REMEMBERING ITALY II

I'm still engaged in my armchair travels to Italy.  Thanks to Google's Street View maps I can literally retrace my steps through the towns and cities I've visited.  The map's street views are a perfect supplement to my photos, sketchbooks, and memories, with a little imagination added to the mix.

A Bit of Parma   watercolor

Castelinna in Chianti    watercolor

Entering Castelnuovo della Daunia   watercolor

JEFFERSON MEDICAL COLLEGE

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In a few weeks I will travel to Philadelphia to attend the 50^th reunion of Jefferson Medical College’s class of 1965.  At the request of our class reunion committee I did a painting of the student entrance to the old college building that we will give to the university.

Rendering of the original College and hospital

Student entrance

Greeting us every day at the top of the stairs was Thomas Eakins" painting, The Gross Clinic.  Eakins studied anatomy at the college with Jefferson's esteemed Dr. Samuel Gross.

Although I knew it would be a major challenge, it seemed fitting that this should be the focus of my painting.  And I was not disappointed.  The painting created more anxiety in me than anything I've ever painted. The technical challenges were great, but the real source of my anxiety was  knowing that my work would be seen by my classmates and colleagues.  For most of them it would be the single piece of work on which to judge my decision to compromise a medical career for art.

Jeff   watercolor  16x26"

Remembering Italy

It was an itch I had to scratch.  Going through my photos and journals rekindled my interest in all things Italian (not that it ever diminished very much.) and this has resulted in a new series of watercolors devoted to my memories of those precious days in the "old country".

Here are the first two in the series:

From the Terrace

One more Arch

Now it's time to think about tonight's pasta.