Tuscan Courtyard
Tuscan Courtyard
My concern in this piece was the warmth of the Italian sun. This courtyard in Florence was near the hotel in which we stayed.
I suppose not that many people save rejection notes but I'm glad that I framed this one from 1966. On cream-coloured card stock with the address, Borgo Albizi, Firenze, I am told in the nicest possible way by Pietro Annigoni that he must turn down my request to be a student of his because he is travelling a great deal and does not have time for any serious teaching.
Rainy Day, Godafoss, Iceland
Rainy Day, Godafoss, Iceland
The size and scale of such a natural wonder is difficult to convey, so I add a few tourists in the foreground to help explain just how grand this Icelandic site is.
It is dramatic to come, as we did, from the beautiful fiords of Norway to the severe lumpy landscape of Iceland. Iceland is a volcanic island, strafed with holes blowing steam and hot water. Although this strange country does have some ice (glaciers), most of the land is clothed in moss and miniature trees. There is an Icelandic joke (and I am convinced possibly the only Icelandic humour is formed in a riddle): If you are lost in an Icelandic forest, what do you do? Just stand up.
Venetian Palace
Venetian Palace
The gondola’s arrival at a canal-side restaurant combines several of the key Venetian themes. Food, boats, and architecture are the basis for almost any memory of Venice.
Want to score $5 million? On March 18, 1990 the Gardner Museum in Boston was robbed by two unknown white males dressed in police uniforms and identifying themselves as Boston Police Officers. They stole several pieces worth more than $300 million. A $5 million reward is offered for the safe recovery of all stolen items in good condition.
Metrosexual
Metrosexual
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.
I know a man whose job for Sears Canada included travelling around the world with a Polaroid camera. He was looking to spot coming trends in clothes. It was he who decided what the colours in their merchandise would be for next year. Returning to Toronto with these photos, he would be able to instruct the buyers on what to order for the coming year.
Pomp In Gibraltar
Pomp in Gibraltar
The beat of the drums ricochetted within the narrow canyons of the buildings in Gibraltar. After the heat and dirt of North Africa, this small piece of England was a pleasant oasis.
A recent article in the news told of a soon to be raised wreck of a 17th century British ship, purportedly laden with tons of gold coins valued at four billion dollars U.S. This craft was on its way to secure the loyalty of the Duke of Savoy against the expansionist plans of the Sun King. Interestingly, the site of this wreck was simply stated as "off Gibraltar", which leaves a great deal of open water as possible locations.
Restaurant Door
Restaurant Door, Pérouges, France
This pretty doorway fronts the only restaurant in the historic hill town of Pérouges. The entire village built of stone has been preserved by the French government as an excellent example of Fourteenth Century France. Plein air.
Pérouges is a small fortified hill-town northeast of Lyon, France. We visited this charmingly preserved town many years ago. The French government has been very clever in the way that they regulated the preservation of this mainly Fourteenth Century gem.
Unloading Cargo
Unloading Cargo
To someone who has lived his entire life inland, the ways of things maritime are mysterious and fascinating. The size of naval equipment staggers me as I am unable to compare these machines to anything on land. I observed this bit of off-loading just off the coast of Russia.
A house along the coastline has a unique quality. It is only there that the neighbourhood changes on an ongoing basis. Any other view stays constant, but on the coast, the sight transforms with new neighbours coming and going all the time. If you are fortunate enough to live near a port, a small one, not a huge, stinking, blackened destination, you can enjoy the visual entertainment of visitors from around the world.
Jew's Gate, Coburg
Jews Gate, Coburg
This drawing shows the view from our hotel room. The Jews Gate is the entrance into the Jewish quarter of Coburg, a small former city state that claims Prince Albert, Queen Victoria’s consort, as their own.
"Kronberg," Marilyn wrote in her scrapbook, "is on my shortlist of beautiful and romantic places along with Niagara-on-the-Lake". Medieval timbered houses crowd along the narrow streets like eager fans in a queue for tickets. Here and there, trees create a small shaded footprint beside a white-washed building. Courtyards with murmuring fountains provide a quiet respite from crowded streets. We stayed here, only fifteen kilometers from Frankfurt, before we travelled east to Coburg to meet with the designers from the Goebel Porcelain Company.
Congested Street
Congested Street, Paris
This crowded ink drawing with watercolour resulted from our second trip to Paris, France. The district of St-Germain-des-Pres encapsulates my feeling for the architecture and the bustle of the French Capital. See also Busy Paris Street, Image # P0671, the initial plein air drawing. For another view of this district, see Rue Eglise, Saint-Germain-des-Pres (Drawing), Image # P0592.
The first time that we visited Paris we were fresh off the train from Le Havre. I was twenty-two years old and eager to see "The City of Lights", but without the slightest background knowledge about this capital. Art college was just behind me, and with my new bride and her brother and his new wife, we were off to enjoy something. We didn't know what that something was, but we were positive in our attitude.
Holding A Bouquet, Copenhagen
Holding a Bouquet, Copenhagen
The flowers are not a permanent part of that signature sculpture in Copenhagen, Denmark, the Little Mermaid. Unbeknownst to us, a small independent movie was being shot. The flowers in the mermaid’s lap were part of that production, as was an actor that walked right out into the bay until the water covered his head. Not the usual quiet demure mermaid that day.
Travelling is an enlightening, educational and enjoyable experience, but sometimes also somewhat surprising, even at times, disappointing.
