Rome: Day 4 - Tuesday - June 8

I am trying some different approaches to watercolors to get back in the groove of how I like to work. I guess I am a bit rustier than I thought and there is so much to paint that it is overwhelming.

Tuesday was my day to paint at the garden at the American Academy in Rome.The grounds are simply stunning! I painted in the sustainable garden. I was totally taken with the artichokes that were going to seed. Just gorgeous! Director Martin Broday invited me to lunch with the fellows and other attendees. I sat with some young aspiring archaeologists who were there for a summer program. They had just arrived and were excited for a summer of digging.

This is a large artichoke going to seed. I love the color of the inside of it.

In the afternoon I painted the gardens cottage with a fruit trees in the foreground.(I would post more paintings and photos but the internet is so slow that that is what I would be spending all my time doing.)By the time I got back to the hotel I was roasted from a day in the sun. I had a delightful dinner of lamb and spinach at Armando al Pantheon which is a slow food restaurant recommended by David Downie's "Food, Wine, Rome" book and chef Alice Waters.

I thought this shot of the scooters was funny because they look like piglets feeding off of the restaurant.