In September of this year I will be traveling to Europe for the first time in my 34 years on this planet. This blog is intended to be a place where I can record my pre-departure thoughts and where I will also reflect on the experiences I have while in London and Rome once I … More Europe Awaits
What can I say? I am much better at expressing myself with paint and charcoal than with words. This trip was everything and nothing that I had hoped for. This blog just barely scratches the surface of everything that I want to say and show about this experience. I’m sure over the next few years … More My Final Thoughts…For Now.
This trip was the most amazing experience I have had to date. I have lived a very fortunate life and I’m grateful for all that I have been able to do and see, but this, this was life changing. Unfortunately, on a trip like this you just can’t see and do everything. Some people need … More It’s okay, I’ll be back one day.
There were plenty of wonderful meals to be had in Italy. Everyday I sat down with different members of our large group and shared a meal. Eating in Italy is an event, it is not to be rushed (even if you only have 15 minutes to pick up a cornetto and a cappuccino). My favorite … More A Fine Meal at the Sea
“My efforts are directed not to making a carpenter an artist, but to making him happier as a carpetner.” Ruskin believed that to learn to draw, not necessarily to draw well, but to practice the act of it, forces us to slow down and really look and observe our surroundings. I have to admit, I … More Ruskin on Drawing while Traveling
Henry James writes, “I went reeling and moaning thro’ the streets, in a fever of enjoyment…the Forum, the Coliseum…I’ve seen the Tiber hurrying along, as swift and dirty as history!…I’ve seen Rome, and I shall go to bed a wiser man that I last rose-yesterday morning.” The quick pace and frantic excitement of James’ first … More Seeing Rome for the First Time
Julius Ceasar is buried here, a temple to the god Saturn lay in ruins here. Vestal virgins spent their lives keeping a fire lit, and tirumphal arches decried Rome’s greatness to the citizens of the empire, and the once pagan Temple of Romulus is now a Catholic Church with the most beautiful doors I’ve ever … More The Roman Forum
There were so many beautiful paintings to behold at the Borghese Gallery in Rome. The one that spoke to me the most as a painter was Carravaggio’s St. Jerome. I really respond to the richness of the colors, the sinewy nature of the old saints arm and the wrinkles on his forhead. It’s such a … More Carravaggio’s St. Jerome
The Vatican is an interesting place. So much wealth and opulence is on display. Breathtaking paintings and sculpture, not to mention architecture everywhere you turn. It’s easy to see why a humble monk like Martin Luther would be outraged with the Catholic Church and demand change. St. Paul’s Cathedral in London, where we listened to … More St. Peter’s Basilica and the Sistine Chapel
As you walk through the Borghese Gallery, the Museo Nazionale and even the Vatican Museum, at some point you think to yourself, “Okay, you’ve seen thousands of marble sculptures of naked people and horses, you’ve seen it all right?” and then you turn a corner and you’re standing in front of Bernini’s Rape of Europa, … More Sculpture in Rome
It seems cliche to write about how beautiful and amazing the Trevi Fountain in Rome is. Everyone loves it, everyone writes about it. A masterpiece in Baroque design and aesthetics. What I realized looking at it’s aqua-marine water and whire marble, listening to the flowing water, and pushing through the huge crowd at 8:00 pm … More The Trevi Fountain
wanderingblissblog 