Giambologna

There are many many museums here in Florence and perhaps besides the Ufizzi, my favorite is the Bargello. I spent a half a day at this sculpture museum and I made a few sketches but I wanted to stay longer. I plan on returning to just sit and draw all day.
This was one of my favorite little sculptures, done by the famous Giambologna. It's a small angel or "putto" fishing.






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Duomo Vecchio, Brescia

I love Italian Romanesque architecture, and this is one of the best examples of that. The Duomo Vecchio or Old Cathedral is an 11th century building in Brescia, Italy. This building is completely original except for the entrance portal which was added on in the late 17th century. The church also houses a crypt constructed with Roman spolia, which is very impressive. I sat at the caffe in front of the church, so luckily I got to draw and paint comfortably, which as a traveling artist is a luxury.






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Piazza Vecchia, Bergamo

I got a third chance to tackle this scene. I love this part of Cittá Alta and I struggled with drawing it every time I've been here. I think this one was the most successful so far.



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Hercules

I often sit in the Piazza Della Signoria admiring the sculptures. This is a drawing of Hercules from Baccio Bandinelli's "Hercules and Cacus" (1525-27). This sculpture is placed opposite of Michelangelo's David in from of the Palazzo Vecchio. I had a perfect spot to draw Hercules' portrait. I'd like to draw the whole sculpture, but finding a spot to sit comfortably isn't easy with the amount of people visiting. I'll wait until it gets colder.






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Menalaus

This is a detail of a beautiful Roman sculpture called Menelaus supporting the body of Patroclus. It's in the Loggei dei Lanzi in Florence, which is the Uffizi's free outdoor sculpture gallery.



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15th century window

The best part about living in Florence is looking at the Renaissance architecture. The most important Renaissance buildings are here, but there are so many beautiful 15th century palazzi that aren't well known. This is a small detail of a window on Via dei Rustici. Most of the streets are too narrow to even see the entire building, so drawing a window is more plausible.




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In Florence

I'm lucky enough to be able to do some of my graduate research in Florence and I am taking full advantage by drawing everyday. This is of course Brunelleschi's famous cupola and the beautiful Florentine cathedral. This was drawn from Via dei Servi, which leads from the duomo to one of my favorite churches, Santissima Annunziata. More from Florence in the next few days.


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Ponte Vecchio

Ponte Vecchio is one of the most recognizable sites in Florence. I stopped by and his in the shade to draw it. I'm happy with the outcome and perhaps tomorrow or the day after I'll bring my Watercolors and put some color in. Italy is pretty hot right now, which makes drawing and painting outside somewhat difficult. I'll see what I can manage to do while I'm here.


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