Gargoyle

In Arles, France this month with Bill Guffey's Virtual Paintout, I came across this gargoyle (?), one of two over an ornate door on a side street. I have always been fascinated with the artisan works on buildings but it's difficult to get a decent vantage point to photograph them. Google's street view has the advantage of raising the viewpoint to nearly eye level.

Windowsill Still Life

The first frost is upon us so I picked the last of the summer tomatoes today to ripen on the windowsill. The little ceramic birds who normally perch there alone seemed a tad disgruntled with their new neighbor.

Monk

Spotted this delightful monk going about his business in picturesque Cagliari, Sardinia. I thought this garb came from the imaginations of movie costumers but it seems to be the real deal.

Abandoned

This apparently abandoned structure sits above a lake near Oschiri Olbia-Tempio, Italy.

Tennies on the Line

There are so many things to paint in Sardinia this month and with time running short, I'm going to try line drawing with watercolor washes to paint as much as I can. It's such a beautiful place, the temptation for me is just to cruise around looking rather than painting. Sketching should help with that problem a little! Really loved this process--sketching is not something I normally do for a finished product.

On the Line

This month's virtual paintout is in Sardinia. Every time I "travel" to a new country, I fall in love and this location was no exception. There are so many charming sights to see, and I particularly enjoyed the colorful clothespins on the clotheslines hanging from balconies.

Tropical Isle, Bourbon Street

This painting not only looks a little spooky but it came to life in a spooky way too. My intention was to do a line and wash sketch of this New Orleans bar in daylight, as it was in the photograph. I truly don't know how it happened, but as the afternoon progressed, it turned into a full-blown nocturne, a style of painting I have no experience with at all! This one may become a part of my Halloween decorations.