These 2 art cards come from images of vacation places I’ve stayed at a few times – places where the settings and the people have given me profound moments of connection and peace. So while my initial intention was to quickly complete my trio of flower-pot-cards, I found I slowed down while painting, often getting lost in memories of these beautiful places.

11 – Montepulciano Flowers – sold

Agriturismo San Gallo is located on a country road in the western valley below Montepulciano, Tuscany. The views are incredible here – the town up on the hill, the rolling ochre and sienna hills of the Val D’Orcia, the surrounding vineyards, the village of Montefollonico off in the distance. On my first visit, I had a moment of complete peace sitting at a small cafe table outside our apartment door – not just an “ah lovely” moment, but truly a letting go and being wholly present moment, without even trying. It was such a unique feeling for me, as I’m quite Type-A. I went back a second time a few years later for more of that restorative calm. So, back to the flowers – this collection of wildflowers was picked on a walk along the country road and on the wilder parts of the property, and then put into a vase in our apartment. Get a load of that plastic tablecloth with the oranges motif – a little dash of reality thrown into this dream-like setting!

12 – Umbrian Terrace – sold

Another beautiful place I’ve stayed multiple times is Torre Palombara, just outside Narni, Umbria. This is a small hotel with gorgeous grounds and lots of flower pots! Again, the views are spectacular of Narni, fields of sunflowers and rolling green hills. Like San Gallo, it’s a landscape that easy to relax into, but my moments of connection I most recall here were with people. I had a number of  great conversations with the hotel owners on the terrace at sunset, and one memorable afternoon spent on the lawn in deep conversation with my son. We covered every subject imaginable! This flower pot image is from one of his photographs.

When I visited these places, I was not drawing. Luckily I have photos, but I hope one day to go back and make new connections… this time in the moment with my pen and watercolours!