Recent Painting Sales | Ruth Soller - Blog

Recent Painting Sales Ruth Soller - Blog

The Graduate Feature Article | Ruth Soller - Blog

The Graduate Feature Article Ruth Soller - Blog

Latest Art Sale | Ruth Soller - Blog

Latest Art Sale Ruth Soller - Blog

Award Winning Paintings by Ruth Soller | Ruth Soller - Blog

Award Winning Paintings by Ruth Soller Ruth Soller - Blog

Road Less Traveled | Ruth Soller - Blog

Road Less Traveled Ruth Soller - Blog

Suffolk Punch Day is Done | Ruth Soller - Blog

Suffolk Punch Day is Done, oil on linen, 16x20, $1200

Driving home on a summer evening I saw this gorgeous pair of Suffolk Punch draft horses. Glowing in the last rays of sunlight they had just finished their day's work of pulling the dump rake over the freshly mown hay. Following them was a hay bailing tractor shaping the rows of hay into compact rectangular bails. The beauty of this vision etched in my mind compelled me to paint this scene to share it with you.




Suffolk Punch Day is Done Ruth Soller - Blog

Colorado Council on the Arts Exhibition | Ruth Soller - Blog

Colorado Council on the Arts Exhibition Ruth Soller - Blog

Broomfield, CO artist Ruth Soller is thrilled that two of her oil paintings “Black Canyon of Gunnison” and “Cache de Poudre” are accepted in the Creative Capitol Metro Denver Exhibition. Creative Capitol celebrates Colorado artists and images of the state of Colorado. The Colorado Creative Industries & Denver International Airport received submissions from Colorado artists who reside in the following counties - Adams, Arapahoe, Boulder, Broomfield, Denver, Douglas, and Jefferson. After four rounds of jurying of 222 artworks entered, 112 artworks by 83 Colorado artists were accepted for the exhibition. William Castner, Joellyn Duesberry, Kit Mahoney, Anita Mosher, Tony Ortega, Dennis Pendleton, Cheryl Price, and Harriet Peck Taylor are some of the well-known artists included in the exhibition. The Exhibit will be on display at Denver International Airport from November 5, 2010 to February 27, 2011 and at the Colorado State Capitol from March, 2011 to June, 2011.


In 2009, Denver International Airport was the tenth-busiest airport in the world by passenger traffic with 50,167,485 passengers. The airport's distinctive white tensile fiberglass roof is aesthetically designed to be reminiscent of the snow-capped Rocky Mountains in winter. DIA is also known for a pedestrian bridge connecting the terminal to Concourse A that allows travelers to view planes taxiing directly underneath and provides sweeping views of the Rocky Mountains to the West and the high plains to the East. Both during construction and after the opening of the airport, Denver International Airport has set aside a portion of its construction and operation budgets for art. The corridor from the Jeppesen Terminal and Concourse A usually contains additional temporary exhibits.

The Colorado Creative Industries uses funds appropriated by the Governor and the legislature, combined with federal funds from the National Endowment for the Arts, to invest in communities across the state. Creative Capitol brings permanent and rotating art exhibitions to the state capitol building. Staff and visitors are welcomed into the Lt. Governor’s office to view the rotating exhibitions and to the Governor’s office to view a permanent collection. This new program of the Colorado Creative Industries celebrates Colorado’s rich creative economy and shares this abundant resource with the citizens of Colorado.

“Black Canyon of Gunnison” by Ruth Soller will also be published in the 2010 American Art Collector book by Alcove Books of Berkeley, California. Ruth is represented by Solveig Lark of Gallery East in Loveland, Colorado. http://www.GalleryEast.com

Moonlit Percheron | Ruth Soller - Blog

Moonlit Percheron Ruth Soller - Blog

My artistic mentor Michael Ome Untiedt has been working on nocturnal western landscapes and suggested that I might like to study Frederic Remington's nocturnal works. In this painting I challenged myself to create a "negative" view of my previous painting Out of the Mist. First, I flipped the image and printed out the negative version of Out of the Mist. This came out really weird, as if the light source was to the left and beneath the horse; not exactly what I had in mind. So, I was working much from imagination in creating a background with the moon as the light source and the horse being backlit by moonlight. My goal was to keep the background colors close to the same value, on my grey scale between a 3 and a 5 value. I think the result is pleasing. What are your thoughts?

