I am so proud of the students who painted in Tuscany with me. Their enthusiasm for painting was high and they painted all the time. The pages they filled with images from Tuscany were inspiring and everyone shared their knowledge of painting with everyone else.
Monday, the Anywhere Artists boarded the bus for one last day of exploring. Our destination was Oxford and it did not disappoint.
Our bus fit all 12 of us comfortably and was small enough to navigate narrow English country roads.
We were guided around Oxford by a wonderfully knowledgeable guide named Bella. She walked us around to Trinity College and we were fortunate enough to be able to go inside to see the inner workings. We were familiar with some of the scenery from Harry Potter movies and the Inspector Morse BBC tv series.
Debbie Allen shows her painting of Oxford in the bottom row.
We parted at 2pm with some of the group returning home, some (including me) staying on and 2 of the members going off to Paris.
Parting is always bittersweet since we enjoyed each others company for 10 days, shared meals, conversations and art making. Friendships are formed because of our like mindedness and shared interests. This trip, Katherine named us the Traveling Baggallini Sisters because almost all of us were carrying versions of Baggallini travel purses.
The very good news is, we did not get enough of England and Wales and have decided to plan another Anywhere Art trip to see more of South Wales, the Lake district and the Cotswolds next year!
Recently at a board meeting of Anywhere Art LLC (which consisted of Rick and I, Becky and the beagles, the other members live out of town and Max was working), we decided the word that best describes who we are when we travel is “thoughtful”. We strive to be thoughtful about the the country we are visiting. We want to learn about new places first hand. Otherwise, we would stay home and not have to pack and unpack.
We try to understand and speak with as many of the local people as we can.
Yesterday, we followed Lindsey, a certified walking guide around Bath. Lindsay explained a lot about the past and present and helped us appreciate and be knowledgeable about what we were seeing.
As we stood in front of the Bath Abbey, Lindsay explained that the sculpture angels climbing the ladders up to the top of the church and beyond were designed by the architect to make the bulding appear taller by directing your eye upward.
Look just above the blue flag to see the ladder, then upward to see the climbing angels.
Are You Interested in Visiting Ireland, Scotland or Italy with Me this Fall?
Sketch and watercolor views that this in your travel journal.
If you have been thinking about a trip to Europe now is the time to make your plans. I can teach you how to record what inspires you as you walk down the road with me in Edinburgh. I can show you how to sit in a cafe and sketch a window across from the cafe as you sip a glass of wine or savor a cappucino. If the colors you see from the window of the train inspire you to paint, I can teach you how to mix those colors and paint without anxiety.
Scotland- Sept. 18-25, 2016 $2,500.
Ireland- Sept. 25-Oct2, 2016 $2,500.
Discounts available if you sign up for more than one week.