The Plein Air Sketches that started it all...

I always say that drawing is the foundation of my art and the inspiration is Sicily. There is something about a new place that makes me curious and eager to know more. A little piece of Sicily lives on in every plein air sketch, every sunrise painting, every new taste of food, wine, and espresso I’ve had the pleasure of enjoying. I get to know and appreciate a place best when I draw it. I feel like the act of intense observation allows me to connect with a place, having it forever clearly etched in my memory. I can feel the surge of inspiration from that initial trip channelling through my fingers whenever I see a new landscape - that air of optimism reignites within me, and illumination takes over. Every time I have traveled since, whether it be to Arizona, California, Puerto Rico, or a beach 15 minutes away, I go not as a tourist, but as an artist. Knowing that I will be enlightened and inspired from experiencing new cultures and landscapes, I am armed with a sketchbook and an open mind ready to capture intimate details of the places I see. Sicily changed the way I experience the world, and will forever continue to inspire me as an artist.