Colorado Council on the Arts Exhibition | Ruth Soller - Blog



Black Canyon of Gunnison by Ruth Soller

These original oil paintings by Ruth Soller are accepted into the Colorado Council on the Arts Exhibition which will debut at Denver International Airport November 1, 2010 through February 28, 2011 and then will travel to Colorado State Capitol building for display March 1, 2011 through June 30, 2011.

Cache de Poudre by Ruth Soller

Out of the Mist | Ruth Soller - Blog

Out of the Mist Ruth Soller - Blog
This enormous yet gentle draft horse lives and works at Four Mile House Farm in Denver. This is the oldest remaining homestead in Denver and served as a way station and tavern four miles south of the Colorado State Capitol building. One of the jobs of the draft horses is to pull covered wagons in which visitors may ride on weekends. Note the powerful muscles of the neck, shoulders, and hips. My concept was to show him emerging from a chilly autumn morning fog as the sun just begins to break through to warm the fall foliage.

Out of the Mist by Ruth Soller, oil on linen, 11x14, $600

Belgians Mowing Hay | Ruth Soller - Blog

I was amazed to view this nostalgic scene one block from my home and felt I had traveled back in time one hundred years. This bearded farmer had hitched his handsome Belgian pair to a horse-drawn hay mower. I hope you enjoy this original oil painting as much as I enjoyed creating it.


Belgians Mowing Hay Ruth Soller - Blog

Identity:How we become unique

Ruth Soller Artist Interview at Whopple.com

http://www.whopple.com/artist-interview-with-ruth-soller.html

Plein Aire Painting | Ruth Soller - Blog

Eldorado Springs Trail study, oil, 8x10, $200

Have you noticed that summer is a season of rapid growth? Have you awakened to discover your lush green grass, flower beds, and shrubs have become a jungle overnight? Do you find the summer clothes and shoes you just bought for your children suddenly too tight and short for back-to-school? Summer is a perfect time for personal or career growth as well. Last summer my project was a return to water aerobics to get fit for my winter travels in Italy. Results included better muscle tone, balance, endurance and stamina as well as warm, supportive new friends. This summer I am going outside (literally) my comfort zone to try plein aire painting.


Boy, did I have plenty of excuses why this would never work! Weather, wind, rain, sunburn, bugs, snakes, mountain lions, coyotes, inquisitive bystanders … It all boiled down to fear—of failure or appearing foolish. My summer reading helped me overcome fear and excuses. Starving to Successful by J. Jason Horejs showed me that if I want to be in more galleries, I must increase my productivity and confidence in painting. Bold Fresh Piece of Humanity by Bill O’Reilly helped me focus on one dream I had yet to pursue and find courage to just do it. Even a video Encounters with John Wesley strengthened my resolve to begin painting in the field. Wesley spoke of the prayer meeting where he “felt his heart strangely warmed” and knew that Jesus Christ was his Savior and that Wesley was called to go outside the church and begin preaching in the field. Wesley ultimately traveled 200,000 miles on horseback to spread the Gospel of Christ to the masses.

Growing up Irish Catholic in Brooklyn, Bill O’Reilly learned values of self-reliance, getting educated, developing a skill, and forcing yourself to work hard. He built a support system of lifelong friends who are honest with him. O’Reilly encourages us to: Design your own life. Never give up trying to make it on your own. O’Reilly states that “true courage is not about being fearless; it’s about overcoming fear, going ahead with something worthwhile even though you’re terrified. Overcoming fear is an essential key to living a useful and honorable life.”

Planning ahead, I simplified my set-up to a bare minimum necessary to paint outdoors. In my small wooden paint box I carried a wooden palette covered in aluminum foil, a palette knife for mixing colors, small roll of paper towels, small bottle of odorless mineral spirits for cleaning brushes, hog-bristle filbert brushes #2, #4, liner or rigger brush for details, small plastic bag for trash, 8x10 canvasboard attached with poster putty to 9x12 canvasboard (because this is the size of my box/easel.) Paints included Permalba White, Yellow Ochre, Cadmium Yellow Light, Cadmium Orange, Cadmium Red Light, Alizaron Crimson, Transparent Red Oxide, Dioxazine Purple, Pthalo Blue, Sap Green. A limited palette of white, yellow, red, and blue would be sufficient to achieve all color mixtures needed. I put on sunscreen and wore a hat and brought drinking water and my digital camera for reference photos. A useful addition would be a small sketchbook and pencil for thumbnails or value sketches. I added a shoulder strap for hands-free carrying of my paint box; or you could carry all in a backpack. Notice I did not invest in a French easel, by was able to sit on a flat rock or bench, holding my paint box/easel in my lap to paint. After the painting session I gently rolled up the aluminum foil covering my palette to save remaining paint.

