A culture starts with the geology it sits on. For the Province of Naples in Italy, it was history of the Mediterranean repeatedly invaded by a volcano. The Bay of Naples formed a wide and handsome site on which to base...

I spend a lot of time in my apartment. It faces south—filled with warm light in winter, when the sun is low, and bright but comfortable in the heat of summer.My cat and my plants enjoy the sun as...

I finally cranked up enough courage to participate in the famous festival of tango— this year their 20th anniversary. I attended only 4 days' worth, arriving on Thursday and leaving just before the despedita (farewell dance) on Sunday.Going to a...

A couple of weeks ago I went, with my sister and some friends, to Dignes les Bains, about 1 1/2 hours away in the Alpes foothills. There we visited a woman, Sandrine Pilati, who is a professional rabbit breeder and...

Last week I paid a visit to a city I have long been interested in seeing. Thanks to friends of my sister, Caroline & Olivier, I was able to stay in town.We took the old-style train (no TGV yet!) and...

Just back from a short visit with a friend to Italy's capital. The city is much smaller and greener than I remembered, and looks like a nice place to live. Although I was there for only 3 1/2 days, we...

Back in Provence after 7 days on the Emerald Isle. My California artist friend, Susan Kirshenbaum, agreed to join me for a week of drawing and discovery in this loveable country. We chose the spot we stayed in based on images...

Last December, my friends Anne & Jean-Charles Oziemblowski and I took a 3-day training session to make me capable of helping out at the local chapter of this national organisation. There was so much to remember that I ended up doing drawings...

Once again, the approach of the Winter Solstice got me ruminating on the passage of time, and the effects of the changing seasons. Now that I'm in Provence (as opposed to Northern California), the delineation among them is sharper. I...

Last year I posted about the big Pétanques event of St Cannat; I've designed a fabric based on drawings of lazy summer afternoons in Provence: the Pastis, the players, the precious shade, floppy dogs, and other iconic elements so familiar...