Paul

Chilly in Venice this morning, but the light is hauntingly beautiful. My workshop artists have gone in two groups this morning; one to tour the Doges Palace and another to Murano. We'll meet up this afternoon in Piazza San Marco for sunset painting in one of the world's most interesting outdoor studios!

No matter how many times I come to Venice, it still grabs my attention. The charm doesn't change. We arrived this afternoon with only enough daylight remaining to walk to piazza San Marco. It was overcast today and no dramatic sunset. Tomorrow we'll go out to Murano and visit a friend who owns a glass…

Gelato is far too good to call ice cream. I have no idea what the difference is, and I probably don't want to! My guess is that it means lots of extra walking! Fortunately we are getting plenty of walking in between gelato shops. With presentation like this, who could resist? Yum!

Great morning for painting on the bridge! Chilly though! Still must have gggggelato! Bbbbrrrrr!

This is my painting of the light in Florence. Not a bad view, but a marathon of painting to complete!

The best view in Florence is from the top of Giotto's tower. It's 441 torturous steps to the top, but worth the effort if you can navigate the tiny spiral stairs with people flowing down as you squeeze your way up. If you are slightly claustrophobic, acrophobic or agorophobic, maybe this isn't a good idea!

How can you resist this view? Our watercolor sketches captured the moment and the feeling of this incredible place. I'll probably have to revisit my sketches when I have some studio time at home. This view deserves a more in-depth painting as well. Tomorrow we'll go out early to catch the sunrise along the Arno…

Some of my workshop folks weren't totally worn out yet, so we climbed to the top of the hill at Piazza San Michelangelo to catch the sunset over the city. What fun we had! We even attracted a few other traveling painters who just couldn't resist.

Michelangelo's "David" is one of the must-see stops in Florence. It is impossible to fully appreciate unless you see it in person. Wow!

The Arno River snakes through the center of Florence and is a romantic place to watch the sunset. For the full experience, grab a gelato at the Ponte Vecchio and stroll along the river as the sun fades and the city lights take over.