In Torino, Italy, the bus I was riding in paused for a moment at a stoplight and I took a cursory photo of the Cantine Risso restaurant

http://www.esp.cityvox.com/bonnes-adresses_turin/cantine-risso_31844/ProfilLieu. When I returned home, I used my source photo for this painting.

I love the way the lace turned out.

Not every painting is a "success" in my point of view. This watercolor was a quick sketch done en plein air on a beach in Jost Van Dyke in the British Virgin Islands (http://www.b-v-i.com/JostVanDyke/). I was there for a daytrip with cients, and I broke away for a few moments by myself. I am not sure if it is the cursory speed at which I painted, my unfamiliarity with the terrain, or the challenges of painting water, but I don't count this piece among my favorites. Nonetheless, it reminds me of a beautiful day spent on a pristine beach.

I was in Torino, Italy for the 2006 Winter Olympic Games. On one of my first mornings in the city, still suffering from jet lag, I awoke very early in the morning. Just a few blocks from my apartment, I walked to the spot I painted here. Looking across the Rive Po, I gazed upon the Church of Santa Maria del Monte dei Cappuccini. I snapped a photo and painted the picture you see here from my photo. Although the two look really different, my painting is a closer reflection of what I remember... the photo came out rather underexposed, but it was a good way to remember the spot so I could paint it later.

When I first saw this church, I didn't realize that it would look so different at night. As part of the Luce d'artista project (http://www.comune.torino.it/artecultura/luciartista/) artist Rebecca Horn (http://www.rebecca-horn.de/) made a ethereal installation called Piccoli Spiriti Blu in the yard around the church. I loved coming to this spot at night and looking up the hill at the blue lights around the church.