To produce this view of a west country village in England, this mixed media painting blurs the edges to force a focus to the buildings in the centre. The idea of forced focus is an idea that I wish to pursue.

The Morris dancing tradition goes back to the 15th century. Handkerchiefs, bells and sticks are part of this rhythmic folk dance. We saw these dancers in Brighton, but we have seen other Morris dancers all over the U.K.

Bobbing in the gray/green waters of the Grand Canal, the gondolas dance in the misty light. Nothing else represents Venice, Italy, to me like these strange sleek crafts.

Straddling the Arno River in Florence, this structure is the home to high priced shops that delight the tourist. Built in 1345, right at the start of the Renaissance, this is the oldest surviving bridge in the city. While my bride shopped on this bridge, I took countless photos that served as the basis for this piece. Oh yeah, I also had a couple of drinks there.

How vast and long lasting is the fortune of the Borromeo family that they still own this seventeenth century palazzo that occupies an entire island in Lake Maggiore near Stresa. I found the palace itself much to my taste but the gardens that occupy sixty per cent of the island just too ornate with an army of sculpted pieces that were obviously meant to impress.

My concern in this piece was the warmth of the Italian sun. This courtyard in Florence was near the hotel in which we stayed.

This image that flowed from an advertisement for Polo was an attempt to visualize the metrosexual whose concern for his appearance is paramount to him.

After touring the Lindisfarne Castle on the north-east coast of England, we walked around this fortress. It is easy to see why this rock, also called Holy Island, was chosen as a defendable position. Now only facing the sea, the site is picturesque.

Coastlines change and as a result this castle is no longer on an island. There is a small garden created by Gertrude Jekyll which lies to the west of the great rock. The subject of many artists, from Turner to Charles Rennie Mackintosh, this site is well known and is now in the hands of the National Trust.

One of a pair of paintings of decorative fantasy ancient ruins created for a generous local interior designer who helped me while I was in art college by buying or commissioning pieces from me.

See also Ruins #1 Image # R0002.

One of two decorative pieces or imagined ruins, which I painted for a kindly local decorator when I was still in art school. This was his way of helping me along and I did, and still do, appreciate his generosity of spirit. His widow returned them to me after they closed their business doors many years later.

I had done some window dressing for this small shop while I was still in high school. When I consider now all the support and opportunities that came my way from local merchants to display my work, I realize my enormous good fortune.