"Amalfi Cliffs" acrylic on canvas - Final Version

I was very happy to discover that the acrylic paints are going to work for me! Here is the "Amalfi Cliffs" painting (175x255mm) in its final state:

For comparison, here's the under painting as it was left after the first session:

(Hmm...I think I'd better practice my signature next. It looks more like "MOLE" than "MCOLE.")

Italy Challenge: #1 "Ristorante, Venezia"

approx. 210 x 297mm - Soft Pastel on Fabriano Tiziano

We floated past this lovely back door to the canal in Venice last month. This one was a stretch for me: subject matter and paper color I don't normally work with. It's the first of a series of 15 images from that trip to Italy, most of them in soft pastels. (I have 4 more to go.) For some reason it seems only fitting that I should paint Italian scenes on Fabriano paper. :)

Captain Obvious Does the Weather

We checked the weather forecast and now we know:

1. As of 9:00 PM, it was cooler outside (24ºC vs. 18ºC).
2. The rain we heard was definitely happening (relative humidity: 94%; precipitation rate: 3mm/hr.).
3. Sunrise and sunset will still happen at their time-honored, diurnal positions. (Yes!!)
4. Captain Obvious works at the Central Weather Bureau.