Italy

Of the many Davids in Florence, Michelangelo's David is still my favorite male model.

Having spent two weeks in Tuscany appreciating so much art and sculpture of the Renaissance, I find it hard to go to my studio and create anything. There is so much to enjoy in the galleries and museums of Italy. So many ancient walled villages with long histories, each with different feelings of the Medici, yet each with an ambience that causes you to wander the narrow streets and alleys. There are picturesque scenes in every direction, each worthy of a landscape so my camera was getting a work out in the hope of putting some of that Renaissance influence to a proper use.

I will be going back to a familiar way to cause a shift in mood. I pull out all the papers as well as bits and pieces of collected ephemera and play for a while, putting together collages or greeting cards or just looking at unusual combinations for possible inspiration.