I found a 2-hour outdoor session long enough to cover my canvas with wet paint. I chose to bring these works home to finish after the initial coat of paint was dry. This allowed me to view my work in studio light and to realize that the colors I had mixed in the field were somewhat dull compared to my usual intensified colors. Above you may see Eldorado Springs Trail Study after some adjustments and highlights. If you have ever avoided outdoor painting as I had, I hope these suggestions will give you confidence to give it a try. Happy Painting!

English Tea Rooms, Rome, Italy | Ruth Soller - Blog

English Tea Rooms, Rome, Italy, oil on linen, 14x11, $600

This is my oil painting of the English Tea Rooms in Rome, Italy as seen from the Spanish Steps. At the base of the Spanish Steps is a boat-shaped fountain by Bernini. The beautiful terra cotta English Tea Rooms building glowed in the morning sun. Ferns, palms, olive and persimmon trees grew on balconies and courtyards surrounding the Tea Rooms. What are your favorite sites in Rome?

Villa de Medici, Rome, Italy | Ruth Soller - Blog

Villa de Medici, oil on linen, 16x20, $1200


http://www.SollerOriginals.com/blog/21009/villa-de-medici-rome-italy

On our last morning in Rome we walked along the Pincio above Piazza del Popolo where we came across Villa de Medici, a summer retreat for members of the Medici family of Florence. The beautiful building had also served as Academie Nationale de France and was stunningly framed with cascading fushia bouganvilia.

Fed Up with FedEx? An Artist’s Continuing Saga

FedEx came highly recommended to me by well known artists and art magazines as the best vendor for shipping artwork. My experience with FedEx began with great expectations and reasonable results in 2002 when I began shipping artwork to New York City, Washington, DC, and less populated locales in the U.S. My work arrived safely and was returned safely from exhibitions in which it did not sell. My husband built me two wooden crates of different sizes and we packed the works ourselves with foam rubber or bubble wrap, as no galleries or museums appreciate or accept pesky packing peanuts.

After the first few years FedEx decided that I needed to have a business account in order to have them prepare in advance a return shipping label to be included with the shipment for the return of my work after the shows. I willingly complied as I was promised discounts on all services by using my FedEx business account number which was attached to my credit card. I was careful to drive about 25 miles from my home to the FedEx Distribution Center, because I was told that I would receive better rates. This arrangement worked OK except that I could not be sure of the exact charges until after the services were actually performed and I received my credit card bill. There was some confusion as the statement listed only numbers rather than any written itemization for the charges by FedEx.

This year, however, FedEx is undergoing exponential problems. From my point of view as a “business client” I am not aware of the internal turmoil which most certainly manifests itself in horrendous customer service. My and my husband’s attempts to find information and answers online at www.FedEx.com were futile. The website is completely unintelligible. In my effort to sign in to the website I was led through steps to open another business account. My next step of a phone call to the toll free number led to a friendly female robot asking me irrelevant questions and not understanding my responses. After some time of this I was passed on to a friendly female human who kindly assured me that my local FedEx store could package my large painting and ship it.

My husband took off on his lunch hour to help me heft the unwieldy box to our local store, only to be refused adamantly by the “service” employee who claimed that:
•FedEx does not handle original artwork, unless it is something that can be readily replaced by purchasing another at Wal-Mart. (His words, not mine.)
•FedEx does not handle insurance. You must buy that from another vendor.
•FedEx will not do the packaging. You must do all the packaging yourself.
•FedEx will not reimburse for loss over $500 for artwork, no matter what your declared value.
(FedEx will gladly charge you more for a higher declared value.)
•Anything valued over $500 must be shipped FedEx Express.
•My package is too large for FedEx Express, so it must be shipped FedEx Freight.
•FedEx Freight will not reimburse for damage or loss over $100, no matter what your declared value. (FedEx will gladly charge you more for a higher declared value.)
•This office does not handle FedEx Freight. (FedEx Freight is a separate company.)

At this point I developed a sudden and keen understanding and affinity for “going postal”! Lucky for me, my husband quickly herded me out, into my vehicle, and back home where he perused the internet and found another FedEx shipper even closer to our home. By phone this friendly local store assured us that they would do the packaging and ship by FedEx using my business account. We went directly to this store and the managers were so very helpful and courteous. As far as I can tell they have done an exemplary job of communicating with various and vastly divergent FedEx offices and personnel who have given them numerous rules, roadblocks, and hurdles. After two days I am still receiving calls from this vendor as he attempts to coordinate and compromise with FedEx in order to make my shipment happen. He is optimistic that he has worked out all the bugs.

