on Paper, 2010
Image Size: 14" x 26" on Larger Sheet
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Riomaggiore, Cinque Terre, Italia

…Jill painted on the balcony as delightful aromas from a nearby ristorante drifted upwards… difficult to keep painting and not stop for the catch of the day…never would have guessed fresh anchovies were so tasty…

Acrylic Gouache on Paper, 2010
Image Size: 14" x 26" on Larger Sheet
Not Available

Cinque Terre, Italia

…this section of the coastal pathway for lovers was still open after recent violent storms… walking it gave such incredible views of the colorful houses on their precarious perches…can’t help but be filled with awe...

Acrylic Gouache on Paper, 2010
Image Size: 14" x 26" on Larger Sheet
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Pembrokeshire Coast, Wales

…an unimaginable life of devotion tucked away in this extreme environment of wind and waves… Painting with the sea behind me and the hot sun on my back, I would have lost all sense of time had it not been for the encroaching shadows of the canyon-like cliffs.

Acrylic Gouache on Paper, 2011
Image Size: 14" x 26" on Larger Sheet
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Firenze, Italia

… Almost across the street from the Basilica della Santissima Annunziata, a mystical church of time-blackened wood, stone and paintings, I stepped through a side alley and into the more familiar surroundings of a private courtyard where sculpture students still carry on the long Florentine tradition of chipping stone and casting metal.

Acrylic Gouache on Paper, 2010
Image Size: 14" x 26" on Larger Sheet
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Chiesa di San Martino alla Palma, Italia

…afternoon showers, caught on a church porch and in the alluring spell of Tuscany…after a hot day the smell and the coolness of the rain is so refreshing and so invigorating…these are the moments you want to remember for a lifetime.

Acrylic Gouache on Paper, 2010
Image Size: 14" x 26" on Larger Sheet
Not Available

Aberystwyth, Wales

... finding an empty bench facing the sea and keeping a wary eye for marauding seagulls, we shared out takeaway fish and chips while soaking up that rare Welsh sunshine. These two locals were out for a stroll sharing the walk and a friendship. What better way to spend the early afternoon.

Acrylic Gouache on Paper, 2011
Image Size: 14" x 26" on Larger Sheet
Available

Catalonia, Spain

…This picturesque village that neighbors Gala’s home and castle… she was always the love of Dali’s life… What a blessing not everyone finds…

Acrylic Gouache on Paper, 2010
Image Size: 14" x 26" on Larger Sheet
Available