Paul

We painted on the smaller canals in Venice today. Some of my workshop artists have incredible sketchbooks from this trip! I am incredibly pleased with the work they did. Today was our last full day in Venice. We fly home tomorrow by way of Frankfurt Germany.

What symbolizes Venice more than it's gondolas? These cool boats are inefficient, expensive and as romantic as you'd imagine. They sure make Marla smile!

For those brave enough to venture out at sunrise, you can find Piazza San Marco without people and cafe chairs.

The columns in Piazza San Marco are my favorite feature. I love the griffin symbol on the top of the left "swizzlestick".

If you visit Venice in November or December you will get the floods of high tide that frequently turn Piazza San Marco into a lake. Visitors walk on tabletops to get around the square. It provided a nice reflection for my watercolor, "Floating Palace".

One of the heavily detailed buildings that makes Piazza San Marco so incredible is the Basillica. It's a daunting task to paint but many of my students tackled it with great success.

The glass factories on the island of Murano are fun, but a tourist trap. I've practiced blowing glass with some of the best here, but for most visitors it is a show and then straight to the showroom. It feels a bit like a timeshare sales pitch. With the inflated Euro, the treasures here are…