I am glad that I am a woman of faith, because I believe that it will take all the power of prayer to see this experience through to a glorious conclusion. I am extremely grateful for the honor of being accepted into such a prestigious exhibition; because it is quite possibly a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, thanks to FedEx. In the meantime I am open to any leads for an affordable and reliable company which will package and transport original artwork. By the way, have you heard that, “Shipping is a hassle!”?

Denver Botanic Garden Path

Denver Botanic Garden Path, Oil on linen, 11x14, $600

This is a scene in the southwest desert habitat plants at the Denver Botanic Gardens. I enjoy the patterns of light and shadow, warm and cool colors, and the vibrancy of complementary colors such as red and green or yellow and purple placed next to one another. What do you think or feel as you view this painting?
Denver Botanic Garden Path | Ruth Soller - Blog

Beside Still Waters

My newest project is a challenge for me as I am conceptualizing a composition made up of many separate components. Before putting any marks on paper or canvas I have done much research including a photography weekend to Taos and Taos Pueblo. I have already completed two well received Taos Pueblo oil paintings and several Santa Fe scenes. My challenge is to include a Native American with her paint horse in the real setting of Taos Pueblo. I studied Pueblo Indians and their costumes online and in an encyclopedia. I next studied my collection of horse photos and paintings. My goal was to find a horse similar to the handsome Arabian Pinto whom I used to rent for riding lessons. Next, I searched my sketchbooks for figure drawings which would present a natural and believable pose. I selected the figure sketch shown above for the woman’s pose. After collecting these resources I began sketching rough ideas for a pleasing composition.


Since my goal was a finished oil painting 30x24 inches in dimensions, I wanted to increase my odds of success. I completed the 10x8 inch oil study shown above to help me decide on color harmony and to be certain that I could create consistent lighting throughout the composition. I prepared my canvas by toning it with a thin wash of Transparent Red Oxide, allowing it to dry and gridding it into thirds and fifths. These grids establish the most visually pleasing points for placement of the focal points. The Native American woman’s face is my primary focal point with the horse’s face a secondary focal point. I like the way the woman’s right leg runs on a diagonal leading the eye into the scene and her head is tilted towards the horse’s head, drawing the eye in a spiral motion within the painting. Notice that the stream leads the eye from the lower left corner up to the faces of the woman and the horse. Pleased with the study, I began sketching the composition onto my toned canvas with watercolor pencils.

My usual process is working from background to foreground and from dark to light. I painted the blues of the water while I had the sky and mountain blues mixed. After painting the sky, mountains, pueblo, and middle ground it was necessary to revise my drawing of both the woman’s face and the horse’s face. I continued working on the horse, grasses and water. Next, I painted the woman’s skin, dress, and moccasins, saving the detail of the beaded rose designs on her belt and moccasins for last. Although this one of my most challenging works, I am happy with the composition and the action of the woman’s pose. This work has a symbolic meaning to me of the scripture Psalm 23: 1-3a “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures; he leads me beside still waters; he restores my soul.”

Broomfield artist Ruth Soller exhibits at Salmagundi Club New York

Broomfield, CO artist Ruth Soller is thrilled that her oil painting “Black Canyon of Gunnison, CO” is accepted in the Salmagundi Club New York Non-Member Painting and Sculpture Exhibition. The Exhibition will be in the Main Gallery and is open to the public seven days a week, 1-5 pm, July 12th through July 23rd, 2010. The Awards Reception will be Friday, July 23rd, from 6-8 pm. Salmagundi Club, 47 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10003, 212.255.7740, http://www.salmagundi.org

The Salmagundi Club originated in 1871 as a sketch class in Johnathan Scott Hartley's studio and purchased this mid-nineteenth century brownstone house in 1917 as its second home. It was cited in 1957 for its architectural distinction by the Society of Architectural Historians and the Municipal Art Society. The Club adopted its present name a hundred years ago after Washington Irving published his potpourri of wit and wisdom called "The Salmagundi Papers". The name also serves as the club dining room's famous "Salmagundi Stew".

