Studio visit with Phil

Peter shows Phil some of his photo reference

Peter's friend, photographer Phil Valcarcel spent the day at the studio. He wanted to see a painting being created and to photograph Peter at work. They discussed everything from art to life and had a great day sharing ideas together.

Photos From a Walk

I loved the rich colors in this cut log

I've walked by this tree hundreds of times. 

It's so massive and I never noticed it until today.

A squirrel's left over snack debris looked like like a religious offering in the woods.

Bits of Color

Watching the ground on a walk at Milford Beach

Peter has always told me that nature is more colorful on an overcast day. When I first met him, I would have argued that was true on a bright sunny day, when the sky is a deep blue and the trees are green. But now when I look, I see that the world is full of contrast on a bright day. You see extreme highlights and shadows that are beautiful in their own way, but it's hard to see into the shadows or bright spots to see what's really there. On an overcast day, when the light is even, the colors are deep and rich -- especially when things are a little damp like they were on my walk yesterday -- and you see oranges and purples, reds, plums and mauve and many shades of greens and blues that you can't see on a sunny day.

Studio Visit with Graig

Graig and Peter talk about adding more chroma to liven things up

Baseball artist Graig Kreindler came to visit the studio today. A former student of Peters, Graig stops in every once in a while to talk to Peter about painting and show him what he's working on. Today it was 3 Lou Gehrigs, 2 Mickey Mantles and a Christy Mathewson. We always feed him and try to open his mind to new flavors. He's come along way since his student days, but still wouldn't eat the shrimp in the Fra Diablo we made for dinner. He sure missed out!

To see more of Graig's paintings, visit www.graigkreindler.com

The genius of Graig Kreindler, Wrigley Field 1945

Late Winter Walk

Snacks in a corn field

Spring Melt

It's muddy out there!

It feels like spring is here in northeastern Pennsylvania. The snow is almost completely gone, and the ice is out of the stream. Peter and I will miss winter but the warm air sure feels nice.

The edge of the stream last week

Last Day Rome

The rooftops of Rome

This photo is from the last evening of our trip. Rome. What a beautiful city. It was sad to leave but always good to get home.

Thanks so much to everybody for making Italian Week on Peter's Landscape a Day blog such a success. If you missed out, he is planning another Italian Week soon.

Perfect Tuscan Valley

Morning mist

This photo was taken from my favorite road where I walked at least once a day, usually more. It was amazing to roam some of the property that made up the vineyards and olive groves that go into making the wine and olive oil of Pasolini dall'Onda Borghese.

Shady Spot

Olive trees on the edge of a freshly plowed field

It can be surprisingly hot in Tuscany in October. I spent a lazy afternoon under these olive trees; daydreaming and doodling in my sketchbook. If you want to know what bitter tastes like, try eating a fresh olive.

Sunset Trees

Trees line the road that passes Tizzano

I loved the wiggly dark forms of these trees against the plum sky and house lights.

Fruits of the Villa

Me with apples

Fruit growing on trees will never cease to amaze me. I'm a suburb kid and I'll never grow tired of picking fresh apples and lemons and limes and figs, basil and rosemary. Every day, I found something new to eat on the property of the villa. In this photo, Peter caught me filling my arms and pockets with apples. 

Fresh picked apples in the Tuscan sunlight

Later that day, I was delighted to see how beautiful the apples looked in the late afternoon sun -- almost too beautiful to eat. Almost.

Tuscan View, Three Ways

Early morning light, view from Tizzano

Midday light, view from Tizzano

Sunset, view from Tizzano

Evening Walk, Tuscany

Perhaps the most beautiful walk in Tuscany

The owner of Tizzano, Guido Pasolini, was very generous to allow us access to all of his property. This road was close to the villa and we walked it often, photographing it at different times of day. What a beautiful place.

A Week in Italy

Peter at rest in Tuscany

It's Italian Week on Peter's blog (March 1st-March 7th). He will be featuring 7 studies from a trip we took to Tuscany last fall. While he is highlighting recent studies, I'll be posting some photos from our trip.

In Tuscany, we were guests of our good friends Mary and Rob at Tizzano in Barberino Val D'Elsa. There's a beautiful grape arbor on the property where I caught Peter in a quiet moment. Mary and her sister Gay made a delicious grape tart from the grapes that we picked. It was a lot of work peeling all of those grapes but it was delicious and one of the great experiences of villa life in Italy.