Like many artists, I travel to find new inspirations for paintings as well as fresh outlooks for old subjects.  My husband and I have made several trips to Europe.  Three of these trips  were extensive;  for six weeks or longer.  The experience was so pleasant and enriching that I wanted to express some of my feelings in paintings while I still remembered the emotions I had.  I try to convey the enchantment, the environs and atmosphere of each region that I paint. I do not try for a photo copy of snapshots, but take the liberty to heighten the intensity of color or even add colors of my own.  I may combine photographs to make a better composition.  I have an extensive file of photos from our trips and hope I will be able to paint all the major scenes I have in my mind.  They are done in an impressionistic style to give people a sense of joy.  When they look at them, perhaps they will experience a recognition of a place they have visited themselves, sparking a memory of that time.

In a little corner of Liguria on the Italian Riviera are five enchanting fishing villages connected by footpaths. In medieval times, the name “terra” (land) meant village. Thus, the name Cinque Terre (five villages). The steep hillsides give the villages precarious perches, sometimes clinging to the rock face with their houses piled up in a multi-colored mosaic overlooking the sea. Only recently have these hamlets become reachable by road and they still maintain every vestige of their original charm. Last year, my husband and I spent four wonderful days in Manarola which is perhaps the most unspoiled of the five villages. We have special memories of our time there.  We hope we can go back again.

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Manarola Harbor

Vernazza

Riomaggiore  II