Found in Italy...

I didn't expect Ovieto to appear in this painting but I'm delighted that it did.

I've been studying buildings and I'm looking at doing more buildings in my pieces.

I've been studying some of Renee's building work and she gave me permission to use her one piece as a reference in my work.  I am so grateful that and that I have incredible peers to learn from as well as I do teachers.  I never take that for granted.  This might be one of my favorites pieces this year.

Maybe Italy will always come through somewhere.... 

My journal is coming along beautifully...

I love my beautiful book so much, the pages are filling up with stories and I'm loving journeying back to those days, thoughts and precious moments.  I've been loving the midnight scribbles.

I love this tiny picture so much... Misty sent us out into the streets of to find things to sketch on our first day #InTheStudio.  That's my little drawing that I sketched out in the streets of beautiful Orvieto.  Isn't that a delightful thought.  Lorraine and I stumbled upon this door knocker together... it was the best one I found in Italy!  There is such a serenity to it.  Which I think is perfectly at home in Orvieto.

Happy find and happy memory.

Ticket to Venice...

When I got home, I signed up immediately.

When we were in Venice - Renee told me about this class.

And she had made me a beautiful hand bound travel journal.

And I knew with all my collected Italian ephemera I wanted to make a travel journal,

a travel keepsake.  Mary Ann Moss teaches this delightful little class.

And I learnt much!

It's taken me a year to finish it and start putting together my beautiful memories.

And stories.  It is a visual feast for the eyes and I can't wait to share more of it with you!

Class influences...

This was the first piece I did after I got back from Italy.

To date - she's one of my favourite pieces.

The reference I used was from my Botticelli book.

But I can see in this piece - something has shifted deep inside of me.

And it was coming through in my work - I can't explain it.

To me - she looked more womanly than any of my other pieces.

Had I progressed from safe little girl to woman, through this trip.

Whatever it was or had happened - it feel sacred and it felt deep.

I love that she's not perfect but she's deeply interesting!

Sacred treasures....

I am home...

exhausted!

fatigued

emotional!

missing!

remembering!

longing!

but oh so...

grateful!

happy!

full!

emotional!

journeyed!

blessed!

loved!

I'm home!

Heading home...

Heading home after such a deep incredible time... is never easy.

Also travelling alone carries it's own silent stresses.

Sweet Lorraine and Ted offered me a ride to Rome in their luxury taxis.

I turned them down and that will always be something that I will regret as long as I live.

Had I have known then that Lorraine would be gone today - I would have given anything to have an almost 2 hour long drive, one on one with them.  I'm not sure my heart will ever get over this oversight of mine.  Maybe on some level, my mind or heart could never comprehend her not beating her illness.  In hindsight, I do believe I just never once considered an alternative.

Photo Credit : Misty Mawn

Why did I turn them down?  I felt guilty to let my fellow students travel the trains while I travelled in luxury.  And maybe on some level, I felt a little unworthy of such kindness, I don't know.

But I know I will always have a little pang in my heart regarding this.

Instead, I travelled to Roma with Robin and Diane and Anne.

I loved our time together at the train station as we all waited for our train - us on one side of the platform, and Misty her her sweet family on the opposite side heading in a different direction.  Their train came first and we waved and blew kisses like crazy people.  Precious.

Diana and Robin headed to their train coach and Anne and myself, to ours.  We were in the same coach but different seats - we opted to stand together in passage way and stood for two hours talking and sharing stories of our lives.  I don't think either of us will ever forget that train trip...

That we chose to do that instead of sitting.

Once we arrived at the airport - we embraced and said our farewells... she headed to her flight to Switzerland and I headed to my flight to Egypt.  I'm not going to lie, the next leg of my trip, Italy to Egypt wasn't pleasant.  I'm not going to talk too much about it, but I was unprepared.

After a 28 hour trip home - I was more than exhausted.

Arriving home is always the sweetest thing on earth for me.

Dig collected me and later we picked up my babies from school.

I hate being a part.

But we shared beautiful stories and moments.

And I slept.  Really slept!

It was good to be back with my people.