Following a tradition of 137 years, the Salmagundi Club continues to serve as a center for fine artists from New York and around the country-providing exhibitions of paintings, sculpture and photography, conducting art classes and painting demonstrations and art auctions throughout the year. Through the years the Club has been the singular gathering place for such great artists as Childe Hassam, William Merrit Chase, Howard Pyle, N.C. Wyeth, Louis Comfort Tiffany, Ogden Pleisner and many others. Honorary members have included such luminaries as Sir Winston Churchill, Buckminister Fuller, Paul Cadmus, Al Hirschfeld, Thomas
Hoving and Schuyler Chapin.

Black Canyon of Gunnison, oil on canvas, 30x24

Siena, Italy

Siena Window, oil on linen, 9x12, $500, Gallery East

We arrived in Sienna, a charming picturesque medieval town. The main street is lined with shops of jewelry, linens, leather, glassware along with bakeries, pastries, gelatos, wine, olive and olive oil vendors. A local specialty is a dense cake, Panforte di Siena, made with candied fruit, nuts, cinnamon, and cloves. The most exciting annual events occur on July 2 and August 16. The Palio is a horserace around the Campo, a cobblestone paved central city court shaped like a scallop seashell. Each of the 17 districts sponsors a horse who must be blessed by a priest in the main chapel or church of that district. The horse must win by any means, with or without its hired jockey, foreigners and mercenaries looked down upon by locals. Crammed into the piazza and surrounding shops and caffes are 50,000 spectators.


The Piazzo del Campo is seashell shaped, slanting downward toward Palazzo Publico. Buildings around the Piazzo are convex on one side and concave on the other. The Duomo or cathedral is built of striking black and white striped marble with lavish pink and white marble façade and an ornate interior. Side streets offer charming arches, steeply pitched bricked and cobble stone streets, siena and ocher colored buildings with green or siena shutters as shown in my painting above. Definitely an artist’s paradise!

Anne of Florence, Italy

May I share with you how I painted a portrait of Anne, our Guide to Tuscany, Italy? Anne is a tall and elegant woman from Florence with classic Italian features and olive skin tones. She has lovely dark hair and eyes with a long, sculpted face similar to Sarah Jessica Parker. Her bone structure is quite evident. She was fashionably dressed in a black wool beret, flowing cream crocheted scarf, olive quilted down filled coat, black leggings with exquisite to-die-for black leather riding boots with fold-over rim at the knee. In addition to all the information about the enchanting region of Tuscany, I focused on memorizing Anne’s appearance. Above is the pencil sketch I did mostly from memory.

To Paint Anne I first sketched my drawing onto an Ocher toned canvas board using watercolor pencil for easy correction. I pre-mixed the portrait color palette which I learned from Daniel E. Greene of North Salem, New York. To learn about this you may purchase Daniel Greene’s oil portrait instruction video from http://DanielGreeneArtist.com. Next, I began painting the darkest values progressively moving to middle tones and finally light values and highlights. I decided to try a neutral grey middle value background, because I had such a strong pattern of light and dark in the figure. I am so glad I made that choice as I love the timeless feeling it gave the painting. Another new experiment for me was to paint the crocheted scarf with a palette knife, another happy result. I’m quite pleased with this portrait and hope that you enjoy it as well. As always I love to receive your comments.

Identity: How we become unique individuals

You’re cordially invited to a unique worship and arts opportunity.

Broomfield United Methodist Church pastors have decided to incorporate visual art into some worship experiences to coincide with a series of messages about Identity: How we become unique. Ruth Soller, Broomfield oil painter of fine art portraits and architecture has agreed to have a three to five minute video filmed in her studio showing how she begins a self portrait and then showing how she finishes the painting. She will address the question of how we see the image of God. This video will become part of the worship experience and will tie in with the message on Sunday, February 21, 2010. Soller’s original oil portrait paintings including her Portrait of Rosa Parks will be on display during this event. Three worship services on February 21st will include the video and paintings, 8:30 am and 9:45 am are contemporary services with guitar, piano, and drums accompanying contemporary songs and 11:05 am is a traditional service with organ and hymns. Location is Broomfield United Methodist Church, 545 West 10th Avenue, Broomfield, CO 80020. 303-466-1719

The public is invited to attend. Refreshments are available before and between services; and dress is casual. Please feel free to call Ruth at 303-469-2072 with questions or for more information.

I would love to see you there.

Identity: How we become unique
Broomfield United Methodist Church 303-466-1719
545 West 10th Avene, Broomfield, CO 80020
Sunday, February 21st, 2010
8:30 am, 9:45 am Contemporary, 11:05 am Traditional

Create an oil painting from your travel photos in three steps

1. I selected this candid photo which I took in a cafe. I found this scene compelling because of the warm colors surrounding the girl contrasted with the light and cool colors surrounding the man. I have desired to paint a cafe scene for quite some time.



