Four one minute warm up sketches of Hannah.

in the forest

A small and experimental linocut, printed on newsprint.

the walls of Florence

On a pleasant day in October I sat down on the via del Monte del Croce in Florence and made this picture. It was, as often at that time of year, a damp day, but the oncoming winter had not yet sucked the colour from the trees.

On the top right, you can see the medieval wall of Florence running down from the Belvedere heights.

Reinisa and cat

I wish I could remember the cat's name.

mj

kara sits around

Alexandra

Drawn from life, during a class at the University of Toronto on early medieval Italy, with a china marker.

the business traveler

Santa Maria degli Angeli

One of a series of very small etchings, based on quick sketches I made while cycling in Europe. This image is about an inch tall.

I sketched out this view while on the  (very short) ride between Perugia and Assisi, of Saint Francis fame. The church you can see is Santa Maria degli Angeli, a huge late Renaissance pile that contains within it the tiny church which sheltered Saint Francis in the early days of the Franciscan order.

The image is an etching, which is a form of hand printmaking in which acid is used to burn a drawing into a metal plate, which is then inked and transferred to paper using a hand-cranked press. It's a tricky process, but has the virtue of producing multiple original works. This one is number five in a final set of fifty.

I won't say hello

front and back

Two Porcelain Cups

Tarragon has been channeling the teahouse aesthetic:

Black slip on the one on the left.

Both approximately 6cm high, 8cm wide and the foot 4cm across.

--

http://tarragonsmith.com/

let me be

"I have always imagined that paradise will be a kind of library."

Drawn from life in a large local bookstore, using a felt pen.

Descent from the Garden

A picture about the ambivalence of symbols. The serpent is richly toxic, but sometimes you need a little poison to get things done. Whether it is friend or foe depends on the status of Eden in our mythologies.

Do we stay there forever, or go out into the world? Either way, a sacrifice will be necessary.

laura

A five minute drawing of Laura.

better not

Vicino Montalcino

A few years ago I used to take bicycle trips in Italy. It kept me fit, and there was always something to draw.
On one day in mid-April, I set out from Siena and cycled south into the countryside. Monte Amiata loomed over me like a Tuscan Mount Fuji all day long. About mid-day, just before climbing the hill to Montalcino (where I would find a Brunello to fit in my bicycle's bottle-holder), I passed some farmhouses.

There wasn't time for more than a quick sketch:

emily