After sitting inside all day working, by 6:00 p.m. I had to get out and take a walk from here to my beloved Duomo. I had arrived late Tuesday evening, spent Wednesday getting settled and hadn’t yet been to my favorite landmark in town, 2 miles away from my apartment. I must always go to [...]

While you’re shopping for Chocolate Pudding Mix, don’t forget the garlic! Really? I’m still scratching my head over this one. I asked the guy stocking shelves and he said they hang garlic all over the store. OK…

On a rainy day in Seattle – there have been so many lately – the car in front of me was branded “Milan” and my thoughts flew around the world. I’m 25 days away from returning to the land of “ciao” and dear friends that I look forward to sharing aperitivo with.

Buon Anno. Tanti Auguri. Happy New Year. Many Good Wishes. L’anno duemilleundici. The year two thousand eleven. Vi auguro buona salute, curiositá e contentezza nel anno nuovo! Un abbraccio affettuoso a tutti i miei amici. I wish you good health, curiosity and contentment in the New Year! A warm hug to all my friends. – [...]

“Black Friday”. THE day upon which retailers place their hopes and base their projections for their year’s sales and their holiday “retail success”. The day after Thanksgiving, when much of the country is turkey-drugged, stuffed with carbs, off-from-work and feeling the pressure of the looming Christmas gift list. The thing to do? Join the frenzy. [...]

Two years ago, in exploring one church after another, I noticed cathedral walls laden with silver framed medallions bearing the letters “GR”. Some were tied with a pink or a blue ribbon. There may have been 50 in some churches, or hundreds in others. Here’s a wall in the Duomo of Sienna (from 2008). With [...]

One year ago today my plane landed at Milano Malpensa Aeroporto. I caught the train into the center of town, to the Cadorna Station. It was a hot day. I started sweating quickly. My Irish/German skin was bone white in contrast to all those on the street and I laughed. I was whisked through the city [...]

Venezia – Venice – will always remain, for me, one of the great and marvel-filled cities of the world. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

The visual lushness in Italy thrills me. Architectural details. Signage. The artistic sense. And the character of the people. As an artist, I am fed deeply as I explore this country. I expect that the inspiration and imagery I’ve found here will propel me for years to come. . . . . . . . [...]

They put the temporary, scaffold-and-tin poster walls back up in my neighborhood just in time to feature advertising for the regional elections. Three inch holes are bored into the sidewalk, with rubber plugs for the off-season. Overnight, they can pop the plugs and throw up the walls clean and ready to be weighted with soon-flaking [...]

When here in Milano in the summer of 2008, I stumbled upon a Zucchi Store just a half block north of the Duomo. They sell lovely household linens (sheets and towels) and they had a curious display in the window. I didn’t understand what I was seeing, so I had to go in. Emerging up [...]

Yesterday morning I went to the local Saturday market on a mission: gather as many different citrus tissue wrappers as I could find. From each stall that had some of the paper-wrapped fruit, I bought two oranges, and mandarins if they were also wrapped. After cruising the whole market, I ended up toting home a [...]

When I rounded the corner and saw the wall of red and cream damask patterns, I skipped both a breath and a heart beat. These are the textiles I came for. These are the fabrics I prowl and lurk for at the antique fairs. “The Thread of Dreams – Il Filo dei Sogni” is a show [...]

As a designer, I’m enchanted by the signage I see around Italy and France and love to stumble across old signs that haven’t been tampered with or “updated”. They have such flavor and style.

As a designer and artist, being here in Italy is a pilgrimage to the home of all the motifs, patterns and visual elements I’ve studied and heard of all my life. At times I’m overwhelmed, excited by the visually lush surroundings. The storefronts and shop windows are delicious with their old-world signage and embellishments. This [...]

Today I simply followed inspiration and ended up south instead of north. I had all sorts of wonderful encounters with people along my wanderings and saw beautiful, delicious arrays in front of me. …But right now, it’s approaching one in the morning (again, same as last night) and I’m too tired to post much, so [...]

Milan is currently the host of 33 large-scale lighting installations. (6 December – 10 January.) In the evenings, I’ve wandered through town to see the pieces and love how it changes the night scene, the visual texture and energy of the city. These intriguing works of light encourage after-dark strolls. Along Corso Vittorio Emanuele, Milano’s [...]

This sign stopped me. I grew up hearing the name “Rossignol” in connection with skiis. Here was a cool old bike shop and it had cool old-style bikes inside, plus some swanky, new ones. But no skiis. I hope they never paint that sign.

It’s August in Milano. It’s hot and humid, and most people are part of the mass-exodus out of the city for the month. (The whole country takes the month off.) But some of us are left behind (or haven’t left yet). What’s the average relaxation passtime on a hot summer day? A day at the [...]

I had wondered what responses I would encounter after Obama’s recent election. What references would I find? All over Italy, EVERY store in a given city launches a sale on the same day, cutting prices by 30-70%. I saw this sign, and immediately knew the reference… And with the recent G8 Summit, I was seeing [...]