2. Next I drew a rectangle in my sketchbook in the same proportions as my canvas and gridded the rectangle into thirds vertically and horizontally. This helps in placement of the figures and making sure that the focal point is in a visually appealing location. I sketched the scene in pen and ink in order to eliminate any unnecessary details and to translate the image into three main values--dark, middle tones, and light. You may use pencil or charcoal for the sketch and you need not include as much detail as I used.



Tavola per la colazione, oil on linen, 9x12, $450, Available 303-469-2072

3. You may notice that I moved the teapot and sugar bowl in order to create a small still life in the foreground and to add ambiance to the scene. I moved the figures closer together for more implied intimacy. I decided to include more of the paintings on the wall behind the girl and in the mirror because I thought the images were interesting and the colors related well in my composition. Notice how the diagonals of the tables lead the eye into the scene. I used the same gridding technique with watercolor pencils on my canvas to help with the transfer of the drawing onto the canvas. With all major decisions made before I picked up my paintbrush, the painting proceeded smoothly. Here is the final oil painting.

I encourage you to begin to turn your favorite memories into attractive paintings by following these three steps.

Best of Florence, Italy

1. Piazzale Michelangelo. From this hillside you have splendid views overlooking the Arno, the Ponte Vecchio, the Duomo, and all the beautiful golden toned, red tile roofed architecture of Renaissance Florence. You may also view the expansive villas built by the nobles of Florence.

2. Galleria dell’ Accademia: Michelangelo’s David. This is the most beautiful and moving statue I have ever experienced. Michelangelo chose to carve David poised in expectation, focus and concentration immediately before David felled the giant Goliath with only a strap and five smooth stones. David fully trusted that God was on his side and that He would prevail.

3. Duomo. Each city’s largest church is called its Duomo or Cathedral. Florence architect Filippo Brunelleschi made it his life’s work to build the world’s largest dome to cover the cathedral. The work was completed after 16 years of construction in 1436. The Battistero or baptistery has three sets of bronze doors designed by Andrea Pisano and Ghiberti.

4. Galleria degli Uffizi. This museum contains superb Renaissance sculptures and paintings from the 15th Century to 17th and 18th century European artists including Rubens, Canaletto, Van Dyke, Caravaggio and Rembrandt. I was particularly amazed by the rich, pure colors of Doni Tondo (c1505) by Michelangelo, a circular portrayal of the Holy Family.

5. Piazza della Signoria. Florence’s most famous square contains the Neptune statue with bronze water nymphs adorning the fountain.

6. Ponte Vecchio. This 1593 bridge crowded with forty silver and gold jewelry shops is one of Florence’s most famous landmarks.

7. Piazza Santa Croce. The Franciscan Gothic church of Santa Croce contains the tombs of Michelangelo, philosopher Niccolo Machiavelli, composer Gioacchino Antonio Rossini, and scolar and humanist Leonardo Bruni. You may visit the monastery leatherworking school which provides students training to produce the fine leather goods renowned in Florence.

8. Santa Maria Novella. This church was established by Dominican friars in 1221 as a small chapel Santa Maria delle Vigne. Architect Leon Battista Alberti blended existing Gothic elements with new Renaissance features when he completed the intricate marble façade in 1458.

9. Museo Nazionale de Bargello. This fortress-like structure was built in 1255 as the government headquarters and later in 1865 became a National Museum of Italy.

10. Il Porcellino. The city emblem is a bronze statue of a wild boar. It is believed that if you rub the nose of the boar it will bring you good luck and ensure a return visit to Florence.

Florence Biennial International Contemporary Art

It was a wonderful gift and blessing to be able to travel to Italy and participate in the 2009 Florence Biennial, where my works were very well received. The USA Biennial artists met the afternoon after the Opening Ceremony, introduced ourselves to the group and talked about our experiences. Of the seventy USA artists exhibiting at the Florence Biennial, over fifty traveled to Italy to attend. We agreed that we would like to keep in touch with one another and to plan group shows in the USA in the near future. I truly enjoyed meeting artists from around the USA and the world. Some results of these conversations include being invited to exhibit in an international show in Fiji in June 2010 and discussing a potential portrait commission. One USA artist was invited to have a solo exhibition of more than twenty of her large photographs in a gallery in Florence. I returned home with more than 600 photos which will serve as the inspiration for a new series of paintings. I am very thankful for the opportunity to represent Colorado USA in this exciting venue.