'Little Lezzeno'

There is this sweetest of villages on Lake Como.  This is another of my 6 x 6 studies completed after we returned home which was scraped away.  The burning of the memory is enduring.

'Stuck on Rozzo'

Guess you might think I am stuck on this subject matter.  In a sense, it is so true.  My time spent in this beautiful little alleyway made quite an impression.  What I find interesting is that there is enough significance for this neighborhood of maybe 14 homes to have its own sign from the highway.  I'm not certain of the special designation but it clearly is special.

I gave myself a limited amount of time to paint this 6 x 6 then forced myself to scrape the entire thing off the canvas.  What do you think of that?  Gone.  But not forgotten.

Lakeside

This is the little jumble of apartments and inns around Lake Como.  We were there the first week of summer. At our Albergo Aurora was a wake boarding camp for girls from all over the world.  The owners' daughter has recently won the World Championship in Wakeboarding in her classification.  In addition to painters all over town, there were wake boarders taking off from the dock each day.  Interesting combination!

The Kindness of Strangers

Do you know how to paint a feeling?  I surely do not know what this means, but this study will forever evoke a memory of the kindness of strangers.  Susan and I were painting in the shadows on a little street in Rozzo, a small neighborhood of the village, Lezzano.  It was a very warm June day and the neighbors were all about, going in to church, sweeping the balcony, walking or driving!!! down this tiny street.

From the apartment on the right a lady came down with a beautifully arranged plate of fresh fruit, raspberries, cherries, nectarines.  What a lovely gesture.  We were later invited up into her apartment to see a drawing she had of her very corner of the world where there exists a 16th century fresco still intact on the building next door.  Let us remember to always share with those in our midst.

Lake Como in the Afternoon

There are many little villages around Lake Como, all connected by a winding road running the entire circumference.  This particular afternoon we painted in a spot where families also gathered to bathe in the icy cold water of the lake.  The far mountains are Switzerland...still snow-covered on top.

Lezzano Afternoon

This is the little village in Italy on beautiful Lake Como where I had the good fortune to paint with Open Air Italy and the inimitable Kenn Backhaus.  What a wonderful time we had at Albergo Aurora Lezzano.  The air was thick with atmosphere!