View From Epertully

What does a Maltese taxi driver, road signs, and caution have in common?

Absolutely nothing!

After the white knuckle drive, my friend Jeni Caurana and I needed some time to 

unwind and recover from PTS syndrome.

There's nothing like a few French lunches and some time painting plein air to

set things right again.

Robi is hanging out and loving the wet grass.  Does he have on a leash?

Some of you might be wondering.  I left it on for his protection.

We are in the middle of Charolais cow country and those big

mommas can be very protective of their babies.

They wander around the fields all day and if they get too close I

can grab Robi before they do!

You might recognize the bush on the right side of my painting

from the bush on the left in the photo above.  In Malta, that

would have definitely been a tree. Can't imagine two places that are

more different.

View From Epertully 9x12 oil on board

for more info click here

I want to thank everyone so much for all the wonderful birthday wishes you sent

me yesterday.  I had a fantastic birthday and spent part of the day at a 

BBQ at the local camp grounds.

Nice of these two Frenchmen to get up early and throw a party on my special day:)

I'm getting settled in nicely now and almost finished with unpacking boxes,

almost......

A New Lease On Life

Does this photo remind anyone else of standing on the  bow of the Titanic?  If it doesn't then you don't know about the rest of our trip to France and our many near death experiences.  But that's another story with so much excitement to tell you that this blog won't hold it all.  Movie to be released in 2014- staring ( you guessed it), Counte de Roblechon. That's Robi's full French title. Names will be changed to protect the innocent and the not so innocent?  Well they'll just have to suffer the consequences.

Rememder the little 'house' that Robi was supposed to ride the first Ferry in?  That plan went out the window by five o'clock in the morning.  He had already installed himself comfortably taking over the entire back seat, which we were supposed to share, and settled in with his road snacks, toys and comfy bed. He literally wasn't budging.  Fortunately it was a cool morning and the car was parked directly in front of the catamaran and there was an awesome cross breeze so everybody was happy.  The second Ferry trip to the main land of Italy is only thirty minutes and we all got to walk around on deck which was pretty awesome.  After that, things began to go sideways....

Obviously if we hadn't made it here to France safely I wouldn't be able to write this.  We are all just glad to be alive and have a new lease on life.  It doesn't even bother me that things are in total chaos at the moment, or that I'm having issues with my cars, washer, heating, and did I mention termites! Eek! C'est la vie. Sometimes life gets in the way of painting as we all know, but that's life and I'm damn happy to be living it!

Now that's a cappuccino!

So there's nothing like a leisurely French lunch in one of my favorite restaurants (Le Petit Rolin) to regroup from the stress of moving, topped off with a  big cappuccino to get the brain synapses snapping. Now where the heck are my brushes? 

Italian Men

Italian Men 8x8 oil on museum board

for purchasing info click here

OK,  Italian men do have a bit of a reputation.  I just couldn't resist the title.

So before your mind starts spinning out of control,

let's take the high road here.  I promised myself

I would not make any off color remarks that might offend anyone.

   But I will admit that I think Italians are some of the most beautiful people in

the E.U. both the men and women.

There is a reason why Milan is one of the four fashion capitals of the world!

Did I forget to mention that the Tuscany region is one of my favorite places to paint

in the world?  I love the small old villages nestled on the hillsides, the narrow

picturesque streets filled with flowers, and the expansive landscape.

My goal is to be nibbling a homemade pizza and sipping a glass of Chianti by the time you

wake up, make a cup of coffee and read this post. I should  have

ridden two ferries, crossed Sicily and driven to northern Italy.

BUT if my next post still has palm trees instead of vineyards and rolling hills
you'll know I wasn't very convincing in getting Robi on the ferry, inspite of being
heavily armed with bacon treats.
I've told him that only the most preferred customers get to ride in their own
kennel private compartment, it's extra special.

Yet he's difficult to convince, he just wants to know what the heck I did with his sofa!
Wish me luck.

Stay tuned....

Fond Farewell

The time has come to say a sad farewell to Malta.

Special thanks to all my friends that have

made life here so wonderful.

Good times:)

There have been so many inspiring places and people in Malta

I can't begin to name them all.

I'd like to leave you with a short video I made here of

the Blue Grotto.  I incorrectly named it Blue Lagoon

at the time and stand corrected, but you can

see how beautiful it really is here.

Blue Grotto

Now a new adventure begins!

Next week we head to France.  Stay tuned....

 

Evening Glow

Evening Glow 12  x 12

I'm moo-ving!

Yes, it's crunch time here in Malta.  Let's face it,

those boxes don't pack themselves!

The movers arrive at the end of  the week to take

everything I want to ship so I need to get crackin'.

Or I should say packin'.

Of course I'd rather be painting:)

By the time next Monday rolls around we'll be on our

adventure!

If you missed my newsletter and didn't get the details

click here

so you can look froward to where we're going and what we'll do!

End of the Day

End of the Day  9x12 oil on board

for purchasing info click here

I love this time when people begin

to relax and unwind at the end of the day.

The shadows begin to lengthen 

but the sun is still sharing it's brilliant light with us.

Museum Guide

Museum Guide 9x12 oil on board

for purchasing info click here

Wishing a happy Labor Day to my 

friends stateside.

I hope you do something you really enjoy today!