Vacation Sketches

Vacation Sketches

I use a  Pilot Razor Point II pen that bleeds when water is applied.   This gives me shading with no effort.   My watercolors are from Windsor Newton paint tubes where the paint has been squeezed into a tiny palette, formerly used as a multi color eye shadow palette.   On occasion I have used markers, colored pencils, watercolor brush pens, Sharpies and lead pencils but my favorite is ink and watercolor.   I do bring along a small ruler, eraser and a small sponge.   This all fits into an 8″ x 4″ x 1″ container.  My sketch pads are 4″x5″ up to 6″x8″.  All pads accept watercolor, pen and ink and pencil.

Italia – Agriturismo – May 1994

Our first foray into reserving a B&B.  We found Karen Brown’s 1994  Italy B&B travel book very useful with many choices.  B&Bs are  run by families.  They have to adhere to very strict state rules to keep the outside of the building as originally built, although the inside can be modernized.  Very friendly.  A good way to experience local Italian cuisine and hospitality.  These inns run the gamut of farms, mills, villas, stables (renovated of course) etc.

Canada – British Columbia and Alberta – May 1998

Practice sketches on our travels to Canada.

France – Lyon, Barge Trip – April 1999

Barging on the Central Canal in France.   What an experience!

Italia – Toscana and Piemonte – June 2003

A vacation with some of our children and our grandson, staying in Venezia  and Firenze.   After they all went home we went to Piemonte for a week.

Italia- Gaiole in Chianti – June  2006

In June 2006 we took our family (12 in all) to Italy for two weeks.  We stayed in two 3 bedroom apartments located on the property of Castello di Meleto in Gaiole in Chianti for one week, then went to visit with family in Pescia for a  week..

Italia – Pescia – May 2008

Our apartment in Pescia while visiting family.   Several of our friends and our daughter came to stay with us for a week at a time.

Spain – Madrid to Barcelona – September 2009

Every night, for three weeks, I sketched a memory of what we saw on our Spanish artists tour.

Italia  –  Prato – October 2009

We then flew from Barcelona to Firenze/Prato for a week to  research my family for our next genealogy book.  We stayed at Villa Rucellai during the olive harvest.   Olive oil – as green as grass!  And delicious!

Panama Canal Cruise – March 2011

Panama canal cruise with stops at Puerto Rico, the Cayman Islands, Cartagena and stops all along the Mexican coast.   These are paintings from a watercolor class on board the ship.

Russian River – September 2011

Vacation at a friend’s Russian River house.

France – Provence and Languedoc – May 2012

We went on a small group tour of Provence visiting Cassis,  Arles, Aix en Provence and Avignon.    Then spent a week at an apartment in Vias, the Lanquedoc region of France.

Greece  – Athens – August 2012

Greece was the first stop on a fantastic Black Sea cruise.

Italia – Montespertoli – June 2013

We took our 13 year old granddaughter to Podere Anselmo for a one week cooking class.   Then stayed at a local hotel in Lucca while we visited family.

Sedona – April 2018

A weekend trip to Sedona, AZ

Alaska Cruise – August 2019

Sketches from a Holland America Cruise to Alaska on the ship Amsterdam.