Do you most often travel to new places or to your favourites?

On a recent podcast of The Bittersweet Life, the hosts discussed a traveller’s inclination to revisit the same place over and over versus the inclination to always go somewhere new. Where do these inclinations come from? What might it say about a person? Or what might it say about these places?

I have both inclinations actively working when I’m planning my travel, but with limited time and resources, the thought of not including at least a quick stop in a place I love is almost unthinkable. And I’ve realized that this inclination even shows up in my painting!

This spring, I have painted Barcelona, New York , Venice and then the strong urge to paint my muse, my favourite –  Tuscany – became too strong to ignore. The city of Florence has my heart. The region of Tuscany been the origin of some of my best art-making, family memories, and moments of true transcendence. I’ve been missing it enormously, so I’ve returned… via watercolour and ink in my next 2 miniatures.

The first – Firenze, Firenze!  Each time I take a taxi from the Florence train station to my favourite B&B, I always get excited for that first view of Santa Maria del Fiore, better known as the Duomo. From the backseat, I trace the taxi’s route and know the exact corner turn where this magnificent church will come into view. I’ve taken that ride more than a dozen times, and the Duomo always takes my breath away. I’ve now painted the Duomo 7 times from various vantage points over the past 4 years – what can I say, I’m a big fan! This latest miniature showcases the extraordinary “downtown” view from the Boboli Gardens behind Palazzo Pitti:

#119 – Downtown Florence from Boboli Gardens – sold

See what I mean, I like this building a lot!

My Duomo Drawings 2014-18

In my next post of “Tuscan’t Help Myself”, I’ll share another Tuscan painting and one of my favourite Tuscany stories! Stay tuned!

(Original piece is now sold)