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.

Kitchen utensils are the main feature of the fence surrounding this Victorian shop in La Conner, Washington.

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.

Pulled up to this house in a Newfoundland village, these small boats are ready to go back in the sea.

All across Newfoundland, I found delightfully coloured boats and houses. This view, which is not uncommon in the small villages, provides instant design possibilities. This sketch uses acrylic with grease pencil on pastel paper.

Thames River traffic provides an active counterpoint to the massive buildings of the London skyline festooned with spidery cranes. I find this active sort of scene exciting to paint and I try to show that exhilaration in the handling of the paint.

This view is from Waterloo Bridge. My rather rough handling is intended to take out the detail and show the major players in this exciting scene. Once again working on a rough ground, I want a robust masculinity to be obvious.