I first visited Italy, on vacation, in 1969.  It is a country whose cultural history was critical to the development of architecture, going back to the days when the Greeks established their colonies on Italian soil and subsequently, with the Roman genius, with their seemingly inborn sense of engineering and their use of the arch and later the dome, refined and brought these elements to maturity during the Renaissance.

It is a country of beautiful landscapes and a variety of different visual perspectives, inhabited by people, friendly and welcoming to visitors, and possessing a multiplicity of historical remains probably more numerous per square mile than any other place I can think of.  Having yearned for the ability to get a better understanding of Italy ever since my first visit, my opportunity came in the late nineteen seventies, when I was offered a position with an American architectural firm in Rome.  Initially intending to work there for a few weeks, my stay turned into an eight year sojourn!

I carry a sketch book with me wherever I go.  I could simply take photographs of what I am seeing but it is only by stopping and drawing the scene – be it a building, a fountain or some other feature – does one really absorb in detail the object of one’s interest, embedding it more securely in one’s memory.  At the same time, I concentrate on exploring what the light does to my subject of the moment, and how high-lights and shadows modulate the physical form I am trying to represent.  This necessitates a certain speed in the execution to ensure that there is only a minimal change in the quality of the light between the beginning and completion of the sketch.  Thus it also requires a choice of what is the most significant detail I should concentrate on in my approach.

There are many facets to the country.  In spite of these many years, I have still not visited every region and thus you may not find all you are looking for in these pages.  The sketches are a personal record of where I have been and are a selection of some of my favorites.  I have added a few comments to each sketch in order provide some anecdotal information as appropriate, but the words are few.  I prefer for the drawing to speak to the viewer – let him or her hopefully gain the same pleasure I experienced in the execution of the sketch.