I have no real explanation for how I had this Sahara Desert print in my mind’s eye well before I got to Egypt. There was just no way I should have been able to envision this view but I saw this image well before I found myself sitting on the back of a camel looking…
Seeing the Egyptian Pyramids was one of those dreams I had harbored as long as I can remember. I have always been fascinated by the ancient world and you don’t get much more classically ancient than the Egyptian Pyramids. I don’t have a concrete first memory of my desire to visit Egypt. The interest goes…
During my short visit to Rome, I visited the ancient Roman Colosseum repeatedly. When I originally planned my trip to Italy, it was the ancient ruins of Rome that I was most interested in seeing. And the Roman Colosseum is, after all, one of most recognized ruins from the classical world. Today it’s essentially the…
Ancient Roman arches are truly the epitome of Rome. The first brick arches were apparently Mesopotamian, but under the Romans, the arch flourished. In the classical world, visit any old ruins, and Roman arches will almost be literally everywhere you look. The ancient Colosseum is basically one arch after another. In fact the window arch…
Paris is one of those places that’s simply gorgeous, but I think evening in Paris is especially so and was the inspiration fro this painting. The dusk skies and the glowing Paris Metro sign say Parisian to me. They speak of the art nouveau architecture that drips through Paris like droplets of water after a…
The rugged coast of this Capri Landscape is forever etched in my mind. I will never forget pausing here on our ascent to the top of Mounte Tiberio to see Villa Jovis. It was a winter day and we had gotten turned around and had gone the wrong way. We were rushing to try to…
There was some ineffable quality to the Little Greek Theatre at Pompeii. Although it was in ruins, there was a haunting stillness that felt as if the actors and the audience had simply stepped away for the moment. And yet at the same time, I felt the weight of the years here. It was while…
The first day I saw St Peter’s Basilica it was a rainy winter day. The result was, as you can see from this print, that the skies above the Vatican had an incredible texture to them. And the wet reflective quality of the cobblestones in Piazza San Pietro were fantastic. There’s such a strong mood…
The unassuming Santa Maria della Concezione dei Cappuccini is probably well known to many have been to Rome. It’s the church with the famous bone crypt. That crypt decorated with the bones of Capuchin monks is said to have inspired many similar ossuaries in Europe. And it’s a strangely artistic use of the mortal remains…
My time in Sorrento on the beautiful Italian coast was short. I had read it was a great staging ground to see Pompeii and get a taste of the coast. And it definitely lived up to those expectations. On our last full day as we headed down to the Marina Piccola for a brief jaunt…
I created this unique Air Force painting near July 4th of 2016. The inspiration for it was a photo taken by Tech. Sgt. Christopher Boitz. The original US Air Force photo showed an F-16 fighter jet during an Thunderbirds Air show at the Warriors Over the Wasatch air show at Hill Air Force Base, Utah…
This Atlanta Braves print was inspired by my late father. He was a fan of the Braves for as long as I can remember. Since he grew up in Alabama before the Braves ever came to Atlanta, I’m not sure exactly how far back he followed the team. But they were already in Georgia by…
This print of the Wheatley Administration Building on the campus of Georgia Southwestern State University in Americus is a special one to me. After all, this is where I spent my undergrad years in college! Well, not in this building of course, but I certainly think it represents the campus in my mind. Georgia Southwestern…
During my stay in Ireland, I saw a good deal of the Irish seaside and it was invariably charming. From lonesome beaches and small villages to cities, I enjoyed them all. But if there’s one place that stands out in my mind as representative of the Irish seaside, it’s Galway. I spent nearly two weeks…
The old Polaris lounge is simply a fun mid-century piece of modernist design. Pictured here is a night-time view of that classic restaurant atop the Atlanta Hyatt Regency. This trendsetting Atlanta hotel, designed by John Portman, in 1967 was the first to feature an atrium in the middle of the hotel. This interior design is…
Even if you’ve never eaten at the Majestic Diner in Atlanta, there’s something about Art Deco architecture that’s likely to bring an unconscious smile to your face. And I think that’s particularly true about Streamline Moderne, of which the Majestic Diner is an example. The Majestic Diner has a sign that says it’s been serving…
My main reason for venturing out of Rome during my short time in Italy was my fervent desire to see Pompeii. The ancient ruins of this Roman town had long ago captured my imagination. The story of Pompeii is a weird mixture of tragedy and the opportunity to examine a long lost culture. That the…
In any major city, there are simply some landmarks that have to be seen. In Rome, the famous Trevi Fountain is unquestionably on that list. Not just because it’s an amazingly beautiful baroque fountain but because tradition holds that you are meant to toss coins in the fountain. The customs surrounding the number of coins…
On my last trip to London, I was walking along the Strand when I happened to spot a vintage double-decker bus in operation. It was one of the old AEC Routemasters and it was heading up the street! I love the really classic vintage feel of those old buses. Never mind the bright red color!…
From the moment our boat approached the Isle of Capri Harbor I knew I was going to like my time on this little Italian island. Just look at rugged Monte Tiberio rising out of the sea! To me, this panorama print of the Capri Harbor is like the Italian coast in miniature. Just look at…
Seeing St Peter’s Dome up close and personal was unquestionably a highlight of my multiple visits to the Vatican while I was in Rome. Walking on the roof and climbing through the interior of that great baroque church dome was both exhausting and exhilarating. And as you can tell from this print, the skies overhead…
I don’t know if there were genuinely a lot of different documentaries airing about the ancient Roman Pantheon right before I left for Italy. Or was I simply ‘finding’ them all because each one further fired my enthusiasm for that trip. Whatever the case, I watched documentary after documentary and read even more about the…
A simple fact of life for anyone traveling to Europe in the winter is there will be stormy weather as evidenced by the stormy Italian skies in this Rome print. There will be sunny days, but there will be days when the rain pours down. And then there will be little moments of promise like…
The Altare della Patria seems to be a surprisingly complicated aspect of modern day Rome. It was built over the span of decades around the start of the 20th century to honor Victor Emmanuel, the first king of a unified Italy. The monument also known as Il Vittoriano was built to symbolize national unification of…
When I made my plans to visit Italy, it was Roman Ruins I was after. Like many of us, I have always had an interest in ancient history. And Rome has long been at the center of that fascination. It’s interesting that years later, I have few memories of the long flight or indeed much…
I went to Italy to see ancient ruins. I have always been fascinated by ancient history and Italy was always up there on my lengthy bucket-list. The funny thing is sometimes the highlight of a trip is not what we expected it to be. For me, it was the day that concluded with this Capri…
I will never forget my ascent to the top of Saint Peter’s during my trip to Rome. There was an enthusiastic electricity in the air of the crowd I climbed with. Each cramped step inside the dome was filled with huffing, puffing, and laughter. Few of us spoke the same language, but we were united…
There is an inherent beauty in an Italian piazza that seems to shine forth even under stormy and dramatic skies. Maybe it’s the rich texture of the old buildings or their Mediterranean colors? Perhaps it’s the air of history, but whatever it is, every time I look at this print of Piazza della Rotonda, I…
I don’t recall ever feeling so exhausted and happy at the same time as I was while waiting in the harbor on the Isle of Capri that night. A friend and I had made a whirlwind tour of the island on a winter afternoon. We had packed in far more than we ever should have…
There’s something magical about the Trevi Fountain. It really screams La Dolce Vita to me! That’s the spirit of not just Rome, but Italy. It’s an Italian phrase that translates literally to The Sweet Life. The saying became well-known thanks to a 1960’s film that featured a scene at the beautiful baroque fountain – the…